Chapter Text
I sat up suddenly, gasping for air. The warm air of Tatooine wafted through the open window, and it didn’t help the sweat already sticking my hair flat down. A figure appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the rising suns.
“Are you all right? Was it the nightmares again?” Mom crouched next to the small cot-like bed.
“Mom?” My brother rose from the bed in the far corner, rubbing his eyes. “Is Asania okay?”
“Yeah…yeah I’m fine.” I l mumbled, body groggy from sleep, but mind fully awake from the intense dreams. The remnants still flashed
“What did you see?” Mom asked as she rubbed my back softly. I just shook her head, eyes darting around the room, and then stayed locked on the sky outside. I could barely tell what was real and what was a dream. Anakin walked over and sat on the bed dramatically, crossing his legs and facing me.
“Was it a cool podracer dream again?” Anakin asked, his eyes no longer tired. A few days ago, I had dreamed of a podracer race in vivid detail. Later, Anakin and I recreated it, running around with scraps of metal.
“No, sorry Ani.” I replied, but my voice was still thin, even if it was slowly getting more confident. The only other sign of worry was that I was gripping the edge of the bed, as if afraid that reality would slip away. No one said anything for a bit, until I decided to break the silence. “I saw the suns.”
“The suns?” Mom said slowly.
“Yes. They crashed into each other.” I said calmly. I didn’t know how else to describe it. So many things, emotions, fleeting moments. I could barely decipher what I saw. The simplest answer was the suns crashing. Anakin shuffled, uncomfortable. As if the universe had heard, the light of the two rising suns just entered the doorway.
“Well, that won’t be happening anytime soon.” Mom said, standing back up. She dusted off the sand from her simple robes. “It’s morning anyway, so come downstairs when you’re ready.” With that, she walked out the doorway, her steps fading away down the stairs. Anakin was still on my bed, his light brown hair shining with the sunlight. He gave me a small lopsided smile to try and diffuse the stress evident in my tense muscles.
“C’mon. Let’s get going.” He said, tugging my sleeve. I rolled my eyes in an exaggerated manner.
“Why would I listen to you dummy?” I shot back, my usual fire coming back.
“Oh I’m sorry,” he replied, mocking me, with a hand over his heart, “I just heard dear friend Tima tell me that, oh you know, a certain vendor is coming to Mos Espa today.” He wiggled his eyebrows. I let out a dramatic gasp.
“You mean Jox?” I whispered, like a secret no one else knew about, but a smile tugging at my lips suggested I already was plotting.
“The one and only.” Anakin replied, already on his way out the door. I scrambled out after him, the idea of swindling a smuggler lifting my spirits. We ran down the small narrow stairs trying to be the first one to the bottom. I won, just barely, but mostly because Anakin tripped. I was still laughing at him as his face turned redder by the second. I kept laughing, my lungs barely keeping up, as I walked to the main area where my mom and C3PO were standing.
“Morning 3PO,” I greeted the human-like droid, who was currently missing lots of pieces, and wires stuck out of everywhere.
“Good morning.” The droid replied in his usual polite way. C3PO was basically family, since Anakin and I had built him. Most people - especially the cutthroat criminals on Tatooine - didn’t see droids as anything more than assets. But to me, as long as they had a consciousness, they were worthy of respect and kind words. I went to check if we had any food, and there was only a small ration bar, so I decided to leave it for mom, who hadn’t eaten in a while. I pushed my hunger down and headed out towards the street door.
“Anakin!” I shouted, “If you don’t get your kriffing butt here now I’m leaving without you!.”
“Geez!” I heard him complain, “I’m coming, stop complaining.” He appeared next to me, shoving a few metal scraps into his pocket. “Let’s get going if we want to get to Watto’s shop on time.”
I rolled my eyes jokingly and he strutted out the door onto the bustling streets.
The suns already blazed down with an intense heat, despite it being early in the morning. We slipped through the crowd, away from the houses and more towards the quarter with dark alleyways and even darker intentions. As the crowds thinned, I started sticking more to the walls, using the stall covers as a shield.
Right.
Left.
Left.
Right.
Left.
The streets were easily a maze if you weren’t used to them. Years of making a living off of…private enterprise made it easy to walk these streets confidently.
I recognized one of the bars - The Fool’s Fortune. This meant our spot couldn’t be far off. On the worn-out crates a group of smugglers sat smoking, blasters glistening in the light. One shot us a look and sneered, his rotting teeth on display. Anakin ducked between stands and I stayed for a heartbeat longer. The life of a smuggler was a dangerous one, but I couldn’t help the little spark building its way from the bottom of my soul.
Soaring through the stars. Do whatever you want. Have a crew who’s like family. Having your home aboard a beautiful ship. Who wouldn’t love that life? The only thing holding me back from hopping on one of those ships was mom. She was technically Watto’s slave, and I wouldn’t leave her behind. That’s why I did these runs, this life of thrill. To get enough money to leave. Go live on one of those planets the pilots were always talking about, with different climates and gorgeous nature.
