Bring Him Home

Chapter 9

A few hours later, Ahsoka tapped on the cabin door. "Sabine? You awake?"

The Mandalorian bolted upright. "Yeah."

"We're approaching Tatooine."

"Alright, I'll be out in a bit."

She stood up and popped her armor plates back on, slid into her boots, and laced her satchel over her shoulder. Once she was fully kitted, the young woman walked into the cockpit and winced as the large dustball of Tatooine filled her vision.

"If there's a bright center to the universe, you can bet it's a long damn way from this place", Lux commented as he started the landing cycle.

"You've been here?", Ahsoka asked him.

He nodded. "Hung around here for a bit after I started taking bounties. Figured it would be a good place for a former Republic Senator to lay low and avoid any Imperial entanglements."

"So that means you know all of the local watering holes?", Sabine inquired.

"Like the back of my hand."

   "Good. Those'll most likely be the best places to start looking", Ahsoka added as she remembered her own visit to this planet. It reminded her of so many things. A little Huttlet... Magnaguards... Anakin...

    The ship entered Tatooine's atmosphere and they landed at one of the larger spaceports. They walked out of the ship and Sabine hissed in disappointment. "This sand is gonna get everywhere."
  
    "You get used to it", Lux commented as he gathered enough credits to pay for the docking bay, "Come on. The cantina's not far."

      The trio walked down the bustling streets of the spaceport, which were surprisingly cheerful, given the environment. Sabine overheard a few people talking about how they were glad the Empire was on its last legs, and that made her smile. The Rebellion that she helped create... the revolution she helped inspire... it freed an entire galaxy. That was news she was sure Ezra would be happy to hear.

      When they walked into the Cantina, the first thing Sabine saw was a hulking grey-haired Wookiee sharing harsh growls with the scruffy human behind the bar. After they resolved their issue and shook hands, the hairy beast left.

    "Two Corellian Ales and a Bespin Fizz, on the rocks", Lux told the bartender.

     Wuher harrumphed as he spit-shined a glass. "Didn't expect to see you back here, Bonteri. Who're your friends?"

     "People who aren't interested in pleasantries", Sabine answered as she pulled out one of the holodisks and turned it on. "Have you seen him?"

     The large man rolled his tongue around as he tried to remember whether or not he recognized the young man in the hologram.

     "Mmhmm", he finally said, "Came through a few years ago... had a blue guy with him. Looking for the best place to buy a ship. There weren't any available in town at the time, so I told them they could probably get one directly from Jabba. The Hutts control the markets, after all."

     "And you never saw them again after that?"

    "Nope. I can only assume they took my advice."

     
  Sabine looked at Ahsoka. "Well, I guess we're going to pay Jabba a visit."

      Yes, I know Jabba's dead by this point. But they don't. ;)