The two ate a light meal and then meditated. Outside, the wind picked up, but it didn't rain. Only swirling yellow sand hit the house's walls, creating the sound of raindrops.
Soon, however, silence returned.
After a long time, Amir ended his meditation and stepped out of the small hut. There was a cool breeze, and the stars were clearly visible in the sky.
These were sights he couldn't see on Coruscant.
Amir was captivated and lay down on the sand, staring up at the sky. Seeing the stars from the ground was completely different from seeing them from a spaceship.
From a spaceship, the stars seemed within reach, but from the ground, they were the stuff of romantic dreams.
. . .
The next morning, after drinking a cup of hot Bantha blue milk, Amir and Obi-Wan prepared to head into town. Amir also sent a message to Kaiyin to see how he was doing.
Obi-Wan rode an Eopie, a white, four-legged creature with incredible endurance and a steady gait. They were commonly used as mounts in the desert. Farmers often used them to transport goods.
Fortunately, there was a Bantha nearby, and it provided today's breakfast. These long-horned creatures with spiral horns and thick fur are also common mounts on Tatooine and can easily be found in wild herds in the desert.
Amir slowly approached the bantha. They were docile and easy to tame. Under Obi-Wan's guidance, Amir quickly mounted the fluffy giant.
With the two rising suns ahead of them, they slowly made their way toward Mos Eisley. Desert creatures aren't as active as jungle creatures. They usually move in the most energy-efficient way possible—by not moving at all. When they do move, they always do so at a leisurely pace.
When walking on soft sand, it's important to stay calm and take each step steadily.
Along the way, Amir spotted many creatures, including massive, long-necked reptiles and round-headed, stocky lizards ridden by Imperial desert soldiers. Amir couldn't name most of them.
"Master, if you find anything good, come find me at the port. I'll be at hangar 94. That's my ship—a great one. You'll recognize it right away."
"All right," Obi-Wan replied leisurely from atop Eopie.
Meanwhile, on the communicator, Kaiyin had already replied, telling Amir to meet him at the bar.
As Amir entered the city, he once again marveled at its grandeur.
From afar, Mos Eisley in the desert seemed to maintain a solid order amidst endless chaos.
Upon closer inspection, however, he discovered an unmistakable chaos deep within the order.
The prosperity of this port city was undeniable with its domed desert buildings, creatures of all shapes and sizes, and spaceships constantly crisscrossing the sky.
On the streets, various species walked, speaking different languages.
Unlike Coruscant, the core world city planet, most of the inhabitants here are human, though many are humanoid creatures.
Here, however, everyone, from the vehicles to the drivers, is oddly shaped.
Many species that Amir had only heard of could be seen here.
Riding a bantha, Amir approached the bar, dismounted his first—and last—ride, and stepped inside.
He was hit by a unique odor, a mix of perfume, alcohol, and the scent of unknown beverages, along with the distinctive odor of the Jawas, which caused him to wrinkle his nose.
He quickly grew accustomed to the smell, though, and made his way to the bar.
No one noticed the newcomer; everyone was engrossed in their own conversations and eating and drinking.
Bishin blew a unique melody on his wrinkled lips while someone else danced wildly beside him.
Surprised that this place could be mistaken for an outer galaxy zoo with all kinds of strange creatures, Amir looked around as he walked.
Kaiyin hadn't arrived yet, so Amir sat down at the bar.
"Get me a—" He looked at what the people around him were drinking, swallowed hard, pointed to a jar on the bar and said, "That one."
He took out a small credit point and tossed it to the bartender.
Ordinary civilians rarely used credit points, but not here.
This place was a melting pot of criminals, pirates, bounty hunters, and more—there was always someone with money to spend.
Soon, a cup of relatively clear liquid was placed in front of him. Amir took a sip and sighed in relief—it was just ordinary tea, and it tasted good.
While waiting, he listened to the conversations around him.
Most of it was meaningless chatter about how a famous cargo fleet had been raided by unknown pirates or how the Empire had deployed troops to suppress the uprising in Corellia.
Though uninteresting, these people were well-informed, especially since the Empire controlled nearly all media outlets. Such information was hard to come by.
As Amir listened intently, a man wearing a cowboy hat sat down beside him.
He looked quite different from how Amir remembered him. Kaiyin's beard made him almost unrecognizable. Just a few days had passed, and his beard had grown so long—what a metabolism!
"How does it feel?" Amir asked.
"Worse than I imagined. The Empire isn't doing anything in the outer ring. They're even colluding with local forces," Kaiyin said in a low voice. "For the past two days, I've been following a group of bounty hunters and robbing their cargo shipments. Ha ha, it was a shipment working with the Empire."
"They just came out of the Empire, and then they robbed the Empire. That must feel good."
Amir was certain that the incident he had just heard people discussing nearby involved Kaiyin.
"It feels pretty strange, but after these past two days, I'm glad I left the Empire," Kaiyin sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"Since Governor Tarkin took control of the Outer Ring, many tragedies have occurred, many of which involved the army directly. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had been one of them."
"What are your plans moving forward? I happen to know of a promising resistance group. One of my friends has already joined them."
"They'd welcome an excellent pilot, especially one with their own ship."
Kaiyin thought for a moment and said, "I'll explore on my own for now. I've gathered a lot of intelligence on Tatooine, and I need to verify it."
"All right, that's a good plan."
"What about the resistance faction you're backing?" Kaiyin asked suspiciously.
Amir briefly explained the intelligence he had received from Ahsoka, but he didn't say more, nor could he, as the source couldn't be revealed.
"All right, if I decide to fight the Empire, I'll look into the organization you mentioned."
"Then why are you here, Amir?"
"I came here to seek a master and study, hehe." Amir suddenly felt uneasy. He had dropped out of the Imperial Academy just a few days ago and come to Tatooine to continue his studies.
"Study on Tatooine?"
After finishing the water in his cup, Amir stood up. "Let's walk and talk. I'll show you my ship!"
"Ship?" Kaiyin perked up.
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