Question Sneak peek: Prime Time a Tale of the Star Wars

The skies over Mos Espa are a nightmare of unregulated visual flight rules traffic.

When you've got your butt in a nice comfy IMAX theater seat with a tub of popcorn you could bathe in such a scene speaks to man months of CGI or model photographers, or both filling a screen with little Easter eggs of space ships for a shot that lasts five or eight seconds. When your butt is in the pilot's seat of one of those ships, you get treated to the worst possible combination of urban sprawl rush hour combined with finding a parking spot at the Mall on Black Friday that seems destined to go on for the rest of time.

And by the rest of time, I mean those last terrifying seconds of realizing that your life is about to come to a violent, fiery end. I'm certain from a nice stable external point of view that the three near collisions I dodged frantically looked quite dramatic; from the pilot's chair let's just say it was an entirely different experience. The Aces and Eights back on her landing gear and safely in the docking bay we had arranged I sat for a full minute calming myself from the adrenaline high of what I had just accomplished.

It actually took me a minute to realize that Stuart and Danny were frantically congratulating me on my piloting skills of the top of their lungs and not waiting on their brains to catch up and realize they had not in fact died. Fortunately for all concerned, Lanaka had made the final leg of the trip in the salon where her intense need to back seat drive would not cost someone their concentration at a critical moment.

I must say I really wish that trick had worked in my sedan back on Earth. Of course the sedan didn't have a salon so...

While "Silas" saw to the fees of the docking bay with the harbormaster, I collected my nerves putting the ship in to standby and reconnecting those shore power connections. I must admit I had been impressed by Anchor Head and I was feeling quite the hick now. Moss Espa sprawled in a way that Anchor Head had only the vaguest ambitions of; the city was easily 100 km across and was nestled in what looked like a dry lake bed between mountains. The docking bay we've selected, number 327, was within walking distance of the Lady of Great Fortune Casino in what was evidently the entertainment section of town judging by the number of restaurants, theaters and other casinos around us. There were no facilities for or consideration of handling freight at any of these docking bays; they were strictly places to park yachts, and pleasure craft.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I was relieved that my friends chose to stick with me. The concept of starting over on Earth would be something akin to moving to a new city; daunting but everyone shares the same point of view and reference as you. Being alone here was far more terrifying not just because the galaxy was in orders of magnitude larger place, but because there was no shared frame of reference. It would almost be like moving from a major metropolitan city in the first world to somewhere deep in the Third World with no shared language, cultural, or religious connotations. Add to that the people around you would not even be human. So no I'm not ashamed to admit I was relieved; if the thought of that doesn't frighten you there is something wrong with you.

Of course now there was only the little problem of figuring out how to win a rigged card game, pulling a swindle over some of the vilest gangsters the galaxy, and getting off world alive. Simple, right? In addition to that, I was also trying to sort out my feelings about Torm Belos; to be honest there was a part of me counting the minutes until I saw him again, but there was another part that was just as terrified of it.

I still didn't have an answer to Danny's question whether or not I was a lesbian.

The logical part of my brain understood academically that as having been something of a nerd my whole life it was flattering to have someone as obviously, well, what word do I use here? Desirable? Honestly I couldn't say if I desired Torm Belos; I can acknowledge that he's a very handsome man, I can admit judging by the quality of his clothing he is well off and I can certainly testify that he's charming, intelligent, and witty. Oh, this is harder than I thought. Yes, having been a nerd and a wallflower my whole life, having been ignored socially, to be sought out to be pursued was not a situation I had any experience with.

But I have to admit that I liked it.

A week ago if someone had asked me as an academic exercise would I enjoy being pursued by a man who fit Torm Belos' description I probably would've laughed an uneasy laugh and looked around for the cameras for the prank. Now I suppose, the joke is definitely on me.

"Okay, we are all paid up with the harbormaster until after the tournament is over," declared Silas as he walked up. I finished locking on the shore power connector and opened the access panel that concealed the breakers for it next to hook up.

