Chap. 22 - Tatooine

The Kestrel Nova came out of hyperspace, revealing the massive desert planet of Tatooine. A dangerous place, controlled by criminal gangs and the brutal regime of Jabba the Hott, a vile and ruthless being, who enjoyed seeing his victims torn to pieces by his pet in his imposing palace.

Tatooine did not have border control, much less a guard to ensure your stay on the planet. Everyone who went to Tatooine knew full well that the Hott did not restrict entry to its domain, but if you poked your nose where you shouldn't, you could disappear into the endless sea of ​​dunes.

The Kestrel Nova plunged into Tatooine's atmosphere and headed for sandy terrain just outside Mos Eisley, the largest city on the planet. His arrival did not go unnoticed in the eyes of many, but seeing such an old ship model did not cause them the slightest interest. Some even sneered along with their comrades, trying to guess what idiot would fly across the galaxy with a relic like that.

The landing was fairly smooth, despite the slight disparity of the terrain. The ramp descended from the bottom of the ship, making light contact with the sandy surface, and from within emerged four hooded figures, one smaller than the other three.

Era Icarus, accompanied by Wag Too and the two commando droids. A team that would go as inconspicuous as possible, thanks to its humanoid form and some tricks up its sleeve that these droids had incorporated. But problems were not long in coming.

????: - Hey friend. I don't know if you know but, that's my "landing port."

Icarus turned to the strange voice and saw a woman approaching as she tried to take sure steps in the unstable sand. About thirty years of age, sand-stained fair complexion, curly brown hair uncombed and dressed, she wore leather clothing similar to those worn by some pilots, and was followed by a Pit droid unit.

Ícaro: - I thought it was a free zone. - He said following the game, but with a more organic voice.

Woman: - Before it was. But now I do my little "mechanical work" there. You have to move that thing. Unless you compensate your stay. -

Icarus looked up and threw out a look around. I could see a makeshift metal table vaguely covered by a piece of cloth with a couple of tools. A flexible pipe running underground, safe for fuel, and several grease stains on his clothing seemed to support his alibi. Icarus calculated that it could be a scam, and probably was, but he knew how to treat people like her, so he decided to play along. The droid took his hand from his hood for an instant and tossed a small bag to the woman.

Icarus: - I think that's enough. Also add fuel. -

The woman opened the bag and saw a good number of credits. I knew it was enough, but I wanted to see how much could draw from these "strange guests."

Woman: - Sounds good to me. But... look at that thing. - Pointing to the ship. - It's clearly in need of repair. I can make them, for the right price. Of course. -

The droid thought about it for a moment, and the woman's arguments were not without reason. The Kestrel Nova needed some maintenance, and her previous unforeseen event on Agamar had left some scars.

Icarus: - Can you get parts? -

Woman: - Take it for granted. Whatever you need is not a problem for the great Peli Motto. -

Icarus: - Very good. I'll give you four times that amount if you get a plasma shield generator and ten meters of insulation. Five if they are new. -

The woman's eyes widened; she had never seen such succulent treatment in her life.

Peli: - Take it for granted. -

Icarus: - Good. We'll be back in a couple of hours. -

The droid headed into the city, followed by the commando units and Wag Too. The hoods completely covered their body and face, so it was impossible to identify them, unless someone approached too much. But with so many hoods in Mos Eisley, the quartet was perfectly inconspicuous.

Wag Too: - I didn't know you could change your voice. - He said something surprising.

Ícaro: - Both I and the commando units have voice modulators. So it's easier to blend in without attracting attention. -

Wag Too: - That's great. And... Where we go? -

Icarus: - We need supplies for you and Tova. I also need information about what is happening in the Galaxy. We will divide into two groups. Unit... - Icarus hesitated for a moment, remembering what happened in the cargo hold of the Kestrel Nova hours before. - Delta unit, go with Wat Too to the market, buy supplies and return to the ship. Alpha unit. follow me. -

Droids: - Acknowledged. - They said with a more organic voice, but their mechanical features were slightly noticeable.

Icarus went to a place that seemed to be very lively. The commando droid followed close behind, his E-5 blaster under his hood, ready to open fire if anything happened. The duo were on the outskirts of what looked like a canteen, or a mercenary center, and inside there was a great commotion.

Upon entering, they saw two mercenaries fighting with their fists, surely they were fighting for a job or something similar. The rest of the crowd watched enthusiastically, placing bets and drinking themselves to drop. Even the clerk looked amused at the two who were arguing, apparently that was something common in that place.

