chapter three
AMORA STRUTTED DOWN THE steps of the cantina, perfectly aware of all the eyes watching her. Maybe it was a mistake to make herself the center of attention in a crowded, dirty bar, but she really couldn't care less. The music that had stopped during the fight slowly picked back up, and everyone eventually turned back towards their drinks.
The older Jedi looked up at her while retracting the lightsaber. Familiarity quickly crossed his features with a smile, and he took a few steps forward.
"Amora!" Obi-Wan greeted. "I didn't expect to see you here. The droids told me... they said you didn't make it."
"Well, you and I both know the Empire won't get rid of me that easy." Amora spoke with a smirk, pulling the man in for a hug.
He appeared no different from the last time she saw him, over a holographic message on Shili. A white, wispy beard, a cunning twinkle in his eyes, and the brown robes that gave off his allegiance to the Jedi. He was an old family friend of the Everbrights, an ally to her parents during the Clone Wars. The three of them stayed in touch since then, and Amora soon came to know Obi-Wan as a second father.
Their reunion was cut short, however, as a young boy no older than Amora walked up to Obi-Wan's side with a slight limp. She recognized him as the boy who was thrown into the table only moments ago. He had shaggy blond hair that hung partially over his eyes, which were a dazzling shade of blue, like gorgeous Naboo waves arching gracefully against the sunny skies. They were truly the brightest eyes she had ever seen.
"I'm alright," he muttered to Obi-Wan before noticing Amora. He ruffled his hair for a second as he tilted his head towards her, eyes widening in surprise as he met the honey-golden irises of a pretty girl.
"Ben, who's this?" the boy wondered aloud, not looking away from Amora.
Ben?
She opened her mouth to answer for herself, but Obi-Wan beat her to it.
"Luke, this is Amora Everbright, a rebellion commander," he spoke, whispering the last part so that only they could hear him.
If she thought the boy, Luke, couldn't be anymore surprised, she was wrong. His blue eyes widened even further as straightened his spine and gasped.
"A rebellion commander?!" Luke practically shouted.
Amora's eyes widened as well. "Shhh!" she shushed him while waving her arms around frantically. "That's a secret!" She whipped her head around the bar to make sure no one heard.
"I'm quiet, I'm quiet! Listen to how quiet I am, you can barely hear me," Luke reassured her quickly, lowering his voice dramatically.
Amora resisted the urge to chuckle at his behavior and brushed off his exclamation. Everyone nearby looked too drunk to even notice.
"It's fine, it's fine. But... are you... okay?" she asked cautiously. "I saw you get thrown across the room."
Luke's cheeks instantly warmed up in embarrassment, becoming flustered at the realization.
"Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, I've been in worse," he stuttered out awkwardly, running his hand through his hair once more to smooth it out. He clearly wanted to impress the girl after hearing that she was a rebel commander.
Amora could call his bluff from a mile away, but she ignored it and turned back to Obi-Wan. She had already wasted too much time on Tatooine. They needed to get off this planet.
"Artoo needs to get to Alderaan as quickly as possible. Do you have a ship? Or a pilot? Anything?" she pressed.
"That's why we're here," Obi-Wan informed. "The best pilots can be found at Mos Eisley."
Amora raised her eyebrows in confusion. "We? As in, you and the random farm boy?"
Luke narrowed his eyes at her in offense, but Obi-Wan held up his hand in silence before he could retort back.
"Yes, we. It will not affect the mission, Amora." he spoke calmly.
She opened her mouth in shock, wondering how he could be so reckless. Amora crossed her arms in frustration.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just didn't know it was 'bring your kid to work' day," she huffed out. "We can't just bring anyone to the base! It's dangerous! You know that!"
"Hey, I'm right here!" Luke complained. They both ignored him.
"Amora, Luke is coming to Alderaan to learn the ways of the Force, to become a Jedi." he reasoned.
Amora immediately shut up in embarrassment.
A Jedi.
The rebellion would be lucky to gain such an important asset.
She hesitantly diverted her vision away from Obi-Wan to Luke. He stared back at her with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. It wasn't the anger she expected to see. No, it was something that made her soften, only for a second.
Hope.
Amora let her arms fall down to her sides as she sighed.
"Alright. Fine. Let's just find a pilot and get off this dustbin."
Obi-Wan grinned slightly at the fact that she gave in so quickly. He then turned around back to the bar to motion to a Wookiee observing their conversation in silence.
"Chewbacca, here, is the first-mate on a ship that might suit us."
The Wookiee began walking to a table, nudging his head for them to follow. Amora could still feel Luke's stare on her, but she ignored him and followed Obi-Wan deeper into the bar. Luke quickly trailed after her to the small corner table.
As they arrived at the table, Amora took a seat to the left of Obi-Wan, in between him and Luke. The Wookiee slid into his seat next to a man who looked several years older than Amora. He wore a white, long-sleeved shirt underneath a black vest. He hadn't even said a word, yet she could sense his arrogance just by looking at him. He appeared smug, like he made travel negotiations every day. To be fair, he probably did.
"Han Solo," he introduced himself, tapping his chest. "I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie, here, tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system."
"Yes, indeed," Obi-Wan replied. "If it's a fast ship."
"Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?" Han questioned, visibly offended at the notion.
