"BD-4? I like BD-4. It doesn't hide from me like that big bird!" Millisyn, strapped into the co-pilot seat, teased the droid beside her.
Looks like she still hadn't let go of what happened with Yunling.
"Alright, say goodbye to Yunling. Didn't it already let you sit on its neck?" Amir laughed.
"Hmph! Bye, you stinky big bird! Bye, you stinky Mona! This time I'm the one leaving you behind—I'm going! And don't you cry at night when you miss me, okay!! Rau!"
Amir couldn't help laughing at her.
He powered up the Traveler. With Yunling escorting them, the ship punched out of the fog and climbed toward the sky.
Tatooine, a cantina. Kain was drinking and killing time when his comm chimed with a message.
"Hondo? Why is Amir looking for that old guy?"
Lango stared at the scanner in front of him. Beside him, Chewbacca was making impatient grumbling noises.
"Did you find it or not?" Han Solo was there too for some reason, pressing him as well.
"Stop rushing me." Lango was sick of both of them. He had to wait for the ship to transmit its signal—he wasn't the one sending it!
"There—there! What is that?" Han Solo stared in surprise at a symbol he recognized.
"Damn it! Why is it Crimson Dawn again?!" young Han snapped, furious. If nothing unexpected happened, then Crimson Dawn's public-facing boss right now was the one person he couldn't get out of his head—his ex.
"We agreed. We helped you once, now it's your turn. Help us get this group out, and we're even," Lango said.
"Rrraah—rrraah!"
"Next time you roar, can you do it farther from my ears, you big idiot?" Han Solo's mouth was rude as always, but he didn't try to dodge what he owed.
"On my ship, you do what I say. Who can fly? Get in the co-pilot seat!" Han strode into the cockpit and started working the controls fast on this ship he'd only just gotten his hands on. He loved it.
When Chewbacca lumbered up, Han's eyes widened.
"What are you doing, fuzzball? Trying to make a mess? If you're hungry, go to the cargo bay!"
Chewbacca ignored him, started the ship with practiced ease, and sat down in the co-pilot seat.
"You can fly? Huh. Guess you really can't judge by appearances," Han said, stunned by how smooth Chewie was.
"RRAAAH!!!!"
"###"
The ship launched. The Millennium Falcon accelerated hard and shot into space, and in moments it was only a tiny point of light in the starfield.
"Where are we going next?" Millisyn sat in the co-pilot seat, craning her neck to stare at the stars, counting bright points one by one as she asked curiously.
"Eternal Ark Space Station." Amir pulled out the coordinates Pax had given him and flew toward an empty corner on the nav-map.
"A space station… is that a star too?"
"Strictly speaking, yeah." Floating, glowing—close enough.
Not long after, the Traveler dropped out of hyperspace. Far away, they spotted a glowing point—different from the other stars. It wasn't very bright, it was small, and it was mechanical.
As they closed in, Amir finally saw just how extravagant the station was—streams of neon and glittering light everywhere. Luxurious groundcraft cruised through the space-lanes overhead. Countless people sang and danced, freely venting emotion and desire.
This was a true lawless zone.
A playground where some of the richest people in the galaxy burned money for fun.
Millisyn stared in open amazement. She had never seen anything like this.
They passed through the shield and settled the Traveler into its assigned berth. Amir took Millisyn's hand and led her down the ramp.
Amir had grown up in Coruscant's core districts. Even if he'd been at the bottom, you don't need to have eaten bantha meat to know what a bantha looks like when it runs—he'd seen this kind of decadent spectacle more than once.
But as soon as they saw the dazzling food stalls and all the eye-grabbing entertainment venues, Amir and Millisyn both slowed to a crawl.
He patted the pocket that was still, thankfully, not empty. He didn't know why Hondo hadn't stolen anything, but as long as the money was still here, Amir could hold his grudges a little less. And right now, none of that mattered anyway—Amir decided the doctor could wait.
Because, well… since they were already here.
They ate and drank their way along. Amir and Millisyn walked with a bright, multicolored drink in one hand and a bag in the other, the bag stuffed with every kind of snack imaginable. They ate as they walked with absolutely zero dignity, like they'd been starving for days.
Millisyn had never tasted any of this. She practically wished she had more mouths. And the bag—she was saving some for Mona, so Mona could learn firsthand that nutrient paste did not count as "delicious."
While the two of them were having the time of their lives, a battered ship—pirate-looking—settled onto a public landing pad nearby, drawing Amir's attention.
For a moment, Amir had a powerful sense of déjà vu, like he'd seen this exact scene at some point before.
Maybe a flicker in a dream.
Maybe a glitch in memory.
But what happened next shocked him completely.
The ship's ramp lowered, and a figure stumbled down.
That same familiar look—rotting skin, like a demon crawling out of hell.
Amir grabbed Millisyn and stopped in the flow of people, locking eyes across the walkway with No. 32. His mind ran wild, trying to find any reason No. 32 could be here, any way he could have gotten here.
Nothing.
No trace at all.
No. 32 shouldn't be here—not now, not at this moment.
Dragging heavy steps, No. 32 walked straight toward Amir. The pedestrians on the route might as well not exist. In his field of view, there was only the blond boy with puffed cheeks from sweets.
Amir swallowed the oddly flavored dessert in one gulp and pulled Millisyn behind him.
At that moment, a Duros ran out of the ship No. 32 had come from. Seeing No. 32's back, the Duros's face went pale with fear and he fled to the side in a panic.
"Who do you think you are? Don't block my boss's path!" A Snivvian with huge nostrils stepped up to No. 32 and shoved him hard, like he was annoyed this person was in the way of the Hutt being carried behind him.
Amir stared at No. 32's reaction.
To Amir's surprise, No. 32 behaved like an ordinary sick man. From a single shove, he went down easily, collapsing to the floor.
After catching sight of No. 32's skin, the ugly Snivvian kicked him aside in disgust, then kept tugging the lavish litter forward, escorting the Hutt master onward.
"Do you know what you're supposed to do when you see someone collapsed on the ground?" Amir asked, turning it into a question for Millisyn—who clearly needed lessons in basic etiquette.
"No. We can't go up and kick him like that guy did. That's wrong!" Millisyn said, staring at Amir in disbelief.
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🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
📢 The Force Calls! 📢
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