"Planning a quick get away?" I asked as I reached in and threw the necessary breakers to finish the transfer from the internal power plant to the external source.

"Considering where we are it seemed prudent," he replied with that easy smile of his and I began to understand the popularity of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. But the smile faded like a cool breeze in the Tatooine air and he was serious again. "I'm going to go over to the Lady of Great Fortune to finalize my registration in the tournament. You'll probably want to do some discrete snooping of your own; escape routes, methods of egress, things along those lines. We probably should not be seen together until the day of the tournament."

"I could use some lunch," I admitted with a nod and dusting off my hands. "Did we decide places and roles for everyone?"

He shrugged and looked away, unable to meet my gaze which told me likely they had discussed it in depth. "We have some ideas," he admitted. "We thought that Laura would play arm candy, seeing as..."

"She'd always been a girl and would doubtlessly be more comfortable in the role," I finished for him, probably using the same lie he was going to tell me. I made a dismissive gesture. "Your skin not mine."

"Hey, I want you there," he protested quickly. "Everyone will expect the arm candy to be an obvious bodyguard, and it will eventually get out that Danny is with me so he'll get the notation of backup bodyguard. Nobody will suspect the backups date as being anything but window dressing! You'll be our ace in the hole!"

I turned and smirked at him with my hands on my hips in what was likely a very female gesture. "That's complete bullshit Stewart," I chided him with disgust dripping from my tone. I don't know if it was my tone of voice or that my hands were subconsciously near my light sabers that gave him pause. Either way I smiled to reassure him and patted him on the cheek with a free hand. "But it's very, very good bullshit."

I started walking towards the door of the hangar that the harbormaster had just departed through. "Hey!" He called after me. "Where you going?"

"My working lunch!" I told him over my shoulder. "Ciao!"
One of the things that always made George Lucas's films seems so real to me was the dedication to a 'used' universe; everything was dirty, the paint was chipped and flaking and peeling, the clothing was threadbare and tattered. It was one of those subconscious cues that your mind accepts and makes a place more real even though it was just a set on a movie. The Lady of Great Fortune Casino was the diametric and polar opposite of that philosophy. Everything was new and showroom shiny, from the sparkling crystals in the chandelier to the brightly polished brass and chrome to the plush and well vacuumed scarlet carpet on the floor the casino oozed opulence and luxury.

It was as far from anything you would expect on Tatooine as could be without getting in a spaceship; which was likely by design.

And like all casinos you have to pass through the gaming floor to get anywhere else in the building; so I wandered through fighting a mild case of déjà vu between the similarities to anything you would expect off the strip in Vegas to the wild assortment of aliens that were actually playing the games. As it would've been in Vegas there were no straight paths through the gaming floor. There were little raised and lowered platforms; a couple steps up here a step or two down there, decorative brass railings making something of a maze, led by the gambling machines and gaming tables. This served two purposes, one that was a greater likelihood of a chance to part someone from their money and of course two it was a natural antitheft deterrence as there was no such thing as a quick getaway through that floor.

Finally I was able to make my way out of the gaming floor and picked the first restaurant I came to for my meal. It seemed sedate enough, everything was a one-off of whatever this universe called Art Deco and there was enough chrome to open a 50s car dealership. I settled into a booth and reveled in the amount of space between my stomach the table top; when you're fat you don't use booths. Suddenly reminded of the second chance I went back several pages in the menu from the sandwich I had been eyeing to what seemed to pass for salads.

I felt what seemed like amusement from the presence of the back of my mind and a vague assurance that I wasn't a drone in a cube farm anymore. Even so, I decided to turn over something of a new leaf and so ordered an interesting looking salad whose name I couldn't suss out from the aurebesh from the waitress droid. That was another striking thing about the casino; Bibo had employed sentient waitstaff, two humans and a Twi'lek to be exact, but there were very few living beings doing work in this casino. Perhaps it was another way the casino was showing how opulent it was.

