Intoxicating Apprentice - a Darth Vader X OC fanfiction

2 - Slim Pickings

Nova's POV:
The door to Tatooine's most well known bar flew open as employees such as myself had flinched. We were all relieved to just see a local patron so we all took a breath of relief as a collective.

Ever since the war started, the empire started visiting tatouine more. Event few months Stormtroopers would parade the streets and capture anyone they deemed fit for work and then would vanish.

Even for my standards that was harsh and unnecessary, and I basically ran a mini crime syndicate out of my fathers bar when I claimed ownership.

The Empire never really had a system for selecting people, as they would usually look around and select whoever they wanted.

Rumor has it once you're taken by them you never return. Nobody knew what happened to you once the stormtroopers picked you off.

'You!' With a stormtrooper saying it and pointing in your direction became the universal code for 'you're fucked buddy they got you'

Any signs of non compliance and you were shot on the spot. I've witnessed a death like that in front of my own eyes.

Less and less people began walking the streets in anticipation of these kidnappings.

At first, it solved a bit of the overpopulation problem so people didnt pay much attention to it. But eventually after around 8 months the lack of people really hit.

Business racked in less money, schools had less students and less teachers, and even the local crime syndicate had less people to pursue.

Eventually some of us started noticing a pattern in when the stormtroopers would show up.

Normally they showed up during the day, so my friends and I were able to relax after the night shift was over.

"Batista!" The manager waved his hand at me. "Quit daydreaming! It's closing time! Mop it up and get out!"

That was code for come gather your daily earnings and clean up your bar space before you leave.

I emptied out the tip jar to find a lack of credits and other forms of currency.

"Is this all?" I asked the manager. "When I ran the place these jars were topped off"

"Sorry Batista that's all for the day. And don't get cocky. Your method of running the bar essentially mirrored that of a crime syndicate. With the sharp decrease in population we've had less patrons" shrugged the manager.

Well he did have a point. About both things. I did have a more harsh and violent approach to running things. And ever since the empire decided they had the right to start kidnapping our people that's when our population started dying.

Now if it was a single stormtrooper or maybe two of them I could've added them to the splatter wall. Little souvenir to add next to the blood splatter of the man who had tried to kidnap one of my friends.

Ownership may have been changed but that wall stood there as a reminder for people to think twice before doing something here that would get them killed.

My body froze as the sound of stormtroopers marching became louder and louder.

My friend Leo threw a cup at me to get my attention and pointed at the closet. I guess he wasn't the only one with that bright idea because next thing you know my other friend Kaden and a few other coworkers all piled into the closet.

I guess is wasn't the only one who noticed that they were here. It was rather odd since it was later at night and they've never come this late and hey be never come after just 2 weeks.

This time it was different. They had some sort of an item that looked like a clipboard. It was weird to see them just standing in the front area of the bar and not going after people and grabbing their arms

"Listen up! We have a list of people we need." Said one stormtrooper. Another then took his list and began listing names.

"Carson Dowling, Ankita Raul, Esme..." started one trooper. I eventually drowned out the names because none of them had any connection to me.

After several names, some of my coworkers' eyes went wide with fear, but my mind had already checked out.

Moments later a wave of shock had hit me. They had said one of the names of my friends.

"Leonardo Rambell, Aldeena Ladaver...." They trailed on. Kaden and I both looked at Leo with worry in our eyes. There were about 7 of us cramped in that little closet space, half of us hyperventilating and the other half praying our names aren't read off of the list.

Then came the next shocker.

"Kaden Eo..."

Both my friends looked at each other with wide eyes and then back at me. And then at each other. There was one girl curled up in a ball in the corner crying her eyes out. They must've said her name I guess.

The stormtroopers seemed to be done with name listing. Or was it a break? The suspense is killing me.

"Is that all?" Asked one trooper.

"You dumbass you forgot a name!" Yelled back another.

"Oh shit!" Responded another.

The stormtrooper with the list scanned the list until he placed his finger at the bottom

"Final person on the list is Nova Batista"