Star Wars: Journey of the Lost

Chapter 4: A New Way of Life

    TR woke abruptly on the ground. Groaning as he tried to sit up he noticed his hands were cuffed. The handcuffs were like nothing he had seen before. 'What the hell are these?' he thought as he got a better look at them. Lifting his eyes off the handcuffs he looks around and sees both his friends, Dom and Sorin knocked out. They too had similar handcuffs. 'Tuces, what did you do now?' thought TR thinking this was all Anthony's fault. A mysterious figure to TR's right startled him.

"Ah, good morning." said the figure.

Tom looked to his side and was shocked at what he saw. "Woah! What happened to your face?"

"Ugh, how rude." replied that figure, "I bring you into my home, as my guests."

"Is this how you treat your guests." stated TR as he shook his hands with the cuffs still on.

"First you insult my face then my hospitality. I can't even look at you." said the figure dramatically as he looked away.

He was either truly upset or acting. Thomas could not tell. The way the guy talked reminded TR of Jack Sparrow. Though that wasn't the reason why he found the figure so familiar.

The figure turned back to Thomas. "You may be wondering why I have you like this? In this luxurious room of course."

"You mean a cell?" said TR with some sarcasm.

"Oh, I like you. Such fire." stated the figure with a laugh, "I see any situation as a profitable situation. And someone like you and your friends either have a good excuse for coming to my planet and having no ship, or you are running from someone. And said someone will pay profitable for your safe return

Memories flooded into Thomas's head. He remembered the Expo for Tesla Space and the fact that they snuck in to see the space ship. He remembered that they got stuck in the ship and were launched into space. The last thing he remembers is a bright light and that this is Anthony's fault.

Noticing TR was thinking about something, the figure assumed. "So, do you want to tell me who you are running from?"

'I got to think of a way out of here." thought TR, but in his current state there looked like no way to escape. Especially if he had to carry around two unconcisne teens.

"Ahem. Hondo Ohnaka does not like to be kept waiting." said the figure, referring to himself in the third person.

Thomas looked back the figure as he put the new found name to the face he saw before. This made something click for TR now everything made sense. He looked around like this was all some sort of prank and the cameras were about to jump out at him. Unfortunately nothing happened.

"Apparently, learning the name of his captor has driven you...insane. I'm afraid I have that effect on people. I think it is my magnetic charm." said Hondo as he shook his head.

"I have not gone insane, you idiot. I am just confused." stated TR.

"And why is that?" asked Hondo who was now more intrigued with Thomas.

"It's just you are a fictional character. I have seen you on TV."  TR said. He thought back to his childhood and watching the clone wars on TV. However his memories were pushed out by a new thought, His mind had switched from being hostile to Anthony to being worried about him.

"Well I know I am famous, but to have folk tales about me and being on the big screens on Coruscant is something else." cheered Hondo as he basked in his own glory.

"I am not from Coruscant." explained Thomas, "I am from Earth!"

"I have never heard of that planet. However an unknown planet means lots of unfounded treasures." thought Hondo out loud.

"You will ever find it and there aren't any treasures. At least anymore that is." TR replied to his thought. Hondo stopped basking in his glory and turned to TR with a more serious tone.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"Because it is not in this galaxy and we have the same people like you that have wasted all the treasure. Filthy, greedy, no good pirates." answered Thomas.

Hondo unlocked his cell and took Thomas by the arm. He dragged him through the hallways and brought him to his office. He became worried that Hondo was going to kill him since he wasn't going to get his money but Hondo just takes a seat in his big chair. He was giving TR a stern look but it wasn't as threatening as it was supposed to be.

"So, uhm..." started Thomas but was cut off by Hondo

"You have no one after you, no one looking for you. I still have no idea how you got here without a ship. It makes your fake planet more believable, my friend." TR was about to say something but was cut off by Hondo again as he continued. "But as I said before, any situation is a profitable situation. So how would you and friends like to work for me?"

"So you're not going to kill us?" asked TR, still shocked by the offer.

"Kill you! Ha Ha. I am starting to like you more and more." Hondo stated dramatically. He took his arm around Thomas, "So, I will take that as a yes."

Tom just nodded in response. He had something else in his mind that kept him from responding verbally.

"What is your name, my friend?" asked Hondo, "Since you work for me, i need to know."

"Thomas. My name is Thomas." answered TR but he still had that thought in his mind. And now was better than later.

"Hondo?" he asked, "Was there anyone else that you found." TR wasn't one to show much of any sad emotions. He thought that it made him weak. However you can hear the worryness in his voice.

Picking up on Thomas's voice tone, Hondo felt sincer. Judging by TR's question he figured that there were more people with the young man in his office. So he gave the boy the truth.

"No, I did not. I am sorry, Thomas. But enough of the past, go and tell your friends about how great their new boss is." replied Hondo trying to lighten the mood.

Tom left the office without a word. He slowly moved back through the hallways to the cell that he was kept in with his two friends. He arrived to them waking up. Having a key that Hondo gave him, Thomas unlocked their handcuffs.

Sorin looked around the strange room they were in. The cell had rock walls and only a small shelf, made for sleeping,on the right side of the room. Most walls in the base were rock as it was built inside a mountain.

"Where the hell are we?" Dom asked, as he rubbed his wrists.

"Florrum." responded TR as he moved to free Sorin from his cuffs.

"And where is that?" followed up Sorin.

Thomas took a deep breath and explained their situation. He explained where they were and the whole conversation with Hondo. He tried his best to explain Star Wars for them and the work that they would be doing for their new boss, but they didn't fully understand. TR couldn't blame them though. They had not grown up watching Star Wars and they weren't as involved in the story as he was. Nonetheless they did grasp the time period they were in and the current status of the galaxy.

"So this is before the empire." stated Dom trying to understand what TR had explained.

"Correct." answered Thomas.

"Tom, where are the others?" asked Sorin who was worried for his other friends. "You didn't mention them before."

"I don't know." sighed Thomas, "Hondo said he found no one else."

"So there gone?" asked Dom with a hinnt of sadness in his voice."

They all knew the answer but no one wanted to say it. It was too painful for them to even say. Dom had the courage to break the silence.

"I know I bickered and teased them but those guys are family to me." he said as the other two nodded in agreement.

"So then let's honor them." added Sorin.

"And remember them in everything we do." finished TR with a smile.