4 Chapter 4 - Leaving.
If you want to read up to 10!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Currently updating twice a day on patreeeon.
Love you all.
——————————————————
[Sion Wells. POV.]
I kitted up, pulling on the drab clothes and throwing the desert cloak over my shoulders. It was uncomfortable, but it did well to hide my features. I took a moment before the grimy, cracked mirror that adorned the wall of the hotel I had stayed in, and I had to say I was unrecognizable. Hidden behind the raggedy, street-worn veneer was me, a fugitive, free at last from Hutt's grip.
Strapping the blaster to my hip and stuffing the rest of my new gear into a worn out bag, I stepped out of the door. My boots echoed down the hallway as I made for the nearest bar. If the movies had taught me anything, it was that if you wanted to find someone, you had to head out to a bar.
There I would find my way out.
And hopefully, my years of playing DnD would allow me to roleplay my role without much of a hitch.
The bar was a seedy joint, a neon sign above the door flashing with spasmodic inconsistency. I pushed through the weathered entrance, a gust of mixed desert wind and internal mugginess hitting my face. Cheap alien music blared from some unseen source, I couldn't understand a thing, but I suppose it was art for someone out there. The patrons barely glanced at my arrival, too engrossed in their intoxicants and bitter conversations, meaning my disguise was working as intended.
Now, I just had to talk to the bartender.
[Duros The Bartender]
And there he is.
I walked to the counter, planted myself on a squeaky stool and slid my concealed credit chip across the grimy surface to draw attention. Barkeep, a grizzled old Duros with faded blue skin and tired eyes, walked over. He eyed me, then the chip.
"New here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Passing through," I replied. Not exactly a lie, seeing I didn't belong here, and I didn't intend on staying. "With your help, that is."
His bulbous eyes flicked to my cloak then back to me. Silent understanding passed between our gazes, then he went about pouring something into a glass that looked more like engine coolant than drinkable liquid.
"Saw a fella in the corner," he said as he returned, pushing the questionable drink towards me. "Pilot type."
I followed his gaze and saw a man buried in shadows at the far end of the bar. He didn't seem much; just another dusty traveler chewing on a lit cigar.
[Karek Darek - Seasoned Pilot.]
God, this was so cliche. Thankfully, cliche was predictable, and therefore easy to manage.
"Pilot?" I asked. There was silence for a moment before he removed the cigar from his mouth and looked up at me.
"I might be," he replied with a raspy voice, sounding disinterested but not dismissive. His gaze traveled from my cloak to my bag to my boots before resting on my face again. "It depends."
"Need a lift out of here," I said, pulling out another credit chip and sliding it across his table. Not mentioning a destination, not yet. The pilot's eyes flicked to the chip then back to me.
"Depends on where we're headed," he said, taking the chip into his hands and turning it around in his fingers as if he could determine its worth just by touch.
"Any system but this one," I replied. A slight smile twitched at the corners of his mouth as if he found something amusing about my response.
I mean, sure, ideally a planet where the law was followed, or at least where I didn't have to worry about slavery, but any would do right now. By now, Gardulla probably knew I had escaped, and she didn't look like the forgiving type, and as much as I wanted to end her, that would just seal my fate, the Hutts didn't take lightly to someone killing one of their own without their approval.
All and all, my best course of action was to leave, for now.
"And what's in it for me?" he questioned, leaning back into the shadows once again.
I leaned forward onto the table, meeting his gaze. "Money." I had a limit of 3600 credits on me. Hopefully, he wouldn't charge me for all of it.
The pilot raised an eyebrow at that, looking up at me with interest now clearly visible in his eyes. "How much?" He asked, the edges of his mouth twitching upwards.
It seems he saw through my plot of not saying a price, to avoid overpaying.
I paused for a moment, studying him. Like my dad used to say, bargaining was like a game of high stakes poker. Give too little, and they might leave you stranded. Offer too much, and you could be left with nothing.
"Two thousand," I said, holding his gaze steady. Crossing my fingers that would be enough.
The pilot's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed as he stared at me from beneath the brim of his hat. A puff of smoke escaped his lips as he exhaled. He looked away from me for a moment, eyes darting around the bar before finally settling back on me.
"Add five hudred more and it's a deal," he finally said, the corner of his lips curling up into a hint of a smile.
2500? I could deal with that. It left me with some cash to spare for unforeseen expenses.
"Deal," I said, handing him the credits.
"Just one thing," The pilot said as he released my hand, pocketing the credits nonchalantly.
"What is it?"
"We leave now."
Fine by me, I don't want to spend another day in this sand covered hell.
I gave a small nod. "Lead the way."
An uncharacteristic silence took over us as we navigated our way out of the dingy establishment, no parting words, no suspicious glances. Maybe they were too deep in their drinks to notice, or maybe they knew better than to question what was none of their business.
