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Skywalker: Resurgent Ch.11: A Night On the Town

Resurgent, Storage Room #9...

I ducked and then sprang skyward from my crouch, leaping over an imaginary danger as I twisted mid flight to accommodate defending myself from another imagined attack. Landing hard but bending my knees to absorb the shock, I spun in place and came into a guard position as I faced the only other person in the room with me.

"You need to keep your elbows closer to your body," Kenobi instructed. "Your defense may be exploited by not being able to move your arm in the correct way at a critical moment."

Grunting my acknowledgement, I did as instructed and repeated the kata, or training movements, again. Today, he'd set me to practicing the different movements of Form IV, Ataru. It was the form Kenobi had focused on early in his life and emphasized acrobatic maneuvers and strikes. It also allowed him to ensure I wasn't slacking off in more than just my lightsaber training as I exerted my body to near-inhuman levels of physical performance.

Fortunately for me, being strong in the Force as I am means I basically run with cheat codes in these situations. Muscles that should be torn, or at least sore, felt perfectly normal after accomplishing Olympic-level feats of strength, speed, and flexibility for extended periods. My recovery rate from physical exertion was, in a word, phenomenal. All this physical exercise allowed me to strengthen my body's natural biology to peak performance, even when I wasn't drawing on the Force. I could still grow tired or exhausted. It just took a hell of a lot more than it would for normal people.

A few minutes later, Kenobi called for a stop. I deactivated my blade and joined him where he was standing and observing my movements. He professed that his own days of 'soaring like a hawk-bat' were behind him and was content to simply instruct from the sidelines in this case.

Now that we'd gotten a good bit of practice out of the way, I thought it was about time I checked in on how my teacher was doing without me.

"So, how does it feel being called general again?" I asked.

"It is..." he mused, drawing out his answer. "Refreshing I suppose."

He leaned back against a large container and looked thoughtful as he answered.

"In what way?" I asked, resting against a different container besides him.

"Well at first, it was strange," he said, stroking his beard as he answered. "So many years of living as a hermit on Tatooine let me grow more accustomed to the quiet life. Now, everywhere I go, people recognize me as a famous general or jedi master. It is, at times...disconcerting."

"I'm getting some of that too," I commiserated. "At first, a rare few would recognize the last name Skywalker and realize I'm the son of the famous war hero. That was weird enough, but others are starting to look at me in ways that make me feel just a bit uncomfortable."

I gestured towards the entrance to the storage room we were using for my training today.

"I know it's not their fault or anything but they look at me like... like I'm a legend come to life. I get the gratitude aspect of it from the guys I freed but it comes from the other crew too. Thank the Force I've got guys like Biggs and Wedge helping to keep me grounded. You, Han, Chewie, and Leia too, whenever you come by. It helps to have the guys run interference for me and remind people that I'm also a person. Remind me too, just in case."

"To keep you from developing a case of 'Jedi Arrogance' as you've called it?" Kenobi asked wryly, using air quotes to show his sarcasm at the term.

In spite of any reluctance he'd expressed about resuming a more active lifestyle, I'd noticed that Kenobi was steadily becoming less solemn when he spoke. At those times, I'd see flashes of the younger Obi-Wan Kenobi, the one who trolled his enemies and brandished a dry wit as often as a lightsaber when fighting. Those instances were rare on Tatooine and I often had to coax them out of the man.

These days? It seemed he would open up on his own and without my prompting. I didn't claim to be a psychologist but I took that as a good sign as to the old man's mental well being. I couldn't see him as often as I liked anymore and our respective duties to the Alliance would keep us apart at times. It was good to know I didn't have to worry over him, even if I felt the occasional flicker of concern for how he was faring without me around.

Still, that didn't mean I always appreciated the sass when he decided to renew old discussions on areas where we disagreed, even if politely.

"It's an environmental concern," I fired back. "Jedi have been attributed to being one of the galaxy's leading producers of smug. I think the average Imperial officer or moff is enough of a contributor without adding myself to the equation."

"I certainly hope that's not referring to your new naval captain," Kenobi replied smoothly. "According to Leia, he handles himself and the ship quite well. You could have definitely done far worse."

This, I already knew. Leia had worked with Captain Shin quite a bit during what was now being referred to as the Relief of Alderaan. She'd remarked to me that Shin was a highly capable officer and that I was lucky to have him backing me up. I hadn't disagreed for a moment.

"No," I acknowledged. "Not a word of complaint for that one. Except from the lazier crew members, perhaps. No, I don't have to worry about him getting an overinflated opinion of me. He's pretty smart and upfront about my capabilities as a Force user as well. He agrees with me that while we don't inherently make better officers than the average being, we do make great force multipliers, no pun intended."

"That's good to hear," Kenobi nodded. "I know that neither I, nor any of the jedi generals during the Clone Wars would've been half as effective without capable men at our sides. You're fortunate to have so many willing to assist you when asked."

"Indeed I am," I agreed with a hum.

I genuinely appreciated these talks with Kenobi. He and I may not see eye to eye on every issue, and I know he felt more than a little stung and defensive when I brought up some of my lower opinions of the Jedi Order of his era, but our discourse was always polite. I can respect his advice and wisdom, even if I disagree with the finer points at times. It's easy for me to see how people view him as a venerable general or jedi like in those stories people still tell.

"Now," he said, clapping his hands together in front of him. "I understand from your previous messages that you've made progress on Force Blocking. You said that you have some ideas that branch off of it?"

"Oh yeah," I began. "First, there's this idea I had about the principals involved. Before the blaster or energy bolt can make contact with our bodies, we're essentially manipulating the energies involved to some degree. What if we were to think beyond just blocking and consider manipulating these energies from further away or even manipulating the energies in a different way altogether...?"

~Skywalker: Resurgent~

Being a mostly mobile state, the Alliance was constantly moving around its assets to accommodate its needs. Being at war with a galaxy spanning power, this doubled the necessity of moving our assets around to stay one step ahead of the enemy. While we couldn't hope to match the full might of the Empire's forces, we could certainly out maneuver them as we hopped from one hyperlane to the next, from one rallying point in deep space to another, to even the occasional allied world willing to look the other way if a couple of ships were spotted passing through.

Things were picking up in this sector, so the Command Council had decided that it would behoove us to move most of our assets elsewhere until the heat died down. After all, there were plenty of other places that the Empire could be hit from and dedicating forces here meant that they weren't elsewhere. Alliance Intelligence was already working on identifying a new assignment for us.

On a more dour note, we'd gotten word that Vader was confirmed to be back in action. I'd never doubted that he'd survived the Death Star's destruction and neither had Kenobi but now there'd been too many sources of confirmation for anyone to deny it. His exact movements were difficult to track, given that he was hardly the type to keep an itinerary or divulge his plans. All we knew for sure that he was alive and hadn't reported back to the Emperor in person yet. I had my own theories which I'd shared with Kenobi about what he might've been up to. There was nothing much we could do at the moment, save to prepare for our inevitable confrontation in the future. Although he was reluctant to let me face him at all, he still acknowledged my point about its inevitability. Thus, Kenobi had been happy to keep me appraised of all Alliance intelligence on Vader's movements and activities.

