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NATALIA WAS never a fan of Tatooine. She hated the planet and the scum that came along with it. But what annoyed her the most about it was the sand. That stuff was relentless, it got everywhere and just when you thought it to be gone it always finds a way to show up somehow. She knew already she'd be finding sand in her hair for weeks.
"So tell me again why we are doing this?" Natalia asked as she walked down the ramp of the Millennium Falcon.
"Because we need the money." Han spoke as he cleaned off parts of the ship.
"I'm aware we need the money but this is just shady. Why would they even ask about Imperial entanglements unless they were wanted men?" Natalia asked as she folded her arms.
"This is gonna save my neck, sweetheart. Sometimes you've just gotta take what you can get."
"Don't you sweetheart me, Han." Natalia said as she pointed a stern finger at him.
"What a piece of junk."
Natalia turned her head to see two people and two droids walking into the hangar and towards the ship. One of the men was old and wore robes similar to that of a Jedi, the other looked no older than Natalia with a poncho over his clothing.
"Watch your mouth, kid." Han warned. "She'll make .5 past light speed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts. I've made a lot of special modifications myself. But we're a little rushed, so if you'll just get on board, we'll get outta here."
"Chewie, please tell me you think this is a bad idea?" Natalia asked as she turned towards her Wookiee friend. Chewbacca only shrugged his shoulders with a small growl as the two walked into the ship.
"Why am I the only one that's skeptical about this?" Natalia asked as Chewbacca sat down in the co-pilot's seat.
Chewie let out a few growls as he prepped the ship for takeoff. "I know it's good money." Natalia argued. "But come on, isn't it a little..." Blasts suddenly sounded from outside of the ship and Natalia peeked her head up to see at least a dozen stormtroopers surrounding their ship. "What did I tell you." Natalia said as she pointed a finger at Chewie. "Han get your ass in here!" Natalia yelled.
"Chewie, get us out of here!" Han yelled as he came barreling into the cockpit.
"I told you they were no good." Natalia argued as she sat down in the seat behind Han's.
"Now's not the time, sweetheart." Han said as Chewie flew the ship out of the hangar. "Good money." Natalia scoffed. "What good is the money if we're dead."
Chewie let out a growl and nodded his head. "We better get paid extra for this." Han agreed.
"Oh don't tell me that's what I think it is." Natalia groaned as she looked into the space ahead of them.
Chewie growled as he pointed to the scanners, proving Natalia's worst fear. "Looks like an Imperial cruiser. Our passengers must have been hotter than I thought."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Natalia argued.
"Try and hold 'em off. Angle the deflector shields while I make the calculations for the jump to light speed." Han said as he got out of his seat and walked over to the nav computer. "Natalia go figure out who our passengers are."
"On it." Natalia said as she got up from her chair.
"Stay sharp." Han said as he walked back to his seat. "There's two more coming in. They're gonna try and cut us off."
"Why don't you outrun 'em?" The kid asked as he ran into the cockpit, almost taking Natalia out in the process. "You said this thing was fast."
"Watch your mouth, kid, or you're gonna find yourself floating home." Han spat as he glared at the guy. "We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace. Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose 'em."
"You boys better pay us extra." Natalia said as she looked over to the two. "Nobody's worth this much trouble."
The ship began to rattle as the shots from the cruisers collided with the Falcon's shields. "Here's where the fun begins." Han said with a smirk.
A frown began to form on the older man's face as Han said the words, causing Natalia to raise her eyebrow slightly. But any look of sorrow was suddenly wiped away as he asked his question. "How long before you can jump to light speed?"
"It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer." Han informed.
"Are you kidding?! At the rate they're gaining?" The kid panicked.
"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dustin' crops, boy!" Han yelled at the kid. "Without precise calculations, we'd fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova, and that would end your trip real quick."
An alarm suddenly went off causing the scanners to flash. "That's not good." Natalia muttered.
"What's that flashing?" The kid asked as he pointed to the scanner.
"We're losing a deflector shield." Han said as he swatted the guy's hand away. "Go strap yourselves in. I'm gonna make the jump to light speed."
"Who the hell are you guys anyway?" Natalia asked as she watched the two run for their seats in the back.
"I'm Luke Skywalker." The kid said. "That's Ben Kenobi."
"Wait a second." Natalia said, her eyes widening as she stared at the old man. "Kenobi?"