Once outside, my guide, pilot, rather, lit up another cigar, pulling in a lungful of smoke before exhaling it into the cool air with a satisfied sigh. He stood there for a moment before turning to me, flicking his gaze across my person.
"Ready?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as if he didn't want the night to overhear. I responded with a nod, my heart pounding hard against my ribcage. Freedom was so close I could practically taste it.
Without another word he led me down a series of back-alleys and through an underground network of tunnels that I wouldn't have noticed even if I had looked for them. It was clear that this pilot knew his way around the city, a comforting thought considering the fact that I was putting my life and most of my money in his hands.
Eventually, we emerged in an open area, a junkyard perhaps, dominated by a looming silhouette of what I could only assume was our ride out of here—a spaceship.
[YT-1300 Corellian Freighter - Modified.]
Keep it together.
Don't turn into a fangirl.
It's just a ship.
Just a very good ship. The pilot, Karek, flicked his cigar into the dust and gestured toward the freighter with a lazy grin. "There she is. The Red Ranger."
As he spoke, the ship's ramp opened and lowered to the ground with a mechanical whirr, illuminating the junkyard with its warm interior light. My heart fluttered with anticipation as I took my first steps towards it.
"Ever seen one up close?" Karek asked, following me up the ramp.
"Not quite like this," I replied, pausing to look back at him. Just in movies.
"No? Well, you're in for a treat then," he said, patting the side of the spacecraft fondly.
If my friends knew I was about to travel in a real Star Wars ship, they would rat me out to Gardulla out of jealousy.
"Hope you're not expecting luxury," Karek commented as he maneuvered past me into the cockpit. It was a cluttered space filled with flickering screens and worn-out controls but if he knew how to use it, I didn't care.
Karek slid into his seat behind the ship's console, fingers dancing over buttons and switches lighting up the cockpit as systems hummed to life. I watched from behind him, trying to take it all in; every beep and hum, every click and flash of light, stroking my eagerness for what lay ahead.
Freedom.
Actual freedom.
"Don't just stand there," Karek chided, not bothering to turn around. "Strap in. Unless you want to die, in which case, be my guest."
Fair enough.
I moved to the empty seat beside him, pulling at the worn-out straps of the safety harness. I clicked each into place, the weight of the belts against my chest a comforting assurance of safety.
"Punching it," he warned, hands hovering over a specific set of buttons, as the engine hummed to life.
The ship rumbled beneath me as we lifted off, the force of our ascent pressing me back into my seat. Through the cockpit window, Tatooine's sun-scorched landscape grew smaller and smaller until it was just a tan speck on the horizon. I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
Were all ships this fast?
"Next stop, hyperspace," Karek announced with a grin as he pulled back a lever. The stars outside streaked into brilliant white lines as we made the jump.
I gripped my harness, exhilarated. "Fuck," knuckles white as I clutched the sides of my seat, like my life depended on it.
Karek glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "First time?"
I nodded.
He chuckled. "Gets old after the hundredth time or so. Long way to Naboo still, you should get some rest."
"Naboo?" I repeated, turning to look at him.
"Hey, you said any system or planet, I just happened to pick the one I was going for," Karek shrugged. His fingers moving through the controls, maybe adjusting our speed, or checking our course.
Hopefully, I won't have to deal with Darth Raisin, aka Palpatine during my stay in Naboo.
[New Quest: Avoid Sheev Palpatine!
Objective: Avoid Palpatine during your stay in Naboo.
Reward: 175,000 credits, ???.
Penalties: ???.]
Shouldn't be too hard. I have no connection to the force, so he might just ignore me.
Wait… I just remembered, didn't I earn a ??? reward during my last quest?
'Inventory' I commanded.
A blue overlay screen popped up in front of me, making Karek and the control console a backdrop to a list titled 'Inventory.' It was sparse, with few items of note. My blaster, my measly 1100 credits, some rations and... there it was. Right at the bottom of the list. '???'
Curiosity piqued, I reached out and tapped on it. The entry expanded to reveal an item description.
[Item: Star Map - Unknown Sector.]
I blinked. A star map? But not just any star map, this one was for an unknown sector. I knew for a fact most of the universe wasn't discovered in Star Wars. Meaning that this map probably led to uncharted territory, unexplored planets... untouched resources. It could be a goldmine. Or it could be lethal.
"Something wrong?" Karek's voice broke through my thoughts.
I shook my head. "Just, dizzy."
He shrugged and turned back to his controls, leaving me with my thoughts and the holographic blue of the inventory screen. The map could be worthless or worth millions. Either way, it was a lead worth following, later. To survive this world, I first needed to learn a thing or two.