So I ate the strange looking (purple lettuce!), but quite tasty salad with it somewhat zesty and vaguely balsamic vinaigrette dressing and put my mind in 'gamer' mode and let my eyes wander. One of the first things that leapt out to me with this building would never have passed code anywhere in the United States. There were no signs directing people to exits, if there was a fire suppression system I couldn't make it out, and there was not a window in the place.

Still it was obviously not an impossible nut to crack, there were chinks in the armor if you knew where to look. There were little clutches of liveried Gamorreans, usually with a droid or some other minder, spread out in a manner that seemed to indicate they were intended to be used as bouncers. About one in five of the server droids had legs instead of some kind of wheel arrangement; you could argue this helps them traverse the little stairways out on the gaming floor, but the waitress droids on wheels didn't seem to be having any trouble. There was a high likelihood these droids could do more than serve drinks. And of course there were the usual things you'd expect to find in a casino, lots of cameras, lots of mirrors that probably were hiding cameras and probably other rude surprises tucked into the walls.

Which gave me a wonderfully nasty idea; more on that later.

Being new to womanhood I can assure you I had not picked up on any of the finer nuances of the gender least of all being a tease. So even I was startled out of my train of thought by, "If you ever decide to stop being a Sith; take up bounty hunting. You tracked me down like a pro."

I turned to bask in the radiant smile of Torm Belos resplendent in a white peasant shirt as bright as his teeth with a neckline that showed a generous amount of manly physique. In his hands were a pair of bottles, the same brand of beer I'd been drinking the night previous. He gestured with one of the bench opposite me while presenting me with the other. "This seat taken?" He asked with his damnably charming smile.

I say damnably because whenever he smiled at you can't help smiling back. "It is now," I assured him. He slid into the booth with a nonchalant grace that sent the thrill up my spine for reasons I couldn't suss out. To suppress my own excitement and keep my composure I took a sip from what was becoming my favorite beer on Tatooine while collecting my thoughts. "All done checking up on your employees?"

"I'm an early riser," he assured me. "Caught the red eye early this morning and was waiting on the employees at the warehouse before they opened." He took a pull is beer and shrugged. "I like catching people off guard; shows their true natures don't you think?"

"It's one way," I agreed. "So are you on your own recognizance yet? Or do you owe more labor to your employer?" I have to say I really liked this beer despite never having been much of a beer drinker back home; it had a unique hard to describe flavor and while I had felt very tense and on edge at the beginning of our conversation I was already feeling relaxed and quite at home.

"I'm a free moral agent, at least for the next two cycles." He winked at me and looked out of the restaurant in the direction of the gaming floor. "Who knows? Perhaps the Lady of Great Fortune will smile on me so I won't have to go back to work for Rendia Freight."

"You feel lucky?"

His grin was cocksure and predatory. "Somehow I feel like my luck changed for the better last night." My cheeks and other portions of my anatomy less polite to mention burned with embarrassment. He made a gesture at my neglected, half eaten salad. "Am I keeping you from your lunch?"

I pushed the plate to the edge of the table where the waitress droid could collect it on her next pass. "Not at all, but if you haven't eaten feel free to order." He smiled again and shook his head as he took another pull from his beer.

"No, I ate at the warehouse with the boys, but when I saw you in here I couldn't resist stopping by to say hello." I took a sip from the bottle and licked my lips which caused him great interest in my face much to my continuing embarrassment. "Any plans for the day?"

Now it was my turn to grin as I leaned forward. "Actually I have some shopping to do, and a few other things that I could fit you into." I don't know what possessed me to make such a brazen innuendo, but of course he picked up on it instantly and leaned forward in interest. "So, any idea where in this town a girl can buy a droid?"

"I'm sure the boys at the warehouse can point us to a reputable dealer," he assured me with a smile.

