They did manage to arrive in Mos Espa before the sandstorm, although the early signs of it were already visible. The sky had darkness in the distance, and the wind was whipping by strongly enough for the grains of sand it carried to sting any exposed skin.
The inhabitants of Mos Espa were already preparing to weather the storm. Merchants were packing their wares, and thugs and lowlifes were making their way to their dens.
Nobody paid much attention to the haggard trio that was Rumor, Shala, and Alena. They parked the hovercraft in a random spot and found one of the slightly more reputable inns of Mos Espa.
After renting a room, Rumor sat on one bed, with Shala and Alena across from him on the other, the little girl sitting on her mother's lap.
"What do you plan on doing now?"
"A-Are you leaving?"
Shala's expression was crestfallen. She knew she had no right to ask more of Rumor after everything he had already done for them. But...
"If I leave, what will you do? I doubt you have anything to your name, right? If I leave, I might as well sell you to someone else, 'cause you will get snatched the first time you go outside."
Shala wanted to deny it, but it was the cold hard truth. The Tusken Raiders had taken everything she had - including her husband and years of her daughter's life.
Rumor sighed. He shouldn't be doing this. Shala and Alena were weaknesses his enemies wouldn't hesitate to explore. But he couldn't abandon them now.
"I'm leaving Tatooine in about 2 weeks. I can take you with me. But!"
He raised his voice as Shala's expression lit up.
"But, you have to do exactly what I say, when I say it. The most important thing is, you can't leave this room without me. I have enemies in Mos Espa. Ever heard of the Krayt Dragon Gang?"
Shala nodded mutely.
"I've killed over 20 of them over several disagreements in the past few days. The whole reason I was out in the Dune Sea was because a group of them chased me there. I don't need to explain to you how much they hate me right now. Nor what they will ever if they find out you are connected to me."
Shala's eyes widened, and she felt her lips suddenly dry. The Krayt Dragon Gang wasn't anything impressive when compared to the Hutts. But in Mos Espa, they were one of the three criminal giants.
"We will stay here. I promise."
"You better. I can fight my way out of tough spots, but you and Alena can't. It's for your safety."
"I understand. Thank you."
Rumor nodded, a little more relaxed now that he knew she wouldn't put up a fuss.
"Go take a bath, you two need it. I have to run an errand, but I'll be back in two hours. I'll bring new clothes and food when I do."
"Thank you."
Rumor got up and was about to leave when he felt someone grab his sleeve. Looking down, he met Alena's red eyes.
"Thank you."
Rumor swallowed. Then he ruffled her blonde hair and left.
...
Buying amenities was quick, and, with everyone covering every inch of exposed skin to avoid the stinging sand, nobody questioned his choice of attire - covering his entire face, leaving only a slit for him to see through.
Rumor's next stop was a shabby-looking building near the center of Mos Espa. It was a place he had learned about before, but dared not visit. Now he had the confidence.
The interior was much nicer than the outside. Psychedelic paintings, semi-nude men and women dancing on stages, and patrons nursing heavy drinks.
A hazy mist clung to the ceiling, smelling vaguely like weed. Although, from the looks of some of the guests, whatever they were smoking was a lot stronger than marijuana.
After asking for directions from a gruff-looking waiter, Rumor pushed his way through the throngs of aliens to an spacious room in the back of the building.
It was much quieter there. Three counters were set up, bored-looking aliens sitting behind them, and a handful of people turned to look at Rumor when he entered.
Each of them was armed and giving him their best mean look. Bounty hunters.
Rumor ignored the stares and walked to one of the counters. Without saying anything, he dropped six grimy nose rings on it.
The worker behind the counter perked up slightly, but soon lost interest when it saw that was all Rumor had.
"6 Tusken trophies, 120 wupiupis each. Here's 720 wupiupis."
"Don't want that crap. Give me Republic credits or something else that's accepted in the Mid Rim. I'm leaving this shithole soon as the storm's over."
The worker glared at him, but got up to retrieve the funds. This station belonged to the Hutt Cartel, and the same way Rumor didn't dare mess with them, they also had to be careful about how they treated their patrons.
Plus, nobody ever stayed long in Tatooine unless they joined one of the gangs or were suffering from an extended mid-life crisis. It was perfectly normal for bounty hunters to come here thinking they would make a fortune hunting Tusken Raiders for the Hutt Cartel, only to get fed up with the climate in a couple of days.
"Wait. Change this too. 20.000 wupiupis."
Rumor dropped a cloth sack on the counter, and the worker's hairless eyebrows shot up. At the same time, the other bounty hunters in the room also sat up straighter.
20.000 wupiupis was no fortune. But it could buy someone two weeks of lavishly spending in Mos Espa's fanciest bars and whorehouses.
"There's a 6% fee."
"Change it."
Wupiupis would be worthless once Rumor was out of the Outer Rim. If he only changed it later, he would end up taking a hit. Plus, the 8.000 or so wupiupis he kept were more than enough to survive for the next 12 days.
Not much later, Rumor left the establishment about 3.200 Republic credits richer. He also got himself a tail.
Shaking his head, Rumor ducked inside an alleyway and quickened his pace. He knew some greedy idiot was bound to come after him after seeing how much money he had.