Obi-Wan shook his head innocently. "Should I have?"
"It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs," Amora interrupted, staring down the man in front of her with a nod of respect.
He turned his head towards Amora in surprise, not expecting the female of the group to know of smuggling routes.
"Smart girl," he nodded back to her with the hint of a smirk.
Truthfully, Amora didn't actually know about smuggling routes. She just happened to be on Savareen when word got around. The Millennium Falcon wasn't exactly an easy name to forget.
"I've outrun imperial starships," he bragged while leaning forward. "And not the local bulk-cruisers, mind ya, I'm talkin' about the big Corellian ships now. She's fast enough for you, old man."
Amora scoffed quietly at his bragging, leaning forward to place her chin in her palm. She was impressed before, but was now getting annoyed.
"What's the cargo?"
"Only passengers," Obi-Wan answered. "Myself, the boy, the girl, two droids, and no questions asked.
Han laughed while shaking his head. "What is it, some kinda local trouble?"
"'No questions asked,'" Amora repeated distastefully back at Han as she leaned back in her seat.
"Well, I think I should at least know-"
"You don't need to know," Amora spat back, growing increasingly frustrated with the man.
She felt Luke place a hand on her forearm softly, silently begging her to let it go. She glanced over at his bright eyes and saw the message clearly.
We need this pilot.
And he was right.
She swallowed her pride bitterly and crossed her arms, letting Luke's hand fall to his side. As she met Han's eyes with a glare, Obi-Wan decided to speak in her silence.
"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any imperial entanglements."
"Well, that's the real trick, isn't it?" Han spoke in amusement. "And it's gonna cost you something extra."
Obi-Wan raised his head in question.
"Ten thousand, all in advance."
Amora's heart dropped at the price. They didn't have that kind of money! Ten thousand for a quick trip to Alderaan? Hell, she couldn't even afford food! It was doubtful that Obi-Wan had ten thousand credits casually lying around, let alone the farmer next to her.
"Ten thousand?" Luke exclaimed in bewilderment. "We could almost buy our own ship for that!"
"But who's gonna fly it, kid?" Han shot back. "You?"
"You bet I could! I'm not such a bad pilot myself! We don't have to sit here and listen..."
Luke turned in his seat to get up and leave. He grasped Amora's arm loosely, but she turned towards Obi-Wan trustfully to see if he had any tricks up his sleeve. The mischievous glint in his eyes told her that he did.
"We haven't that much with us," he admitted. "But we could pay you two thousand now, plus fifteen when we reach Alderaan."
The three young adults all looked up at him in shock, jaws dropping slightly.
But as Amora thought for a second, she realized it made perfect sense. Getting those plans to Alderaan was priceless, and the royal family had all the riches in the galaxy. It wouldn't even dent their bank account to pay off the pilot who helped take down the Empire.
"Seventeen?" he verified in amazement.
Obi-Wan nodded coolly.
Han thought it over for a moment, every second representing an uncomfortable churn in Amora's stomach. Every second here was time that the rebellion could not afford to lose.
"Okay, you guys got yourself a ship."
Amora let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, feeling the weight of the rebellion crumbling off her shoulders at the sound of those words.
"We'll leave as soon as you're ready. Docking bay ninety-four."
"Ninety-four."
Amora spared a glance over at Obi-Wan. He appeared calm and collected. Not at all nervous for their journey ahead. She couldn't say she blamed him; he most likely endured missions like this on the daily as a Jedi. This was probably nothing for him.
Luke, on the other hand, didn't seem calm or collected. This was probably the most adventure he's seen in his whole life. Chances are he's never even left the planet.
Amora couldn't help but find him endearing. Was he whiny? Yes. Naive? Also yes. A little too hopeful for his own good? Definitely yes. But it was refreshing. All through her career, Amora was surrounded by faces of war, solemn expressions that have lost too much. They were people who knew that sacrifices had to be made, with no time to grieve after doing so. And yet here she sat, staring at a boy with glittering eyes of hope and wonder. He couldn't wait to experience a whole new life, a galaxy of color and opportunities. Hope was a dangerous thing, but it suited him. Amora smiled slightly.
"Looks like someone's beginning to take an interest in your handiwork."
The three travelers whirled around in their seats to find what Han was talking about. And just like he said, stood by the bar counter were a few stormtroopers speaking to the bartender, along with a rodian. They seemed to be talking about their corner table.
"C'mon," Amora muttered hastily to her companions as she stood up from the table.
Obi-Wan stood up with her in an attempt to leave the cantina as quickly as possible, but Luke sat still, staring at the troopers in a daze.
"Hey farm boy, why don't you buy 'em a drink if you think they're so pretty to stare at."
Luke blushed slightly in confusion as he stood from the table and followed her out the door.
~ ☼ ~
author's note -
so they finally met! whoop! and i'm finally on track with the plot of a new hope! from now on, amora will mostly be sticking with luke and co, but i could write some more chapters about her and her own story if you want. just let me know! i hope you're enjoying the story. also let me know if you are! like always, i would appreciate a vote or comment so i know that someone is actually reading my book, and maybe more people would notice. but i appreciate you for reading! until next time! :)
ps - shoutout to @/travistoulson for being my first follower! idk if you'll see this but i appreciate it a whole lot!