For now, all I could really do was handle the day to day tasks that were required of me and continue to prepare as best as I could. I had a handful of ideas where and when that pivotal meeting may take place but given how unexpected my own movements had been since the destruction of the Death Star, I wasn't naive enough to think that the future was still set in stone. I had three ideas I was banking on as the most likely options but there wasn't anything I could do at the moment but wait and prepare.

Speaking of preparations, we were stuck in a holding pattern with a couple of other Alliance ships when my office was suddenly invaded. That brought me to the current situation of my friends trying not only to request shore leave, but to drag me along with them. I'd told them I was tired and should really be focusing on the pile of paperwork I had on my desk, but Wedge and Biggs had insisted.

Sneaky bastards that they were, they'd even gotten Han in on it. All three of them came to my office and told me that with no exceptions, I was going to be joining the pilots for a night out on the town. Han informed me that I was not allowed to say no, much to my consternation.

"It's a night on the town!" Biggs explained grandly. "Drinking, music, dancing, and whatever else gets your reactor purring!"

"What town?" I asked. "Where are we even going?"

"There's a system one jump away with a nice little port town," Han explained. "Nice little place I've stopped at a time or two. Real friendly folks. Just a quick jaunt in a shuttle. You'll get there just in time for local night and can fly on back in the morning."

"Han, are you kidding? Do you see how busy we are around here?" I asked him, gesturing all around us. "You guys can go, it's not a problem, but I've got too much going on."

It wasn't like I was trying to be the stick in the mud here. There was always something going on that seemed to require my attention. Whether it was working on the next batch of writing to submit to Mon Mothma or planning for the Resurgent's next big operation, I had a lot going on. That wasn't even including practicing with my Force skills or with my lightsaber. Was taking a night off to go party in any way the responsible choice here?

"We've got a few days before we're scheduled to make our run on Cymoon I," Han pointed out. "And you could do with some relaxation. You're wound up like a spool of razorwire and could really use this."

"I am not," I objected calmly. "'Wound up,' as you put it. I'm just busy. I've got a lot to do and you should know that as well as anyone."

"I do," he agreed, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Whatever you want to call it, you've been piling on a lot onto your own shoulders. It's not just me; these guys noticed it too."

I shot a look at Wedge and Biggs, the two of them not even having the decency to appear sheepish.

"It's true," Wedge shrugged. "If you're not busting your butt somewhere making sure everything is going right, you're doing that mystic-Jedi routine or doing paperwork."

"If you guys want shore leave, you can have it," I replied.

"C'mon, Luke!" Biggs cajoled. "You've gotta come with us too! It'll defeat half the purpose if you're not there too! We need this! You need this!"

"And what about you?" I asked Han. "You here to offer a ride?"

"Tempting but no," the smuggler admitted. "The Falcon's hyperdrive is acting up again. I'll be staying here with Chewie to tune it up. It'll be just you fighter jocks for this one."

"Again?" I asked, a bit exasperated. "I'm wondering if I shouldn't have a spot reserved for you on the hangar deck by now. Put up a sign over it and everything."

Seriously, as much as I loved Han's little ship, that thing seemed to require almost constant attention. I'd noticed that he was doing some kind of repair and/or borrowing some kind of tool more than half the time he came aboard. I was fine with it but it did make me wonder why the Falcon was such a needy little ship, almost to the point of comedy.

One of these days, I'd have to sneak aboard and take a good look at that engine to see just what Han and Chewie had done to it. I expected to find as much adhesive tape and spot welds as I did functional engine parts, given the evidence at hand.

"If you do, don't forget to stock it with tools," Han replied, completely unashamed. "And maybe a deckhand or two to run errands for us while you're at it."

"Of course," I agreed, keeping a straight look on my face. "However would you fix the Falcon without plenty of snacks and booze on hand? I've already had to get wookiee-proof locks installed over the kitchen pantry."

"And back to the subject of snacks and booze," Biggs interrupted before Han could reply. "Shore leave? Please? Oh, beloved best buddy and commanding officer who will come with us? Who loves his troops and all the hard work they do for him?"

Wedge adopted an almost pathetically hopeful look as he gazed at me with wide eyes and an almost teary look.

With reluctance, I went along with it and made the arrangements.

~Skywalker: Resurgent~

Several Hours Later...

Alright, so this might've been a good idea.

A few nondescript shuttles had been reserved and a rotating roster for the crew had been written up. At least this way, I wouldn't have to feel like I was leaving my people behind while I had fun. Now, everyone could get at least a night off once it was their group's turn on the schedule.

Given the exuberant response I'd gotten when I'd made the announcement, I suppose I was being the proverbial stick in the mud. I'd still put myself in the first group of shuttles along with Biggs and Wedge and a couple of other pilots who were coming along as their own groups.

I'd donned my old 'Clint Eastwood' disguise for this trip. We weren't going somewhere with an Imperial presence, but it paid to be cautious all the same. While the Alliance hadn't published my name as the guy who blew up the Death Star or the one who spearheaded the 'Raid on Alderaan,' I knew the Empire's intelligence assets were likely working overtime to find out my identity. It'd been long enough that I felt it was prudent to don my old disguise, sans the face paint. It should ensure me enough anonymity for the evening while everyone else was at least smart enough to not proclaim that they were members of the Alliance in a place where they might be overheard.

We'd gone bar hopping immediately after landing and went at it for several hours. The nightlife on this world really didn't compare to what passed for it on Tatooine. For one, there were a lot more people around. Each place we went to seemed busy to at least some degree. In some places, the party was literally spilling out onto the streets as beings of various shapes and colors stumbled and laughed off to their next destination just as another group would arrive as if to take their place.

Our trio had quickly gotten a few mugs of a local ale along with a pitcher and claimed ourselves a table. Biggs and Wedge had insisted we first raise a glass to Red Squadron, which I was fine with. Except, we started with Commander Drevin and worked our way down the list of deceased pilots until we needed a refill. Then we kept going. Then we reached Gold Squadron, and we kept going. Then we had one for Alderaan.

We still hadn't stopped.

I quickly realized my two friends weren't kidding around tonight about enjoying themselves.

The good times flowed pretty easily once we all became intoxicated. I wasn't really looking to get as drunk as my two friends clearly were, but it didn't help that their refills included my drink as well...

"Gimme 'nother! I'cn- I'cn take it!" Wedge yelled, slapping the bar and rattling the empty glasses.

"You lookn' at us?" Biggs asked me aggressively. "You see'n us? Ain't nobody like us! Noboooooody!"

"Biggs, who're you talkn' to?" I asked, confused and a little tipsy.

"Luke, there you are," Biggs responded, sounding relieved all of a sudden. "There was this guy, blonde, lookn' at us like he was better'n us."

"Uh huh. Where'd he go?"

"I dunno. But we should find 'em. I'll punch 'em while you hold 'em."

"Did you just- y'know what? Sure, Biggs. If I see 'em, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, man! You're a great pal!"

"Uh huh. You're buying the next round."

...But I still enjoyed myself greatly. One of the places we went to even had a live band playing and they were pretty good, although I think we might've enjoyed ourselves with dancing a little too much...

It was during one of my more intoxicated moments that I vaguely recall some zeltran women dragging all three of us out to dance with them. I think it was Wedge who introduced us but damn if I could remember more than their faces from the introductions. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people moving in a ways that just confused the hell out of my inebriated mind.