Hiding behind a doorway, Rumor reminisced of how much this was like his first day in Tatooine. There were two people stalking him now too.
"Where did he go?"
"Idiot! I told you he wasn't a fool, flashing all that money around. He gave us the slip!"
"He can't have gone far. Let's keep going."
"The damn sandstorm is coming!"
"Don't be a wuss!"
The voices got closer. When they were right on top of him, Rumor stepped out of his hiding spot, almost crashing into his two pursuers.
"Hey! Wh--"
One of them looked down at the blade sticking out of his stomach. Then he paled when Rumor pulled it out and held it against the neck of the second enemy.
[ You initiated an attack on Bounty Hunter Gorg. Calculating attack value... Deducting target's defense... ]
Rumor let the first bounty hunter fall, keeping his eyes locked with the one whose neck he was threatening to slit open. Would you look at that, it was a human.
"Let's talk, shall we?"
"Wh-What do you want!? Look, I swear we weren't going to do-"
"Shut it. You were going to, at the very least, beat me up and rob me. Probably kill me too. But I don't care about that. Answer some questions and you are free to go. Or be stubborn and bleed out like your friend."
A notification popped up as if it were just waiting for him to say that.
[ Bounty Hunter Gorg has died. ]
The other man looked at his clearly dead companion and swallowed.
"O-Okay! What do you want to know?"
"I heard the Krayt Dragon Gang put out a bounty?"
"Y-Yeah! Some guy been taking out their members, it pissed off The Scourge. Especially since it looks like the group he sent to track him down won't be coming back from the Dune Sea."
"Hm. What do you know about that person they are hunting?"
"N-Not much, I swear! The Dragons don't even know his name, they are just calling him The Human. I had to have someone I knew vouch for me twice today already to prove I'm not the bastard!"
So, just because his reputation grew it didn't mean everyone magically knew his name or face. Good to know for the future.
"What else?"
"He's got black hair and white skin. Uses a knife and an old blaster. The Dragons last saw him running into the Dune Sea. I doubt anybody gonna find him or the guys who went after him. Sandstorm's gonna bury everything."
What little the Tusken Raiders had left intact, maybe.
"That's it?"
"T-That's it! I swear!"
Rumor nodded.
"I believe you."
Then he slashed open the bounty hunter's throat.
[ Bounty Hunter Zareck has died. ]
[ Battle summary: You have slain two bounty hunters. ]
[ You acquired: 198 wupiupis, Lockpicking Kit. ]
Oh? Something useful dropped.
[ Lockpicking Kit ]
[ Rarity: 1-Star ]
[ Effect: Increase chances of picking open locks. Effect varies depending on the skills of the user. ]
[ Restrictions: None ]
[ Description: The basic tools of the trade for any aspiring thief, this kit contains all that's needed to pick simple locks. ]
[ Observation: Can be brought out of this world. ]
This little errand was already more rewarding than Rumor initially thought it would be. But now it was time to go back. Shala and Alena would be waiting, and the sandstorm was picking up.
...
Elsewhere, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn ran his fingers through his beard, pondering what to do.
They had landed in Tatooine because it was their only option, but the planet was a den of debauchery and criminality. If it wasn't because their hyperdrive was damaged, he would never have landed here, much less while escorting Queen Amidala of Naboo.
Even so, he thought they had lucked out when, on the last shop they went to, they found a grimy little Toydarian who claimed to have exactly what they needed - and he was the only one in Tatooine who did, according to him.
Of course, seeing how desperate they were for the part, the vendor tried to rip them off, only to fall flat on his face when the [ T-14 Hyperdrive Engine ] he claimed to possess was nowhere to be found.
Queen Amidala's attendant, Padmé, mocked the Toydarian viciously, thinking he had tried to trick them, but Qui-Gon Jinn believed the alien. It was hard to hide your emotions in front of a Jedi, and Watto was genuinely furious at the discovery that he was robbed.
But funny as if was seeing the nasty bugger get his comeuppance, their ship was still without a hyperdrive, which meant they were stuck in Naboo. And Queen Amidala had to be in Coruscant in a couple of days for the vote that would decided the fate of her home planet.
Not all was bad, however. Although they were still missing a ship part, Qui-Gon Jinn had found Anakin Skywalker.
The boy was a marvel. There was something about the boy that drew Qui-Gon Jinn to him. A calling of the Force unlike any he had ever felt before.
Even Obi-Wan, his padawn who he had sensed from across the Jedi Temple the day the the boy first stepped through the doors, hadn't had this strong a presence about him.
No, Anakin was something special. And Qui-Gon Jinn couldn't help but believe that all of this, the forced landing in Tatooine, the missing hyperdrive, all of it was the Force guiding him to the boy.
He would have to find a way to make Watto free the boy and his mother. Maybe...
Pod-racing. After bringing them to his house to take solace from the sandstorm, Anakin had told them plenty about his owner and employer, including his love for gambling on the dangerous races the natives of Tatooine loved watching.
Yes, that would do. He would have to find something equally valuable, but Qui-Gon Jinn was sure it would work out.
The Force was with him.