Inquiring for Information

While the engineering robots repaired the ship, Kunto and Truda struck up a conversation. They were old acquaintances.

"Come to think of it, where did Feraci go? Why didn't she come with you?" Truda asked. "Those people over there look unfamiliar."

He pointed at Cun Te, Tang Xiao, and the others.

"They're my new... uh..." Kunto began considering how to put it. He couldn't exactly say that Feraci was being kept on Dawn Star Planet as a hostage, well fed and cared for by Tang Xiao, could he?

"Partners," Cun Te said from behind him.

"Ah, right, partners!" Kunto quickly agreed.

"Fine. Clean up your own mess. I've already notified Jabba; his people should be here any moment," Truda said.

"Hey, old man! How could you set me up like this? I just got to Tatooine—I should at least get a drink of water first!" Kunto complained.

Truda gave a sinister chuckle. "We both work for Jabba. You should know that."

Sure enough, while they were speaking, several people dressed like bounty hunters approached from outside. The moment they entered, they shouted, "Kunto! Get your ass out here! Where's the stuff Jabba wants?"

Kunto shuddered in fright. He cast Tang Xiao a pleading look, but received no response. He could only force himself to say, "All right, I'll... I'll go over right away."

"You lot, unload the cargo and load it up! This stuff is all for Jabba!" Another Tusken mercenary waved a Blaster rifle in his hand and bellowed at Tang Xiao.

The Blaster rifle was clearly military-grade, far superior to the cheap DL-18 Blaster pistols carried by Kunto's group. No wonder they were acting so smug.

T-850 stepped forward, ready to teach the provocateur a lesson. But Tang Xiao stopped him. "Enough. Load the cargo."

Without minding the dirt or labor, Tang Xiao entered the ship's cargo hold, carried out a large crate, and set it onto a Banth II hover freighter. The bounty hunters stood with their hands behind their backs, watching Tang Xiao and the others work the entire time. Then one of them tossed Kunto a handful of gold coins and strode away.

Kunto counted them, then shouted, "Hey!! This is only 2,000 Upiupi coins! Didn't we agree on 5,000?!"

Upiupi coins were the currency used on Tatooine. Tatooine lay in the Outer Rim Territories and within Hutt territory, where Galactic Republic credits were not recognized. This unofficial currency was the real hard currency.

But the bounty hunters did not stop. One of them even turned back and sneered, "You should be grateful we paid you at all! Take it, you useless Muf cow milker! Hahaha!"

Kunto's expression changed several times. Only after the freighter had gone far away did he viciously raise his middle finger in that direction. "A bunch of Bantha-born bastards!"

Cun Te was rather easygoing. He walked over, threw an arm around Kunto's shoulders, and gave him a shake. "It's fine. At least we still have some money, right? We can just take a few more jobs later. Once our colony is built, there'll be work everywhere. We won't have to keep watching Jabba's face then."

"Jabba..." At the mention of that name, Kunto lowered his head.

"Come on. Let's find somewhere to have a drink. My treat," Cun Te said.

"In the end, it's still my money. I'll pay," Kunto said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

They made their way into Mos Eisley City. The city had no planning whatsoever, no proper roads, only a chaotic sprawl of houses and shanties. It was like an enormous slum.

All kinds of alien races filled the streets, everyone draped in cloaks to shield themselves from the blazing sun. Some hawked strange and unusual goods, others wandered around asking for work, while still others leaned against walls with weapons in hand—mercenaries waiting for business to come to them.

Most of those mercenaries tried their best to look vicious, making themselves appear as formidable as possible.

Just then, a cylindrical robot shaped like a bamboo pole walked down the street carrying several Quarren heads. Pedestrians hurriedly moved aside, and those fierce-looking mercenaries were the first to run.

Some passersby whispered among themselves. "Look, those are the Quarren from the Iron Fish Gang! A few days ago, they hijacked one of Jabba's cargo ships..."

Kunto also pulled Tang Xiao away from the spectacle and made room for it to pass. He whispered, "That's IG-41, one of Jabba's bounty hunters. Stay away from it. If it decides something is interfering with its mission, it'll shoot without hesitation."

Tang Xiao said nothing. He glanced at the robot, then turned away and followed Kunto into a bar in Mos Eisley. The place was a chaotic mix of all sorts of beings. Robots and aliens mingled together, spending the little income they earned from risking their lives on cheap alcoholic drinks, then venting their excess energy.

Quarren who looked like squids, Gamorreans who resembled huge wild boars, Tuskens who were nearly human except for the two head-tentacles and their varied skin colors... This place was practically an exotic zoo.

Cun Te found the place fascinating as well. The moment he entered the bar, he got some spare change from Kunto and wandered off. Before long, he had struck up with a Twi'lek woman and was drinking with her amid giggles and laughter.

Tang Xiao, however, headed straight for the large oval bar counter in the center. He called over the bartender, ordered a drink, and sipped it slowly. At the same time, he tossed out an Upiupi coin and said quietly, "I'd like to ask about the Skywalker family."

The bartender calmly pocketed the coin. As he wiped a plate, he replied in a voice only the two of them could hear, "They live in Mos Espa Port. They're slaves of a Toydarian junk dealer named Watto. He won them from Hutt Gaddula in a gamble. The story spread around for quite a while."

Tang Xiao took out another coin and slid it over. "I want to find them. Any advice?"

The bartender pocketed the coin again and neatly arranged the plates one by one as he spoke. "Mos Espa Port is Hutt Gaddula's territory. You know the relationship between Jabba and Gaddula... heh heh. You work for Jabba. You know what will happen."

This place really was a den of snakes and dragons. No one could be trusted, Tang Xiao thought. He had only just arrived on this planet and had immediately been taken away by Jabba's people, yet the people here already knew about it so quickly.

Tang Xiao weighed the last Upiupi coin in his hand. Just as he was about to say something, a powerful force suddenly shoved him aside. He frowned, about to lose his temper, but when he turned around, he saw a clearly drunken man sprawled against the bar beside him, reeking of harsh alcohol. "Hey! I'm talking to you, pinkskin! How about it? Want to work with me and make some money?"

Tang Xiao made a gesture to stop T-850, who was just about to act, and asked, "Go on. What's your idea?"

"Hahahaha! You look so soft and delicate—your Homeworld must be rich, huh? Burp! I'll kidnap you, then you ask your Homeworld to pay money to ransom you back. How does that sound? Hahahaha! Burp!" The drunk burst into laughter as he spoke, while several people at the next table, who were presumably with him, joined in with loud laughter.

Bonus illustration 1: Tatooine street scene