Dancing, unfortunately, was not a regular activity for me on Tatooine. To be fair, I don't think many people went clubbing on Tatooine. The place wasn't exactly famous for its night life. I had absolutely no idea what kind of dance moves were considered cool or not in this galaxy and I certainly wasn't going to try and imitate the lady across from me who was gyrating her hips in a highly provocative way. I totally blanked on what sort of dance to do and was just standing there like an idiot for several seconds while my two friends did a semi-passable imitation of whatever the locals were doing.

After a brief moment of confusion, it occurred to me; I knew of several Earth dances that I could fall back on.

I blanked on what exactly came after that realization but according to the next thing I could reliably recall, I had at least twenty beings of various species copying my movements as I taught them to whip and nae nae. The band seemed really into it as well and were happy to provide appropriate, if not precise, musical assistance for the occasion.

While it seemed to be a huge hit, I was later informed by reliable sources that I had apparently 'invented' several cool new dance moves. For the life of me, I couldn't recall the entirety of what I had done while we were there.

Of what few memories my inebriated mind managed to retain, I managed to recall some ortolan doing Soulja Boy's 'Superman' dance and falling over a vacant chair he'd backed into. The hazy memory would still manage to send me into fits of laughter long after I'd sobered up.

Would this be considered innovation or cultural contamination?

...By the time we'd stumbled out of that last establishment, my buzz was wearing off and both Biggs and Wedge wanted to go to some place they'd overheard some twi'lek girls talking about. It didn't take too much brainpower for me to figure out that my two friends were hoping to locate said twi'lek girls and get lucky tonight. Not that I was opposed to the idea, but there were only the two of them and I didn't much care for being the fifth wheel right now. Plus, I was still feeling pretty beat from all the dancing I'd done earlier.

"I'm just about tapped out, fellas," I told them. "I'll leave you to it and meet you back at the shuttle in the morning, alright?"

"Wha? No way, Luke! You gotta- you gotta- you gotta come with!" Biggs protested, managing to get the sentence out at last.

"Nah, you guys go ahead," I brushed him off gently. "Four's a party, but five would just be crowded. I'll go find my own fun."

"Only if you're sure, boss," Wedge said, apparently having sobered up a bit more than Biggs had. "You still got your comlink and some credits, right?"

"Of course," I said, patting the pocket said items were in. "I'll probably just stroll around a bit and find somewhere to sleep."

I could always crash aboard the shuttle we took to get here but there was something appealing about catching some sleep in a bed that wasn't aboard a spacecraft. I couldn't articulate the real reason if I tried but I suppose that spending months on the move and living aboard the Resurgent had something to do with it.

Wedge got Biggs to follow after him as they both went off to try and find the aforementioned establishment where they hoped to get lucky. Watching them go, I gave serious thought to following them but eventually decided I wasn't in the mood.

Taking in a deep breath of warm night air, I walked off in the opposite direction. The sounds of laughter, music, and even the occasional smashing bottle kept me company as I wandered through the streets.

~Skywalker: Resurgent~

I sat down at the small table with my drink. I'd selected one in the back of a quieter establishment I'd found, giving me a better look at the whole room and getting me further away from what little activity there was. In fact, 'quiet' was still fairly relative here, considering that there were still people talking and laughing fairly loudly. Still. it was less rambunctious than the last two places I'd tried, so I decided this would have to do.

Sobering up further from my earlier state, I found myself getting lost in thought again. Thoughts, ideas, plans, all swirled through my mind as I let myself get lost in the background of the nightlife. It was still hours until morning and I'd ducked into a quieter part of town to sit and think for a bit. When a waitress had asked me what I was drinking, I'd just ordered something random off the menu to both get her to go away and not seem rude.

Whatever it was, it was red, sweet, and mildly fruity. I...think it was alcoholic. It was good, at least. I wondered if I could buy some for the Resurgent and the rest of the crew? I'd talk with the supply guys and see about expanding the ship's refreshment options since we'd dropped most of the booze after we took over and drank the rest...

I paused after taking a sip as I realized I was thinking about work when I was still supposed to be relaxing.

'Maybe the guys have a point,' I admitted to myself, frowning into by drink. 'Maybe I am a workaholic.'

"Find anything interesting?"

The voice broke me out of my self-contemplation. I hadn't even noticed I was staring vacantly into my glass as I had been lost in thought. Looking up, I finally took notice of the person who'd chosen to interrupt my thoughts.

She was a vision of beauty.

Long red hair, beautiful and brilliant green eyes that shone as she looked at me. She had a lovely smile on her heart shaped face and simple, silvery earrings that drew attention to it as they shone brilliantly, catching the light. Her dress was a bit risque by Earth standards. It was a brilliant blue and reminded me of something one would see in a Japanese anime, with long strips of cloth seeming to compose the garment by virtue of being latched together by unseen means. The cut of the dress complimented her slim figure and her long legs, the lower half parting strategically just enough to show off a bit of skin. She wore simple slippers, like a ballet dancer's, on her feet.

To me, she looked absolutely stunning.

'Woah...' I thought to myself as I stared at her. Snapping out of it before I embarrassed myself too much, I decided to say something back.

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly. "You'd asked me something?"

She smiled a bit more widely as she pointed at my drink.

"It seemed like you were looking for something in the glass just now," she said, pointing to it. "If so, maybe I should refrain from ordering anything if they make a habit of adding hidden surprises to their drinks."

"Oh no," I said with a huff of laughter. "Just a bit lost in thought is all."

"Well," she said, sliding into the chair next to mine. "Maybe you can tell me what's got you so distracted you didn't even notice me walking up to you? Mister...?"

"Clint Eastwood," I introduced with a smile. I couldn't help it, that alias was just too funny to give up. The fact that everyone took it seriously didn't detract from my own amusement one bit.

"Arica," she simply stated. I noted the lack of a last name, but didn't think much of it. Lots of people introduced themselves by only one name or another in this galaxy. Maybe I could try doing that at some point with a new alias? Hmm...maybe Sinbad? No, that's lame. I'll think of something later. Right now, there's an incredible looking woman demanding my attention.

"Are you a recent arrival, Clint?" she asked.

"What makes you ask that?"

"I haven't seen you around here before," she replied simply.

"Maybe I'm just the reclusive sort?" I offered.

"No way," she denied. "I can tell you're not the type. You on the run or something?"

"Only from life's usual problems," I said, lifting my almost empty drink to emphasize my point. She laughed.

"Aren't we all?" she asked, flipping some of her red mane over her shoulder. "Drinking alone is one of the more boring ways of doing it though."

"Oh?" I arched one eyebrow. "And what would you recommend, Miss Arica?"

Before answering, she swiped my drink from where I'd set it down in front of me and drained the rest of it in one long pull. I was so taken aback by the suddenness and audacity of this action, that I didn't even consider stopping her or objecting. She finished and set the glass back down, licking her lips in a slow, deliberate way as she let out a self-satisfied sigh. Amusement danced in her eyes as she looked back at me.

'If this is her way of propositioning me, I have to give her credit for style, if nothing else. Hot damn!'

"Follow me to the dance floor and find out," she stated, rising from her seat and holding out her hand for me to take.