I followed Anakin, keeping my eyes on the blond hair just a few meters ahead. As we drifted closer to a shop with red lights outside, and food sitting outside, I subconsciously tugged my right sleeve further down. It was a long sleeved shirt, but old memories went beyond logic.
I was used to being nearly invisible when going through the streets, but here it felt like being put in the spotlight. To keep calm and not look too strange, I recited the cards in Sabacc. Before I knew it, I’d gone past the shop and the distant hum of the spaceport was getting louder. I spotted Anakin crouched behind large, black boxes that were just in front of the large doors with guards on either side. The gate has bars far apart enough to see through, and a couple ships were in the loading area with crews bringing things on and off.
“So? Where do you think our dear old friend is?” Anakin whispered, peering around the crate, into the bay.
“Dunno.” I replied, “How did you even know he was going to be here?” I asked, suddenly realizing I had followed Anakin blindly.
He turned around, eyes darting quickly, “The pilots at Watto’s shop.” Without any further explanation, he shuffled a bit and kept looking at the ships. I huffed and knew there was no way he’d tell me how he actually got the tip. It probably was by eavesdropping, but where exactly, was the question.
So far, no one has tried to kill us, so it mustn't have been too bad.
“So, where exactly is -” I started, but I spotted the matted hair and scars across the shipyard. I crouched down and leaned against the crate, letting out a long breath.
“Guess we found him.” Anakin whispered, mirroring my position.
I nodded, the familiar anticipation of about to swindle someone already making me jittery. The plans of how we’d take, how much we could make and the money we’d get flashed through my mind.
“All right, how are we doing this?” Anakin asked hurriedly, crouching and turning towards me.
“Well, he’s an experienced smuggler, so the ‘lost kid’ tactic won’t work.” I started counting off on my fingers.”
“True.” Anakin agreed, “He’d probably just kick us.”
I stifled my laugh, then continued, “Pretending to act all tough won’t work either, he’s in his element with his gang.”
“So that leaves one option.” Anakin said, and I could see his mind calculating already.
“Yeah, and I would have explained it already if you stopped kriffing interrupting me.” I retorted, trying to hide my laugh behind a scolding look. Anakin raised his hands in mock surrender. “But yes, our only option is to draw him out where we’ll have the upper hand.”
“Do you think he’ll do it himself, or should I…help out?” Anakin asked, raising one eyebrow.
“I think he’ll do it himself.” I said, “But it might take a while, so let’s get comfortable.” Anakin didn’t need to be told twice, and he leaned against the crates, looking as though he was sleeping. I followed suit, but made sure to lean against the perpendicular wall, so I could see if anyone left the docking area. The suns kept rising steadily, until I heard voices get closer, boots louder.
I kicked Anakin, and I only got a groan as a response.
“C’mon!” I was already up, tugging at him, “We need to get to the next street.” Anakin kept grumbling but quickly got up and we raced away from the doors, skittering around a corner. I peeked around the wall, my light brown hair falling into my eyes.
I blew it away, my eyes trained on Jox. I counted up how many men he had with him - 3 - and scanned for weapons. As expected, three of them had blasters hanging off their hips, and a few blades glinted in the sunlight as well.
“How bad is it?”
“We’ve seen worse.” I responded.
“Well, let’s get to work.” He stepped out in plain view, pretending to have just been walking. He bumped into the side henchman, but didn’t take anything.
“Hey!” the man - probably a Chiss - shouted, shoving Anakin aside. Like any decent traveler, he checked his pockets and possessions, eyeing Anakin. The others stopped. Jox, the main guy we were looking for, barely spared a glance at Anakin.
“Getting robbed by a kid, Fied?” Jox laughed, but it was more destroyed lungs that laugh.
“Nah boss, just checking that this little rat doesn’t go looking for more than he deserves.” the man said, his mouth morphing into an attempted smile, one that would scare most people.
Anakin spoke up, keeping his child-like innocence, but with a tone of knowing what he’s doing. “I would never.” He added a little gasp, “But the next guy, much bigger than me might try to take your shiny things.”
“Whatchu saying kid?” Another - much shorter man - spoke up, “You setting us up to be robbed?” He cracked his knuckles.
“Of course not.” I said, coming out from behind the wall, walking up to Anakin, and trying my best to look calm. “We need to go. What are you even doing?” Now, there was no going back, we either left richer, or with a few less bones.
“Okay, okay.” Anakin pretended to go along with me, because no one would suspect a 9-year-old to be scheming. “But why can’t I tell them about the Fool’s Fortu-” I shot him a look. A practiced one, but it was convincing enough.
“Uhm..nevermind.” Anakin looked away. The man furthest away took a little step forward.
Bingo.
Now they wanted to know more. Jox seemed to be studying us, not knowing whether to trust two kids. But everyone in the Outer Rim knew the reputation of the Fool’s Fortune bar. Good drinks, better pay. We pretended to shift uneasily, but what was hardest was trying to not break into a smile.