Icarus decided to ignore them and walk past, and followed by Delta, they approached a board that showed dozens of jobs for bounty hunters. There was everything from kidnappings, murders, sabotage and robberies. Many wanted remnant assets of the Separatist Alliance, and the Empire offered handsome sums of money to hunt down "certain individuals" who stood in the way of their plans.

Icarus slightly showed his modified hand and connected it to the terminal on the board. He began downloading everything from job postings to Coruscant news, even using proxy and with his advanced programming, he managed to access imperial state secrets and criminal group bank accounts important like the Pikes or the Hutts themselves. But before I could finish the download, problems came.

????: - Hey! "Friend." You can't take every job. - Said a hoarse voice behind him.

Icarus just turned, nodded lazily, seeing an approaching green-skinned Rodian.

????: - It is evident you are new to this. So let me give you an official "welcome." -

The Rodian twitched his fingers in defiance. The rest of the mercenaries and bounty hunters looked with interest, their faces showed some happiness for what was going to happen, even some already began to bet from the other side of the canteen. The Rodian kept getting closer, but Icarus just nodded to Delta.

The commando droid stepped forward, and without warning, the Rodian punched him in the face. The droid covered his face with the hood, but before the Rodian could reach him, the droid crouched slightly as he put one of his feet behind the alien, and with his right arm, grabbed the Rodian's face and slammed his face into the ground. 

The blow produced a thud, causing the Rodian to fell unconscious immediately, taking everyone by surprise. The commando droid simply got up again and took a few steps back with its commander.

An awkward moment of silence overwhelmed the atmosphere of the place. The tension was perceptible, noticing how some of the bounty hunters gently brought their hands to their blasters. They were ready to finish off the newcomers, as they watched the hooded stranger walk away from the blackboard.

Icarus: - Let's go. There is nothing that interests us in this place. -

And just as they arrived, the strange duo left the place without saying a word. Those who stayed in the canteen could not help but feel the helplessness in their bodies. Unknowingly, they had been transfixed by such brutality, since, in their eyes, they were notable to see what happened. They watched as their comrade approached, but after a blink, the strange being had already thrown him to the ground. Who were those subjects?

One of the mercenaries approached the body that was lying on the ground, and inspected it slightly. But everyone was petrified when they heard him say. "Is dead." With a voice of astonishment and terror.

Icarus and Delta walked back to the Kestrel Nova through the sandy streets, trying to call the smaller amount of attention possible. I knew that what happened in the canteen could attract problems, so they had to hurry to get out of the area, but at least, the information collected had been worth it. But then something strange happened.

Icarus stopped suddenly, for no apparent reason. He could feel something, something strange. Something he couldn't describe or compute. His peculiar core was sending him some strange signals, signals he didn't know what they meant, but they seemed to point in one direction.

Delta: - Commander? - He asked when he saw that Icarus stopped moving.

Icarus: - Go back to the ship. -

Delta: - But, Commander... -

Icarus: - It's an order. -

Delta: - Roger. Roger. -

The two droids went their separate ways. Ícaro went to a strange sector of the city, with a lot of people and small businesses. A place that he wanted to avoid at all costs, but for some reason, he couldn't help but move on. His core seemed to be guiding him, like a pirate's urge to find treasure buried under the sand, a very strange feeling.

His impulses led him to a modest canteen, where dozens of diners "enjoyed" local delicacies without paying the slightest attention to the newcomer. His core had taken him to that place but why? What was in that place that was so special? He looked around and couldn't see anything clear. Only dozens of citizens who did their best to eat something decent on that emaciated planet.

He looked at each of those present carefully, making eye contact with some, who quickly lowered their heads to avoid looking for trouble. It was more than clear that they were not bandits or bounty hunters, but humble people who they did everything possible to survive in that place. He looked up and saw the cook, who asked him if he was going to eat something, but he just denied it, knowing that was not the reason he was there. Then he saw it.

A mysterious hooded being, sitting with his back to the entrance, gracefully eating a piece of bread, a piece of meat and a serving of soup. It was clear that this individual was not like the others, because his gestures showed a certain elegance, very distinctive from the rest of those present. And to top things off, Icarus' core began sending him signals when his optical sensors made contact with the cloaked stranger.

Icarus approached, without knowing why, and sat down right in front of the diner, at the same table. The hood covered most of his face, but the droid was extremely curious as to who was standing right in front of him. Under the hood you could see a neat blond beard with brown tones.

????: - Do you want something? - The strange human asked kindly.

Icarus: - What are you? - He asked somewhat confused.

The outlaw stopped eating for a few seconds, looking up at the droid who covered his face perfectly. The human's hood hid some well-defined facial features, although somewhat beaten by the climate of the place. And two huge blue eyes, which formed a strange sad look, but with great willpower inside.