The music wasn't bad, but had an annoying trait to it that what few lyrics it heard were indecipherable to me as anything other than confused muttering or shouting. The beat was repetitive and had an almost techno quality to it as well as what I think sounded like a woodwind instrument of some kind. I suppose it was fine for this establishment's purposes but I'd have probably preferred if the volume was just a bit lower.

"People dance to this?" I asked, only half joking.

"Of course they do!" Arica insisted with a laugh.

"Well, maybe you can show me how?" I offered, taking her hand in mine.

She led me to the dance floor where we were only one of a handful of patrons who'd actually cared to dance here instead of in one of the livelier joints. Arica gently guided my hands into hers and told me how to move my feet, mimicking hers. It took a few near misses with me nearly stepping on her toes, but I eventually got the handle of it.

'Okay, maybe this night is really turning around for me,' I thought. Arica's hands weren't exactly soft, but their touch was gentle as they guided me through the steps.

"You learn quickly," she commented. "You sure you don't already know how to dance?"

I smiled at the teasing tone in her voice.

"I accept only the finest teachers," I teased back. "It's easy to learn when one simply pays close attention."

"And are you paying attention to me, Mister Eastwood?"

"Absolutely."

And now we were flirting back and forth. This... felt good. This was hardly my first experience with the fairer sex. There were girls back on Tatooine who I'd spent time with, for instance. But it'd never gone past the usual teenage awkwardness, given the fact that they were all my physical age and caught up in the usual teenage drama. And once I'd woken up that fateful day and sought out Kenobi, I hadn't really had the time for messing around with such relationships. And even if I had been, none of them had ever been quite so confident, so... forward as Arica was being.

'Aunt Beru might not have just been trying to embarrass me, it seems,' I thought, moving my hand up and over Arica as she spun before moving it back to her hip. 'Girls from other planets really do have strange habits. Although, I didn't think that was supposed to be an endorsement when she said it...'

This felt nice. We didn't speak much, but I found myself smiling a lot more genuinely, a lot more easily than I had been earlier. Despite having tired myself out with all that partying earlier in the evening, I found that I could've spent the rest of the night on this dance floor, if it had been feasible.

Unfortunately, it seemed all good things must come to an end.

"Hey! You!"

Both Arica and I stopped and turned to look to where someone had just shouted.

"Uh oh," Arica said next to me, causing me to glance at her.

"Friends of yours?" I asked, watching as the ones who shouted pushed their way forward until they stood in front of us.

In front was a weequay wearing a black jumpsuit with a green vest and belt over it. His braids were pulled back into a thick bundle that kept them out of his grey, mottled face. A second weequay stood beside him and wore similar garb but with fewer dreads, which I vaguely recalled being a sign of age or years spent away from home or something. I didn't really give it much thought when I saw who, or rather what was with them. Coming up behind them was a demonic looking fellow I immediately identified as a devoranian. He had a grimace on his face as he stalked behind his companion, revealing sharpened teeth to compliment his reddish-copper skin and bald head adorned with a set of curved horns.

Arica didn't get a chance of my original question as the weequay in front of the group, the leader I supposed, pointed a finger at us and spoke.

"Party's over," he declared. "You're coming with us!"

I tensed just a bit at this demand. Did this guy know I was with the Alliance? I didn't think I was quite notorious yet to have my face recognized but maybe this guy just had good information. Or maybe his boss did? Shit, was this some local criminal trying to get in good with the Hutts by capturing me? If so, the rest of my crew might be in danger. I needed to-

"I don't think so," Arica spoke up. "I told you before, I'm not interested in any offers you boys have to make. You guys are the one with a problem. How about learning to take 'no' for an answer?"

I looked a bit surprisedly over at Arica again as she said that.

"And we say you can't go yet," the weequay snarled back. "You been askin' the wrong questions and to all the wrong people. You may think a pretty smile is enough to get what you want but I say you're coming with us back to our boss' office, where you'll tell us who you're working for and how-"

"Ah," I interrupted, stepping between the two. "Just so we're clear, you're here for her, right? Just her and not me?"

I pointed behind me to Arica as the weequay growled at me and his friends looked miffed at the interruption.

"Obviously," grumbled the devoranian. "Dumbass."

"Oh," I said, letting out a relieved laugh. "Because I was worried there for a second!"

The thugs, Arica, and even the onlookers in the establishment were giving me confused looks. I didn't care to explain it but I was actually relieved they didn't know I was a member of the Alliance. I'd have to cancel shore leave for everyone if there were scumbags out hunting for rebels. The crew would be so disappointed if I was the reason for cancelling their good time. Not to mention the crap the other guys would give me if I was the reason why shore leave went to shit as soon as they let me out of their sight.

"Something funny?" the lead weequay asked.

"Nah," I waved off his question. "You wouldn't get it. But you guys should go."

"What?" was the confused reply.

"I mean," I explained. "I'm not really expecting you to just walk away. That's not how these situations usually work out. I'm just encouraging you, in the strongest and clearest terms possible, that you don't want to pick a fight here and so you should just go. You had your chance, but now you should just go back to your boss and explain that the lady got away. Say that she found herself protection, which is kind of true, or just tell him she got away. Tough break but these things happen, right?"

There was a loud moment of silence in the establishment as my words sank in. It was broken when the thugs all started laughing and a few of the bar's other patrons laughed too.

'Not the response I hoped for,' I sighed internally. 'But it is the one I was expecting.'

"Pretty boy thinks he's tough guy?" snarked the second weequay, his accent thick. "Mess up that face of yours if you don't go, pretty boy!"

"Pretty boy?" I repeated, amused. "That's very flattering but I'd say I'm more handsome than pretty."

I turned my head to glance at Arica.

"I might just be biased though. What do you think? Handsome or pretty?"

I was rewarded with a devilish smirk for my attempt at humor, though she clearly kept an eye on the thugs and me during the whole exchange.

"Enough of this!" declared the leader, stepping towards me. "Either back away from the girlie or end up in a ditch out front."

"Now, now," I said in a placating manner while also positioning myself between the lead weequay and Arica. "There's no need for that. I'm sure we could just talk this out like reasonable sapients."

"Oh, we'll do plenty of talking," the devoranian said, stepping forward and towering over me. "Just not with you."

I flexed my hands at my sides as I stared up at the tall being. He had a good head and shoulders worth of height over me and probably a good forty-five or fifty kilos as well but I wasn't going to be intimidated by that. None of these guys were Force sensitive and hadn't pulled any blasters yet. I may not have my lightsaber or blaster with me but I still liked my odds so long as I was careful.

While I wouldn't consider myself an expert martial artist, at least not beyond my skill with a lightsaber, the Force allowed me to get away with some subtle and useful tricks. For example, endless hours of saber drills had helped hone my reflexes to an incredible degree. Drawing on the Force let me see and react to danger in ways that went beyond the mythical 'sixth sense' martial artists on Earth only talked about in vague terms or in fiction.

Despite that, I knew to be careful. Kenobi had only a few rudimentary martial skills to pass on to me and we'd focused more on lightsaber drills anyway. I was well aware of my own limitations without my preferred weapons and wasn't looking to attract a lot of unnecessary attention by going all 'uNlImItEd PoWeR' on these random thugs by throwing them through a wall.

