9 | The Abandoned Outpost

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My boot tapped against the console of my ship as darkness began to fall over the abandoned mining outpost on a backwater floating rock. From above, the planet has looked welcoming, beautiful even. Now, I knew that looks could be deceiving, especially from so far above.

The mining outpost I had walked through hours before looked even worse in the twilight. Shadows fell over the little homes that surrounded the rusting contraptions by the boarded-up mines. The light seemed to play tricks on the eyes, figures made of a black mass in mid air appearing and then disappearing as rationality clouded fear once more. Deactivated droids were scattered around, their shadows against the waterlogged ground stretching for a few miles, their echo distorted and mutilated.

This little slice of the planet was grey and dreary, the daylight just as so. No scorching sun, just a dim slither of silver light from above that broke through the black clouds every now and then. The rain hadn't let up, either, since I had 'landed' here. Too bad that this place didn't have any spare parts for me to make use of so I could get out of here quicker.

In the silence, every noise played tricks on me. The music of the patter of the rain mixing with the tapping of my feet were my only friends apart from my droid that beeped beside me.

After a while, I begin to drift off, leaving my planning for daylight when my mind should prevail without the creeping darkness. As my eyes are about to flutter to a close, I notice a light from one of the buildings in front of me, pulsing as the rain splattered against the windows.

Jolting up, I take my blaster and head out of my ship to discover what the source of the light was. The wind and rain lash out at me as I make my way into the cantina, my hair dripping wet from the short distance once a roof covers my head.

Looking around I see nothing out of the ordinary, though I dared to not venture too far within. Taking a sweeping glance of the place, I flick a switch beside me as I make my way back into the pouring rain.

"Not staying for a drink?"

I stopped in the doorway, my head only partially peeping out slightly as the rain ran down my face, the back of me dry. My hand shook as it went to the blaster at my side.

As calmly as I could, I turn back around with a smirk plastered across my face. "Now, why would I want to stay for a drink?" Though it was difficult, somehow I was able to keep the shakiness out of my voice.

Laughter echoed around from various voices within as I looked around once more. Lightning engulfed the sky and illuminated the inside of the cantina where the voices rang out from, but there was not a living soul within. 

Word count = 499 words

Written for the Star Wars Fans prompt for the Halloween Vault 3D

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