"How do you know he lives there, Luke?" Owen looked at Luke in confusion.
"… Well, it was Biggs and the mechanic. They said they were going on an adventure," Luke stammered.
Owen didn't want Luke to get involved with Obi-Wan. He just wanted Luke to stay with him and live a peaceful life.
But Luke clearly didn't think that way. He wanted to apply to the Imperial Academy and become a pilot.
This was undoubtedly dangerous, which is why Owen kept dragging Luke along and refusing to let him leave.
"That's enough, Luke. It's time to sleep. We have to fix that broken condenser tomorrow." Owen stood up and urged Luke to go to bed, knowing the young boy would have to work hard for the next few days.
Owen clearly didn't want to continue the conversation about Obi-Wan, and Amir also stopped trying to engage him.
He took a credit point out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Take it back. It's just for one night's lodging," said Aunt Beru with a smile. "Besides, Imperial credit points are hard to use around here."
"Thank you," Amir said again, walking back to his room.
Lying on the bed and breathing in the unique, dry, sandy scent, Amir quickly fell asleep.
Ever since Gulina had given him the Kyber crystal, he had dreamed something every night.
In his dreams, he was still on the sand dunes of Tatooine, but Obi-Wan was gone. He was replaced by someone wearing familiar black armor and carrying a red lightsaber.
The red lightsaber was pointed at the residents of Tatooine, and several stormtroopers stood guard around them. The scorching sun beat down on the sand, and a head slowly lowered into a cloak.
Everything turned dim as if a black-and-white filter had been applied to midday. The red lightsaber chased and slashed through the streets.
Collapsing buildings, chaos, and screams!
"Ah, ha!" Amir slowly woke up, yawned, and rubbed his slightly aching temples.
"Another bad feeling. Can't I just rest in peace for a few days? Ever since I graduated from military school, I've been running around nonstop."
"I really want to buy land on Alderaan, grow crops, and retire."
He got up, packed his things, and stepped out of the room. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was still a bit chilly.
Luke had also woken up and was waving a model of a fighter jet through the air as if he were flying out of the desert planet.
"Do you like spaceships?" Amir asked idly.
"Of course! I'm going to become the best pilot and join the Imperial Air Force."
"Here, this is for you. You'll need to study hard to become a pilot." Amir took out a data pad that he had been carrying. It was the Traveler's control panel that Senir had given him.
However, the ship's control functions had already been transferred to Amir's wristband.
Now, the pad only contained the ship's operating manual and several books that Amir had downloaded.
"For me?" Luke hesitated. Even on Tatooine, a farm boy was considered the lowest of the low, and he had never seen such a finely crafted data pad before.
"Yeah, it has the ship's operating manual. From zero to expert in 100 days! You deserve it," Amir bluffed. "Plus, it has the master mechanic's handwritten notes."
Luke stared at the densely packed text on the ship's control interface and fell silent. "This is so complicated." Though he had learned to read, there were still many characters he didn't recognize. He could always ask a protocol droid to read them aloud or ask his uncle and aunt to teach him.
Of course, whether or not they would teach him was their decision.
"Mechanical notes authored by Amir? That's you, isn't it?" Luke sneered. "You're bragging about yourself."
Amir laughed loudly and picked up his bag.
"I'm leaving. Say hello to Owen and Beru for me."
Owen and Beru had already gone to test the farm machinery.
"I could have taken you there, but my uncle won't let me go too far from home," Luke said in a low voice. "Why are you so young, yet able to go to other planets on your own? Uncle Owen said I have to wait until I'm an adult to go to the Imperial Military Academy."
"Then make sure you're well-prepared for the day you turn eighteen," Amir said, pointing at the data panel.
Amir knew that even if Luke turned eighteen, Owen wouldn't let him go easily, but he still decided to encourage him.
"Here, take this for breakfast!" Luke threw a piece of fruit to Amir.
Taking the fruit, Amir walked out of the house. In the distance, he could see two huge discs slowly rising. The endless sand dunes looked as if they had been sprinkled with golden dye.
After opening the holographic map and confirming the direction, Amir continued walking.
"I should have put the Coke in the Traveler," he thought, remembering his beloved car.
Suddenly, he felt his foot hit something hard. He bent down and found a hard-shelled object.
He cracked it open, and a clear liquid flowed out. He raised his head, aligned the small opening with his mouth, and a drop of sweet water trickled in.
A creature with enormous ear flaps that resembled a mouse watched Amir drink from afar. Its agile claws scraped the liquid from its ears, which it then stuffed into its mouth.
Every so often, Amir used the Force to scan the area for signs of life.
The seemingly peaceful sand dunes were teeming with danger. Besides giant sandworms like the Sharak, which spent most of their time in caves, there were also many fierce Tatooine sand apes resting beneath the sand.
If startled, these four-armed beasts could tear a person to pieces in an instant.
Amir looked up at the rocks in the distance where a few Tusken Raiders were hiding. They held blasters in their hands and carried blaster rifles on their backs, waiting to rob passersby of their belongings.
Amir changed his route to bypass these native bandits because it was best not to provoke these local thugs. One wrong move, and he could end up in serious trouble.
As he reached a sand dune, he spotted a small building in the distance. If he was heading in the right direction, it must be Jabba's palace.
This Hutt was the local big shot. All merchants had to pay him a portion of their profits, and he was responsible for protecting their businesses.
The Hutt family had long dominated a significant portion of the galaxy's black-market trade.
Jabba was one of the most prominent figures in this criminal enterprise. He was a massive, worm-like creature feared throughout the Outer Rim. Countless criminals, bounty hunters, and smugglers gathered under his protection, and he would not pass up any opportunity to make a profit: Slaves, spices, weapons.
The Empire couldn't stop such a massive organization, so they sought cooperation.
Gulina's people were sold to Jabba by an officer.
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