But while I wasn't Bruce Lee or wiling to toss Force abilities around carelessly, I was still a dangerous opponent if for no other reason than I had an uncanny ability to get myself out of the path of danger and retaliate before my opponents could catch me. In terms of fighting styles, maybe that made me more like Jackie Chan...?

Refocusing on the here and now, I reached for the Force as I prepared a plan of attack.

'Take out the leader and the devoranian first,' I decided. 'Do it fast enough, hard enough, and I can scare off their buddy and any support from the crowd. Both are humanoid species so most of the same weak points apply-'

"Hey!"

My head snapped around as I saw the second weequay had also come forward and around me and grabbed Arica by her arm. She was struggling in his grip but the weequay thug was apparently fairly strong. After a few moments of struggle, he apparently grew dissatisfied with her resistance and threw her to the ground, where she hit a chair on her way down and let out a yelp of pain upon impact.

Maybe I was just too much of a gentleman at heart, because I grew incensed at the sight of this. Taking just a few long strides over to the weequay, ignoring my original plan and opponents in the process, I threw out a palm strike at his torso. I'd even added a bit of Force power behind that blow, but maybe too much as the weequay went flying backwards several feet and smashed into a table, scattering the glasses that were left on it and sending splinters and scraps of wood everywhere.

A shocked silence descended upon the establishment.

'Too strong,' I chastised myself. 'I've got to keep it down with flashy moves like that.'

The technique was one used by Jedi and Sith throughout the ages. Using the Force to enhance the user's physical strikes to deliver devastating blows to one's opponent. There was a story about how Mace Windu had used the technique to dismantle enemy droids in hand to hand combat and that Darth Plagueis had used the technique on some hired assassins when his lightsaber wasn't convenient. I imagine the technique was common enough for any half decent Force user to learn but was more rarely seen since Jedi and Sith placed such an emphasis on lightsabers.

The real trick was timing, concentration, and (in my case) not making it look like I was a Force user by making sure my hands made actual contact with my target. Just waving my hand and sending someone flying was sure to attract all the wrong kinds of attention. I also had to protect my own hands from damage as hitting something with too much strength could hurt me as much as whomever I'm hitting.

With that last hit, I might have overdone it a bit on the power I'd put into it. I'd have to watch out for that in the future.

Satisfied when the bastard didn't get back up, I turned and offered my hand out to Arica. She looked up at me in surprise; not that I blamed her. I certainly didn't look like I had the strength to knock someone so far with just one hit. Such a display of strength might make some people wary.

Nevertheless, she reached up and took my hand. I pulled her to her feet and she stood with all the grace of a dancer. Her clothing didn't seem at all ruffled or damaged and she swept back a single curly lock of red hair as she looked at me.

"Thank you," she said, offering me another brilliant smile. Perfect white teeth shone back at me, showing simple gratitude as I became entranced with the sight.

'Being a white knight does have its perks. Gotta protec that smile' I thought, smiling back.

I was distracted by the sounds of heavy boots shuffling across the floor and the curious sound of metal sliding across metal. Looking to my right, I saw that more guys had shown up and had apparently taken issue with what I'd done to that weequay. There were four in total now, including the first weequay and the devoranian, plus a zabrack, and a spiky and scaly faced fellow I think was a nikto. None of them had blasters, but the weequay and the nikto carried short, metal batons in their hands. And that devoranian still looked ready to snap me in half with his beyond human strength.

Stepping in front of Arica again, I rolled my shoulders as I prepared for whatever came next. "Well, it seems negotiations have broken down. I'm not an unreasonable man though. How about anyone who wants to leave can still do so? I'll even pay for the table since that was technically my fault."

"I think that sounds perfectly fair," Arica chimed in from behind me.

There were some less than satisfied expressions in reaction to my offer. The devoranian in particular didn't seem to agree with that sentiment as he bared his sharp teeth at us in a snarl. Coupled with his red skin and horns, it made for an intimidating sight. At least, it probably did to the average recipient of it. All it made me think was to avoid his mouth if I punched him in the face. The guy probably had a hellish bite to go with that appearance.

The tension was building between the two parties as we stared each other down. Several of the bystanders watching took a few extra steps back as they seemed ready to stick around and enjoy the show, no matter the danger. I spotted the waitress who'd served me earlier among them and idly wondered where the barkeep or owner was. If the answer was 'calling the cops,' then they were certainly taking their sweet time with it.

Only slightly nervous about fighting this many guys without any of my weapons, I couldn't help but let out one last comment as I took a fighting stance, fists up and knees bent.

"I just want to say that I hope you all know what a horrible cliche this is," I sighed. "I take one night off, come into town, I meet a nice girl, and then get into a fight with a bunch of angry bastards too stupid to know when to run. This is such banthashit."

The zabrack apparently decided that was reason enough for him to kick things off. Head lowered, he charged forward and came barreling towards me, headspikes first. Stepping forward and sideways, I dodged the clumsy charge like a bullfighter as the idiot ran headfirst into the bar counter behind us.

'Some folks just shouldn't fight while intoxicated,' I thought bemusedly.

Not stopping to check if the moron had managed to knock himself out or not, I ducked beneath the swing of a baton as the weequay came at me next. His movements were wild, thoughtless, and a clear indicator that he was used to simply using brute strength and sheer violence to fight with it. I was able to dodge him with relative ease and wait for just the right opening to make my move.

I spotted one quickly as one particularly wild swing left the weequay's arms in an awkward position. I stepped forward into the weequay's personal space and made a vicious hand chop at the wrist of the hand holding the baton. The deceptively useful weapon bounced to the floor and rolled, but I was already following up on my assault by delivering a Force enhanced palm strike to the weequay's face.

Unlike with his friend earlier, I kept this one at a pretty low level of power. The blow landed and I felt facial bones crunch beneath my palm as the weequay's head snapped back and he fell to the floor without ceremony. Only the rise and fall of his chest and my connection to the Force informed me that I hadn't gone too far and killed the prick.

The Force screamed another warning as I dropped into a crouch. I just narrowly avoided having two massive arms wrapped around me as the devoranian grabbed empty air. Taking advantage of my new position, I dropped onto my side, balancing and holding myself up on one hand while keeping my legs bent. I shot both legs out simultaneously and delivered a crushing blow to the devilish man's knee.

Fortunately, it seemed that that area was just as vulnerable on his species' as it was on a human's. The devoranian yelled in pain and dropped to his knees from the pain of the hit, just as I registered there had been a snapping sound beneath my boots when they struck him. Thankfully, this was enough to send him falling sideways to the floor and gave me enough time to spring back to my feet.

I wasn't exactly proud of it but there were no rules in a fight beyond what ones both sides believed in. In this case, I believed this big bastard would've strangled me if given the opportunity. Thus, any means I used to keep him from doing so were acceptable to me.

Now, where did that nikto go?

Turning to face the remaining combatant, I noted that he had apparently picked up the fallen baton that I'd knocked out of his friend's hand. After seeing me take down his buddies, including their biggest guy, I could feel the trepidation and fear coming off of him. He brandished the two batons, duel wielding them in a posture that implied he had some real experience or training with them.

Putting my fists up again, I resumed my stance and readied myself. This one would be trickier than his friends. Those batons would do more than just hurt if he landed a good hit with them. I'd have to move quickly and get inside his guard to land a hit, or wait to see if he overextended himself and left himself exposed.