The boys in the shop recommended a Toydarian dealer named Danica as being both reputable and close. Mr. Torm Belos paid for my lunch over my protestations, shepherded me back across the game floor and out into the merciless twin suns of Tatooine. Whatever the bottles were made of kept the beer cold until we finished them despite the heat. Torm managed to stay inside my personal space without actually crowding me, though how he managed such a feat I'll never know. I walked the five or six blocks to the recommended shop a silly grin on my face talking about nothing I'm sure. Now I can only tell you the memories were pleasant, I didn't quite take his arm but he was never out of reach either and I was coming up with fewer and fewer reasons why that should bother me.

Moss Espa was a kaleidoscope view into this world, this universe we had found ourselves in. I could only put names or memories to half of the species I saw walking the streets as speeders vied with animals pulling carts for space. My senses were assaulted with smells and sights and sounds I was completely unprepared for, but I had never felt safer. Honestly that feeling had more to do with the man at my side than the light sabers on my hip.

It's a difficult thing to live up to someone's imagination of what being with you was like, but Torm not only lived up to the dreams I had had of him, but surpassed them with the easy grace of someone completely comfortable in their own skin. He held the door open to the shop for me I found myself wishing the store was further away so much I was enjoying the stroll. "Gooddé da lodia!"

The creature rose up on ridiculously fragile-looking wings that were a blur from behind the counter, short trunk like snout swinging and a dress of what looked like scarlet silk trying desperately to contain a ridiculous bosom for a creature so small.

Torm smiled and bowed from the neck. "H'chu apenkee," he replied. "Do you speak Basic?"

"Of course!" The alien replied with an accent that sounded like it came straight out of Atlantic City. "Welcome to Danica's Remnants! I'm Danica, what can I do for you?"

"Torm Belos," he said with another bow, then indicated me. "My lady, Nyeomi Fens, who is my guest, is visiting us from the Empire is needing a new droid." Danica sketched a curtsy in her silk dress without bothering to land.

"My lady has come to the right place!" She said with a gleam in her eye. "What kind of droid is my lady in the market for?"

I held up my hand and shook my head, terribly aware of that oh so proper Eaton accent that was coloring my voice. "Please just Nyeomi, and I'm in the market for an Astromech."

The little creature swooped in and took my arm, grinning from ear to ear around that remarkable snout. "Oh, bless you Deary! So modest and well brought up! It just so happens I have a wonderful selection of Astromech droids! Right this way...!"

I would have expected the presence in the back of my mind to be insulted by this familiarity, but it seemed The Force was just as amused by the situation as I was. Danica led us from the interior of the shop out into a courtyard that was covered over and shaded by a tarp. There were all manner of droids out here milling around; everything from little pit droids up to earth movers and construction equipment that were more vehicle than automaton. She shouted something in Huttese that caused a space to open up in the center of the courtyard and a line of the requested types of droids formed.

They were a motley little assortment ranging from a pink one barely half a meter tall to a monstrous cylinder that was mostly black and broke the tape at three meters and was covered in wicked arms. All of them had huge fish eye lenses that were watching me as I walked down the line of them looking them over. I was drawn to a model that was mostly green with an octagon shaped body crowned by a flat, mushroom shaped head dominated by a single black camera lens eye. There was a conical shaped device on the top of the droids head was bright red and somewhat comically made it look as if it were wearing a Fez. I turned to Danica while pointing at the red extrusion and asked, "What's this?"

"That is an Industrial Intelligence binary to Basic decoder," said a mildly accented voice that put me in mind of Michael Caine. It had come from a speaker embedded in the little red Fez. Danica just grinned at me.

Turning back to the droid I asked, "Why aren't all Astromech droids fitted with one?"

The droid rocked back and forth on its arms in a gesture that I took to be a shrug. "They are only available at the factory," it said. "And it's an expensive option. My original owner was a prospector who purchased me to maintain his equipment. He didn't want to have to consult another droid or constantly read a tablet to know what I was saying."