“What do you know about the Fool’s Fortune, kid?” Jox finally said, taking a step closer, “How’d a kid like you know all about it.”
“We hear things.” I said, straightening up a bit.
“Yeah, like…what was that thing we heard?” Anakin asked, scratching his head. Sometimes, I forgot how good of an actor he could be if it meant getting credits.
“I’m not sure, but some guy said it to an armed man at a back door.” I remarked. Jox could barely hide the spark in his eye. In truth, we had heard the code word to the more exclusive area one day, but it had been weeks ago, and it probably wasn’t valid anymore.
“All right little one. Maybe you are useful.” Jox was now crouching so he was almost at our height.
“You want kids to help us boss?” One with an eyepatch and green skin scoffed.
“Yes.” Jox said simply. He then turned back to his men. “Because you kriffing moron can’t even get me the passcode these kids got.”
I smiled at Anakin. Phase 1 was complete. Now comes the hard part.
Jox and his crew were decently well known, but not enough of a reputation to get the password. Anakin and I had been waiting to rob this guy for ages, because his pockets were full, and we really needed to make improvements to our racers. Apart from our little business, podracing was the only thing bringing in money. We walked through the streets at a faster pace than we had come, but it was all right. At least we’d get the money faster. The tallest man, who had questioned us, was at the very back, making sure we didn’t run off. I scanned the roofs for all the routes our trusted friend had told us to take.. As an extra precaution, I have referred to Anakin under a fake alias, so they wouldn’t be able to track us. As we turned the corner to the bar, I slightly jerked my head at the flat roof of the building adjacent to the Fool’s Fortune. It was a fairly flat roof, it had lots of little chimneys and other hiding spots, and best of all it was easy to get onto other roofs from there.
As Anakin liked to say, the roofs of Tatooine were the calmest road. Besides, yesterday I had arranged to meet with our friends very soon, and our spot was on the way from here. We turned around towards the back of the bar, where it smelled of too many drinks and bad decisions. We’d already told Jox the passcode before going into the shadowy alley, so the man who was making sure we didn’t run now stepped forward, joining his crew. I locked eyes with Anakin, everything depending on this moment. I looked at Jox’s pockets. There was a small bump where all the credits were, but one of his guys with disgustingly greasy hair was right in front of his pocket.
It was useless, but I just used up all my thoughts and willed him to move, just a bit. I knew it was a futile attempt, but no harm in trying. But my eyes widened when the universe seemed to listen. He shifted a bit, as if the way he was standing was uncomfortable. I sensed Anakin tense up next to me. I was the faster sprinter, so I always made the run for it.
Of course, Anakin would never admit I was faster, but it always worked. Almost always. But a good thief only messes up once. I looked up at the blue sky, hoping the heavens were on my side. Then before I could do anything else, I took a small step forwards and reached out my hand.
My fingers - used to fooling travellers with sleight of hand - reached in and grasped about as many credits as I could hold. Then, like a snake snapping back, I quickly withdrew my hand.
Jox and his men obviously noticed.
I ran.
The credits’ edges bit into clammy palms. My braid was a distant memory as I ran, and rebellious pieces of hair fell loose. I heard one of them grunt as Anakin ran into him, giving both of us more time.
As I ran, I hurriedly stuffed them into my pockets so I could climb.
My right foot slipped and I coughed as dust flew into my nose. Between the sprint and the dust, my breathing was getting heavier and the cream walls of the streets seemed to pull in.
It’s okay.
This is normal. You do this almost everyday.
You’ll be okay.
The credits were all in my pockets, and they were like a grounding weight. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one small shadow - Anakin - not far behind, and I could hear the loud thundering footfalls of angry smugglers not far behind.
As soon as I reached the wall I was looking for, I jumped without even thinking. My hands scrambled to get a good hold on the small ledge above the window. I didn’t look particularly strong or fast, but my light weight made up for it. I somehow hauled myself up to the shelf, but a blaster striking only a few meters away made me lose my footing. I felt my foot hit something, and I spared a glance down only to see a panicked Anakin.
There was no time for words, so all he did was urge me on with hurried movements. I quickly got back to climbing, and now the crew were at the bottom, one starting to climb as I pulled Anakin onto the roof. With no walls closing in, I allowed myself to take a breath, before the angry shouts and blaster shots brought me back.
We took off; just two, small insignificant figures in the bustling city of Mos Espa. After a good 5 minutes of running, I sat down - or collapsed honestly - and then laid back. I let out a breathy laugh, knowing we successfully pulled off the difficult heist of robbing a well-known smuggler.
Anakin stood above me, blocking out the sunlight. “Well? We aren’t done yet.”
“Oh calm down.” I sighed, “I’ll get up in a second, just let me have this one moment.”
Anakin rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue and sat down next to be. I used the moment to appreciate how nice it was to be up here. The noise and chaos in the streets seemed like a distant world.
The rooftops were a comforting place, where you could be free.
It was the closest I could get to fully leaving this sand-ridden prison behind.