Grinning at me, probably feeling emboldened by my lack of attack, the nikto seemed to decide to show off by twirling the batons in front of himself. They swirled through the air quickly and over his hands in a circular pattern as the nikto suddenly snapped them back into his grip and tensed his legs, preparing to charge me or perhaps jump at me as he made the first move...

...A metal serving tray crashed down on the back of his head.

He stumbled, dropping one of the batons in the process as he was clearly shocked by the blow. The tray crashed down a second time, then a third. That seemed to do the trick, as the poor fellow fell to the floor face first and didn't get back up.

Surprised by this sudden turn of events, I looked to the nikto's assailant.

Arica gave a cursory examination of the tray in her hands. It seemed one of the nikto's headspikes had punched a small hole through the thin metal when she'd hit him with it. Shrugging her shoulders, she tossed the tray onto the body of the fallen nikto with an uncaring expression before turning to me and giving a coy smirk as she saw I had been staring at her.

"You're welcome," she said simply.

I bit my tongue to keep from saying something snarky in response. A few of the fallen combatants looked like they were about to wake up and perhaps try their luck again. Considering our fight had an audience, I didn't want to wait around for the cops or more of their friends to show up, so I made a quick decision.

"Time to make a graceful exit," I brusquely informed her.

She nodded curtly to me and immediately took off for the main door to the establishment, flinging the serving tray she was holding at She nimbly dodging loose objects and fallen thugs with each of her steps as she did so. Fortunately, it seemed nobody else in the establishment wanted to pick up the cause of the fallen thugs and had quickly gotten out of the way.

Heart still beating from the release of adrenaline, the beats still sounding in my ears in quick and rhythmic fashion, I followed barely two steps behind her.

~Skywalker: Resurgent~

We headed down the street and ducked through three different side streets before we decided we'd gotten far enough. I don't know how Arica kept pace with me so well in that dress and those shoes but I was glad she seemed up to the task. We decided that walking through the crowd we were passing would help us to blend in well in case anyone had tried to follow us. Of course, the ensuing conversation demanded that I ask one question in particular...

"What the hell did those assholes want with you?" I asked her.

"Nothing that most men aren't after, I presume," Arica shrugged. "My employer had me making inquiries locally and it seemed I asked the wrong question to the wrong person."

That was certainly vague enough to be considered truthful in any context. Which was probably why I wasn't sensing any sort of deception or harmful intentions off of her as I tuned myself to the Force.

"And this employer of yours," I went on, keeping my tone casual. "They usually send you into danger like tonight? Those guys would've had you sorely outnumbered if I hadn't been there."

"I'm sure I would've come up with something," she replied easily. "But you did make that a lot easier than it would've been otherwise, so I owe you thanks for that."

"Ah well," I shrugged helplessly. "I guess I'm just a sucker for a damsel in distress. Just ask anyone who knows me."

And wasn't that a statement of truth?

"A man with your disposition to chivalry and fighting skill must attract interesting company, Clint Eastwood," was the airy response.

I gave as innocent a shrug as I could in response. Inwardly, I felt a flicker of discomfort with how she was saying my alias. Perhaps it was how she repeated the whole thing or the particular inflection of how she spoke it, but I decided to refrain from saying anything more about myself for the time being.

"This is where I'm staying," she said suddenly.

She came to a stop at a corner and I did the same a moment later. We were further away from the louder part of town now and what I considered a safe distance from the establishment where we'd had the fight. Instead of flashing neon and holographic signs loudly displaying the names of bars, gambling dens, and 'exclusive' clubs, there were simpler ones depicting advertisements for hotels and eating establishments. The eateries were mostly closed at this hour, but the place we were in front of still looked open and I could see a well lit lobby just pass the revolving door that led inside.

"You think you'll be alright from here?" I asked her.

"I'd have been alright parting ways at the bar," she stated emphatically. "However, just like back at the bar, I wouldn't say no to good company..."

"Oh?" I asked, smirking as I caught her meaning.

"But let's get one thing out of the way first," she said, turning serious all of a sudden.

She suddenly stepped forward and jabbed a finger right between my eyes, not quite poking me but alerting me by how close she'd suddenly gotten and making me go a bit cross eyed as I watched her finger.

"If you know what's good for you," she intoned seriously. "You won't let me hear you referring to me as a 'damsel' ever again. Got it?"

"Absolutely," I agreed, careful not to nod, less she poke me in the eye with that finger.

A moment later, as I followed after those swaying hips inside, it briefly occurred to me that she'd never answered my questions about her or her employer. I might've been more suspicious or alarmed by this if I couldn't sense a distinct lack of anything malicious from the beautiful and mysterious woman...

Who approached me as a stranger in a bar...

Who'd had me follow her to a place of her choosing...

After I basically had my life threatened by merely being associated with her...

Still, I resolved that it only meant I'd have to pay close attention to her going forward.

Arica shot a smirk over shoulder, her green eyes catching my attention as she made it clear with only her expression that she knew where I had been looking a moment ago. A shiver of electric excitement shot down my spine at the sultry promise that look had to it.

I'd have to pay very close attention indeed...

~Skywalker: Resurgent~

The Next Morning...

The bed was empty when I woke up.

I wasn't surprised, but did feel a pang of disappointment when I didn't see so much as a note. Pushing the feeling aside, I climbed out of bed and quickly ascertained that my clothes and all of my remaining credits from last night were still sitting where I'd left them. Glad that my vanished companion had been kind enough to not rob me on her way out, I checked the chrono on the wall of the room and spent a solid minute and a half parsing out local time and translating into galactic standard (GST).

I cursed as I realized I had to get up and get going if I wanted to make it back to our shuttle in a reasonable time. Wouldn't that be a perfect ending to this little trip? The CO goes missing and my crew turns this port upside down trying to find me. None of my friends would ever let me live it down if I was late because I overslept. Them finding me in a holding cell would be more tolerable.

Getting myself dressed, I decided to make a discreet exit in the event I was left with the room tab. White Knight I may be, but I wasn't looking to pay a room bill I didn't owe. Besides, I got the impression this was a town used to those kinds of things and likely would've taken payment upfront anyway. Still, no sense rolling those dice by telling the front desk I was leaving, right?

I walked through the much quieter streets, only passing the occasional droid or store owner who was cleaning up or getting ready to open for the day. During the local day cycle, this place looked much like any town did. Fewer speeders or transport vehicles than one might expect but there seemed to be at least some kind of rudimentary public transport system operating. Not knowing their schedule or route, I chose to simply walk back to the landing pad by using what landmarks I could pick out and asking a passerby which general direction to head in.

Before long, I reached the landing area where we'd parked our shuttle. The local star had risen a bit more and more people seemed to be getting started with their day by this point, so I assumed it was the equivalent of local mid morning. I was about to start walking down the line of parked craft when I saw Biggs waving to get my attention from across the street. Wedge was standing beside him and eating something, which seemed to require both of his hands. Both seemed almost unnaturally chipper considering the state I saw them in last night.

"Fearless Leader!" Biggs greeted. "Glad we found you! I didn't fancy ripping the town apart looking for you."

Wedge hummed as he chewed, his mouth full. Looking at what he was holding, it looked like some kind of taco filled with some kind of cooked, greasy meat.