"What happened to him?" I asked genuinely curious. Again little droid rock from side to side.

"None of his prospects panned out," the voice said out of the speaker. "He said he was going to retire when he sold me, that was five orbits ago."

"You see? Practically new!" Danica assured me. "X4-D3 has all the standard features and one of the most sought after options; you won't find a better bargain at any price." I stepped behind the droid to inspect its backside.

"What is your price?" I replied from my inspections. "That's the question." I noticed one of the cover doors was damaged, but only slightly and tapped it to make the droid open it to reveal the tool inside which seemed fine. Danica rubbed her receding chin in thought.

"Well, he is used," the Toydarian admitted. "There's depreciation and you have such wonderful manners; eh, I can let him go for 1000 gold Peggats." I shot a glance at Torm and the expression on his face told me that her initial offer was not nearly as charitable as she was letting on.

"He is a fine specimen," I agreed noting that the single eye in the droids head never left me. "But that's really outside of my budget, even for such a worthy droid. I really wasn't looking to spend more than 350 Peggats." Danica flew backward with a disturbing grace and gestured at the little pink droid on the end.

"My lady may not be aware of the heavy demand in Astromech droids here on Tatooine," she said with what sounded like genuine dismay. "Such a sum could never purchase a full-featured droid like X4. T-1 here, on the other hand, has most of the same features and I could part with her for 350 Peggats."

The little pink droid bounced on its arms and spun its head while emitting a series of beeps and chirps likely singing its own praises. "I had no idea the economy was so flush," I allowed, continuing my overall inspection of X4. "Still an Astromech that can speak basic is valuable. I suppose I could stretch my budget to say 475?"

The smile on Danica's face widened just a bit. "My lady is wise and frugal, qualities lacking in most of today's youth! As you are obviously so aware of the value of my merchandise I'm sure you'll see that 650 gold Peggats is an absolute steal!"

"It must be difficult living on the frontier," I observed as, from my utility belt, I removed a pouch of hexagon coins and counted out a number letting them jingle in my hands. "I imagine out here on the Outer Rim, living with uncertainty day by day must make for a challenging way of life. Which is why I'm certain the fact that I can pay 525 gold Peggats in cash to ease that uncertainty will allow us to come to a mutual understanding."

Danica scratched the side of her snout with one hand while shaking her finger at me with the other. "My lady drives a hard bargain, there must be some Toydarian blood in you I think, eh?" She shrugged and held out her hand. "For cash, 525 and we have a deal." I counted out the coins in her hand and they disappeared as quickly on her person somewhere. She then produced a restraining bolt remote control and pointed it at the little droid."X4, this is your new mistress."

"Transfer acknowledged."

"If you need a restraining bolt controller, I have some extras I could let go cheap." She seemed excited at the prospect of another bargaining session, but I removed my controller from its place on my belt and held it up. "Of course you're well-prepared," Danica told me. "If you need anything else, or know someone who does, we're open seven days a cycle!"

"I'll be sure to tell all my friends," I told her dryly. "I must say, that is a lovely dress! I'm in need of a little finery myself, may I ask where you got it?"

"Of course!" She assured me grinning from ear to ear. "Garris of Tatooine, the finest designer on the planet! His shop isn't that far from here; be sure to tell him I sent you."

You guys feel free to comment here.

Let's see - I'm a totally disinterested third part, and EE NEVER asked me to review and comment as he was writing this excellent story which has lots more plot twists to come, and ... um ...

Oops - I kind of blew it. Yeah, i previewed it. And it's good. Really good. But that's just my (correct) opinion.

I really hope she's smart enough not to tell Garris who sent her. It's the best way to jack up prices.
I still only know the basics about Star Wars so some things were probably lost on me, but still a good story. Nice characterization, interesting setting, and great duialogue. Can't wait for the rest.

When reading it, it sounds a lot more like Star Wars than a lot of stuff that is currently Legends. I liked it.