"Wedge, what are you eating?"

"Some kind of meat," he answered, careful not to spew the...meat as he spoke. "Bought it from a street vender. It's not bad. You want one?"

"I'll pass, thanks," I answered with a wary look. "I wouldn't call my education on Tatooine first class, but I know not to eat the street meat."

Wedge shrugged, quickly finishing his breakfast without a care in the world. I sincerely hoped, for his sake at least, that he wouldn't regret that later.

The two of them regaled me with the tale of what they did last night or to be more specific, who they did. Those twi'lek girls they met were apparently impressed by the two and the rest of the story pretty much tells itself from there. Thankfully, I was spared the details as the two simply gave smug, dopey grins as they finished the story.

"So," Biggs said, shooting me a look. "Did you have a good time without us?"

"Actually, yes," I informed them. "After you guys went off, I had my own little adventure. Rescued a beautiful woman from some unscrupulous characters, whereafter she chose to show me her appreciation for my display of martial prowess by inviting me back to her hotel."

I waved my hands grandly during the explanation and was about to add something else when-

"You just made that up," Biggs interrupted.

My explanation of the details sputtered to a halt as I shot my oldest friend a look of betrayal.

"What? No I didn't!" I protested.

"You totally did!" he insisted. "You used big, fancy words. Just like when we were kids and you used to lie about what we were up to to your aunt and uncle or my parents. It worked on them but not on me, pal."

"Luke, don't tell us you didn't get any action!" Wedge laughed. "You even made up a whole story? That's just sad, man!"

"It's not like that," I denied. "I'm telling the truth!"

"Uh huh," Wedge agreed. "It's sweet though. Really. You wussing out on coming with us and making up a story about going to a hotel room with a beautiful woman. I didn't realize this was one area you were totally inexperienced in."

"For shame!" Biggs lamented. "To be led into battle by a man who can't seal the deal! What will the other pilots think? What will the crew think?"

"How can one man fight and fly so well, and yet be such a novice with the ladies?"

"It's gotta be a Jedi thing. I heard how they're supposed to be celibate. I just didn't think it wasn't a matter of choice."

"Tragic."

"It really is."

"I hate the both of you," I groused.

Biggs and Wedge laughed themselves silly as they seemed to enjoy their version of events over anything I had to say. The two of them had to stop to prevent themselves from falling over, while I just walked past them.

Eventually, they both caught up to me as we boarded the shuttle and began to take a headcount and doing a preflight inspection. A few of the other crew members were already waiting for us, having gotten back early or simply slept aboard the shuttle to save on credits. The topic of conversation had now shifted to something else, much to my relief.

'Even with the bar fight, last night wasn't so bad,' I thought to myself. 'Even the encounter with the woman of dubious character was actually pretty enjoyable. It was nice to have a night off. Not having to think about galactic affairs or plans was nice, for a change. I'll have to remember to take it easy once in awhile in the future.

Walking back to our shuttle with my two friends chatting all the way, I hummed appreciatively as I recalled red hair and beautiful green eyes.

~Skywalker: Resurgent~

POV Shift

She sighed contentedly as she walked back to the main street that went through the town. She'd ditched the blue party dress from last night and had instead donned her more practical bodysuit, boots, and a long traveler's jacket. Comforted by the familiar garb, even without a complete loadout of it's usual accompanying weaponry, she made her way through the sparsely populated streets.

Her demeanor and style was so different from last night, it may be difficult for someone to determine they were even the same person. Gone was the flirty 'devil-may-care' attitude of Arica. Instead, there was a predatory air about her as she stalked her way down the streets, sending beings of lesser willpower moving to get out of her path almost before they even realized they were doing it.

'That,' she thought idly. 'Was one crazy night. It seems I have more work to do before I'm finished with this planet.'

She'd been following leads for weeks through this sector, which had brought her to this particular port at last. According to the data she'd collected, a steady stream of Imperial supplies was being diverted and lost somewhere in the vast network the Empire relied upon to keep itself functioning. It was small at first but eventually added up to a considerable amount of material wealth vanishing. Her master had entrusted her with putting a stop to this and she'd readily accepted.

Originally, she'd been following up on a suspected leak in the Imperial Supply Corps. Imperial bases and outposts were dealing with serious shortages throughout the sector. Rebels had managed to intercept numerous transports all over this sector over the last few weeks and such success heavily implied the existence of either a mole or a critically fatal data leak. Instead, she believed she'd found the real culprit; corruption.

One or more of the local Moffs was dealing under the table to third parties who may or may not be handing information to the rebels. It was even possible he was selling information directly to rebel agents, either knowingly or unknowingly. That would help explain how they'd managed to intercept so many supply shipments in such a short time frame. That kind of data was too valuable to allow the rebels to keep exploiting it, so she needed to track down the source, map out how far the corruption has spread, and then take down the ones behind it.

Last night, she'd been wearing her favorite 'party girl' persona on a snooping mission and had acquired a bit more than she'd set out for. Some of the local criminal elements seemed to think she was looking into whatever illicit operation they were running when really, she'd been after starport logs and travel records.

She didn't know exactly what had gotten them so interested in her (beyond the usual reasons men were interested in her) but she was crediting it to simple bad fortune at this point. Even those morons wouldn't have come after her like that if they even suspected she was with the Empire's intelligence services.

Having not wanted to cause an incident with a pile of dead bodies and risk drawing all the wrong kinds of attention to herself, she'd headed into town to try and give the local trash the slip.

Eventually, she'd succeeded... after a fashion.

She'd drawn far more attention than she'd have liked and had had to postpone her departure for at east a day while the heat at the port died down or she managed to sneak aboard her transport and take off. It delayed her investigation and was annoying in the extreme.

'Still,' she mused. 'At least the night wasn't a total loss.'

After spotting that group of morons searching for a human female matching her description (no doubt in her mind that she was the one they were looking for), she had come up with a different plan than simply running and hiding to get them off her scent.

She had thought she'd just spotted some gullible looking spacer sitting alone at the bar. She had intended to use him as a distraction for her pursuers. Get him interested in her, let him stand close to her for a bit and then throw him at her pursuers while she made a discreet exit. It was a classic move. Her instructors would've praised her for the quick formulation and execution of such a plan.

It was in the midst of this plan being carried out, while she was about to make her exit, when she'd spotted something very interesting with the spacer.

He could use the Force.

That shove he'd made had definitely had more that the usual force of muscle or technique behind it. Clint had drawn upon the Force to send that weequay flying backwards. The ease and reflexes he'd used afterwards had convinced her that he was at least moderately talented in the Force, just like her. Oh, he may have tried to hide it and have played it more careful for the rest of the fight but she knew what she'd seen. She'd been able to feel it once she knew to look for it.

As he'd held out his hand to help her up from the floor, she'd considered what it might take to bring him back to Imperial Center with her. Her master had always told her to keep an eye out for ex-Jedi or those especially gifted by the Force. Clint was far too young to be a member of the old Jedi Order, but the possibility remained that he had learned from one at some point. On the other hand, he seemed so unlike what one would expect from a Jedi that she was hesitant to think he was one.

For one thing, he was clearly interested in her while interacting with her. The way she'd caught him admiring her had definitely not been platonic and Jedi were largely celibate in nature. Even the rare exceptions painfully stood out in how they kept themselves bottled up. She'd seen none of that in her interactions with Eastwood.

No, she was inclined to think he was a naturally talented Force sensitive who had probably received little to no instruction in his life. Such beings were rare but not unheard of. Rarer still were the ones who learned to tap into those talents without the assistance of a master or access to teaching implements. It was such a rarity that it made her unwilling to completely drop the idea that Eastwood was associated with a Jedi in some way.

While he'd been showing off and wow-ing the other patrons in the establishment by taking down that other weequay and the devoranian, she'd lent her own discreet hand to the situation when nobody, least of all Eastwood, was looking. A swift kick to that zabrack's neck had ensured he wouldn't be getting up soon, if ever again.

She'd been tempted by the idea of just letting that nikto with the batons fight Eastwood to gain a better idea of his skills but had ultimately thought better of it. Instead, she'd chosen to finish the fight on her terms in order to stay close to him for a bit longer. And that decision had yielded it's own rewards when she got him back to the room she'd rented...

'In more ways than one,' she thought, patting the pocket hidden in her belt with assurance.

She'd acquired a few stray hairs while he'd been sleeping and stashed them away before she'd snuck out. They'd make for adequate genetic sampling and would be included in the next report she'd send to her master. Whomever he was or whatever his real story was, the Empire would know who he was and have a record of what he was capable of. Her master could make whatever arrangements he deemed fit in the handling of one Clint Eastwood.

Regrettably, she really wasn't in a position to bring him to Imperial Center herself. She was on a mission and couldn't afford a tag-along, even assuming she'd be able to convince him to come with her and become a part of something greater than himself.

She allowed herself a moment to ponder what it might be like to work with Clint in the future, should he agree to swear himself to her master's cause. Capable agents were rare in her line of work, which was but one of the reasons she preferred working alone. Still, like she'd told the man last night, she wasn't opposed to a partnership so long as the company was good.

Sighing to herself, she discarded those idle thoughts and quickly focused on her new plan. She'd collect her gear from where she'd stashed it, go back to the warehouse, and wipe out those damned thugs who didn't have the first clue as to who they'd crossed last night. There would be a significant reduction in local crime by the end of tomorrow and she'd see to it, no matter if it meant working through the day and night.

'Ah well,' she mused. 'Such is the life of the Emperor's Hand.'

AN: *Cue the James Bond theme!*

*Chapter may be edited for spelling and grammar after upload

I can't believe I originally meant for this to be a short chapter around 6k words. I just couldn't stop myself as I kept writing! I've also been stuck working a lot of overtime recently, which seriously impacts the time I have to give to writing. It was fortunate I got this out before the end of the month.

I'm not particularly inclined to write lemons, given that I don't really have much talent for it. I've tried in the past and just haven't ever been satisfied with the result. The steamy scene you're getting here is probably the limit to what we'll get in this story along with some (hopefully) tasteful innuendo. Some writers can blend sex scenes into their writing, but I'm not one of them.

Other thoughts? I think I might've rambled in a place or two but I tried to keep it down.

I'd also like to answer some popular questions that've been popping up in the reviews for awhile. I usually like answering them directly but have fallen behind. So, let's get to it!

Q: "Mr. Lennex, are you going to include Ahsoka in here? What about other characters from the Clone Wars and Rebels?"

A: First off, you can call me Lennex. We're all friends here. Mr. MacDuff if you're feeling formal.

By popular demand, Ahsoka will come into the story... later. She doesn't really have much of a role to play right now and I want her return to feel natural and important instead of her just showing up. We'll get there sooner or later. Until then, just enjoy the ride!

I've got some requests for other characters and I ask for patience, dear viewers. Half of the fun is reading and finding out for yourselves!

Q: "Who's Luke's love interest gonna be? Are we gonna see some sexxxy action? ;)"

A: Some of you are serious horndogs. I mean, I know this is the internet, but some of you have been relentless. Is quality storytelling meaningless without sex for some of you?

To answer, it's pretty open ended at this point. I've got some ideas, as I'm sure this chapter made clear, but this story isn't about the romance. We'll get some, sure, but there's a lot more going on.

I'm honestly not that good at writing smut either. I gave it the 'ol collage try and wasn't very satisfied with the result. While I'm not a prude or against showing some steamy stuff or sexually suggestive scenes, I think that if it doesn't contribute to the story then it shouldn't be there. Sorry horndogs, but you'll have to look elsewhere for the time being.

Q: "When's Vader coming back?"

A: Next chapter. Now that we've built up Luke and some other characters for a bit, it's time to go hard into the Vader character for this story. He'll be popping up more frequently as he is so important to the overall plan my Luke has.

Q: "Wait, so if Ahsoka and other characters are gonna be here and you've said you're including stuff from the Vader comics, then is this a Disney canon story or an Legends EU story?"

A: Primarily Legends but with some new stuff sprinkled in.

Ahsoka is actually considered a part of the Legends EU, apparently. I was surprised when I found out but some cursory research showed that the time of her character creation makes that reasonable.

While we're getting some Disney stuff here, I'm only adding some stuff I think works better than the original EU stuff. Let's face it; if I went hard into the old EU, I'd be writing for a year and a half before getting to the stuff everyone wants to read. The old stuff is great but there's a lot of filler stuff packed in there that I just don't have time for. If its a choice between visiting the one-off planet some random content creator came up with decades ago or pursuing the more original SW story I want to tell you, I'll choose the latter pretty much every time.

If it makes you feel better, if there's something I skip over that you REALLY wanted to see, I can be convinced to write an omake or something and put it out to keep you happy. If it helps, I try to keep my timelines just vague enough so you can imagine Luke doing other stuff between chapters or page breaks. It's not like the story has to follow him every time he walks somewhere or goes to the bathroom, right?

Q: "But how does that compute with Luke knowing all this EU stuff? How does he sort it all out between the bullshit?"

A: Banthashit, thank you, and it makes it much harder for him. He has to weigh and consider events around him to try and anticipate what's happening next. There's a LOT of SW content that contradicts itself and makes the timeline rough in places. There's also been so many reboots, comic runs, and novels that some stuff is just pure nonsense.

I grounded Crimson Jack in as much realism as I felt was necessary to make that story work, but don't expect that to be the norm. He's an obscure as hell character and I dug him up so we could explore how Han lost his reward money and get the Resurgent into the story.

Try to think of it as him attempting to research and anticipate as much as he can with what he's got. He can't fix every problem right away, but he's doing what he can with what he's got and prioritizing the biggest problems with the most likely events or ones he can verify happened or affect his plans in some way.

One man can do a lot, but he can't save everyone, everywhere, every time.

Q: Did you know it's spelled 'Lennox' in the Shakespeare play? Why did you spell it wrong?"

A: Piss off. This Q & A is over.

On a more serious note, there's a lot of social tension and even violence in areas where many of my readers live. I see a good bit of that where I'm living too, which plays hell on my work life. I just want to encourage everyone to make smart choices, be careful about blindly believing what you hear, and just be good to yourselves and your neighbors.

There's a lot of folks who like to thrive off of this chaos and make things worse, but I fully believe that this too shall pass. To quote a wise mutant from a post-apocalyptic wasteland, 'in all things, a calm heart must prevail.'

Until next time!