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❶ "Jabba Flow"-The Force Awakens Extended ST

❶ Jedi Master Luke Skywalker waited in a dark cantina on Paqwepor Major, nursing a glass of the local juice. Meter-thick, ochre-plastered walls enclosed this seedy establishment. About a dozen stone steps led into the lounge from the busy street. Translucent titian veils dangled across the tall vestibule, diffusing the muted sunbeams to the patrons below.

Loud music played in the background, and a few patrons danced on the floor. If it were not for the gagging miasma of unwashed bodies, deathsticks, and cheap synswill saturating the air, Luke might have enjoyed his time away from the Padawan.

Luke scanned the establishment once more, looking for his contact. This spacer's bar hosted few locals. Most of the patrons were dressed like himself—in dark trousers and a vest. Padawan Jannah had selected his outfit for this mission. He wore a pair of loose-fitting, dark trousers with calf-high, tan boots. The high-necked, dark blue undershirt itched, and the heavy leather vest in tan added to the discomfort in the overheated cantina.

Naluma, on the other hand, filled out her clothing in all the right places. Luke found it difficult to focus on the mission every time he gazed at the bar. One year since Jakku. One year of a wide-opened Force-bond. One year of emotional intoxication. Can't imagine life without her.

He sipped the tart oi-ois berry juice, thinking over the past twelve months. Their bond had grown stronger over the intervening months. Both shielded every waking minute to keep the other out of his head. However, as much as he and Naluma were bound through the Force, they seldom enjoyed private time together.

The Padawan—great kids, all of them—but Naluma spends most of her time training them in saber, unarmed combat, and Force-work. And, now, for the first time in months, we're alone in the same room together and can't do anything about it. Figures.

Luke took a long draught of the juice, draining his glass. As he daydreamed about Naluma, his eyes wandered back to her. Jannah chose a black leather jumpsuit with aqua blue accents and chrome buckles. He followed the edges of the capped sleeves and the lapel trimmed with blue. The collar piping ran straight to her bodice. Arm greaves that ended in a sharp point near her elbow encased her forearms. Cuffed knee-high, black boots with silver buckles completed the ensemble. 

While she faced the bar, he glimpsed the diamond cut-out in the back of her outfit as her long hair swayed. Wish she'd wear her hair down more often. I'd love to run my fingers through it while whispering in her ear ...

Naluma leaned against the bar, conversing with patrons—a few humans, a Rodian, and a Twi'lek—all were male, and all interested in her body. Luke felt the lust emanating from them. He took a cleansing breath to control the desire to Force-choke them all.

Ignoring their lascivious looks, Naluma surreptitiously watched for the contact while covering Luke. With her right hand resting on her lightsaber, she lifted her fruit drink to her mouth with her left hand, sipping on the straw as she searched the room.

A stocky, dark-haired hooligan advanced on her and ran his hand down her back. The man did not get far before Naluma flipped him onto the floor, banging his head with a solid crack. After the ruffian scurried away, she returned to her drink as if nothing had happened.

Luke, who had tensed at the situation, sat back and relaxed, waiting for their contact. With no physical description, they had no choice but to follow the instructions in the message they had received and wait for this mysterious being.

Tasting his drink, Luke scrutinized the cantina. He had chosen a back corner. From this vantage, he could sit with his back to the wall while watching the main entrance. He glanced back at Naluma once more, nodding and lifting his glass to her. In character, Naluma glared back at him. Luke smiled at her and took another sip from his glass.

A variety of sentient beings and droids cycled through the door and traipsed down the stone steps. While Luke analyzed the doorway traffic, a hoary gentleman hobbled to him from the side of the establishment. "Excuse me, young man," the wrinkled man said. "Mind if I rest here a wee moment."

The codger was of average build for a human, but his hunched back belied his height. Silver, curly hair overshadowed his blue-gray eyes that were hidden behind thick spectacles. His neck was so thick it was almost non-existent. His paper-thin skin had so many wrinkles and scars Luke could not tell where the wrinkles ended and the scars began.

His rough hands, gnarled with arthritis, bore the tiny scars one receives working with crystals and electronics. He wore a flannel plaid shirt and threadbare work pants.

After determining the chap was harmless, Luke said, "Sure. I'm waiting for someone, though. When he arrives, I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

The visitor grunted his agreement while easing into the booth. "Can I buy ye a drink, stranger?"

"Thanks."

The grizzled man flagged down a server. "Whiskey for me, and another ..."

"Oi-ois juice. Thank you."

The old man harrumphed at Luke's tame beverage.

After the server had departed, the Jedi slouched in the booth. "So what brings you here, old timer?"

"Just want to wet me parched throat. I come in here just about every day." His song-like lilt mesmerized Luke. The old man looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. "This is me table, don't-y'know."

"Sorry about that. My business won't take long, and you can have it when I'm done."

The old man scratched at his scruffy chin. "You're a young-en, but ye do have the looks of someone who's seen some action. Pilot? Militia?"

Luke smiled. "A little of both."

The server returned with the drinks, and the old man put his credits on the tray with a few extra and winked at the girl. "So, did I ever tell ye about the time during the Clone War that I jumped into a pit to deactivate a battle droid?"

Luke smiled with patience. "No, but I'd love to hear it." His contact had not shown up, yet, so listening to his stories would pass the time, at least.

"So, here I was, just sitting on an Old Republic Cruiser, wiping the memories of those astromech droids we had confiscated on Orto Plutonia, and I get orders to join a foot patrol—me, a slicer. So I grabs me kit and takes the next transport down to the surface."

He drank from his glass and smacked his lips. "Hmm. Fine whiskey. Ye ought to try some." He held out his glass to the Jedi.

Luke waved his hand. "No, thank you."

"Suit yeself. Don't say I ne'er offered." The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Well, it seems this squad had run into a malfunctioning battle droid, and they thought it would be a great idea to trap it in a pit and deactivate it. Well, they got it into the pit just dandy, but it was still operational, don't-y'know."

The old man winked at Luke in reference to some unknown joke. "A shot to its servo-motor had frozen it into a forward attack position, so they led me around from the rear and dropped me into this narrow pit, oh, about three meters down."

As his narrative continued, his pitch and his volume increased with passion. "Every time it would fire, the kick from its weapons would knock us both into the back wall." He clapped his hands together for emphasis. "I ended up with a few broken ribs and collar bone. Aye, they still ache in wet weather, that they do."

He took another swig before continuing his interesting tale. "Finally, after what seemed hours, I was able to get into its internal core and deactivate it. Now came the fun part—lifting this droid out of the pit without a lift to be found. We didn't have a Jedi with us, ye see."

Luke jumped slightly on that word, almost spilling his drink.

The old man nodded his head. "So we had to use our brains and our brawn. I was the brains, don't you see. I got them to use their rappelling gear to hook up six lines over high branches. Working together, the clones were able to lift the beast."

The codger raised his hands, gesturing with abandon as he described the next part. "Then some nincompoop officer thought it would be great to reprogram the droid to shoot its own kind. So here I am, a squad around me and this battle droid, in the middle of an ongoing battle, don't-y'know, particle blasts flying left and right over me shoulders, coding this battle droid. It took me longer than any of us wanted it to—I had to remove it from the central command loop—"

The man waved his hand at Luke and slurped some of his whiskey. "Ah, ye probably don't want to hear all these details, do ye, young chap. Nobody ever does."

"No, please, continue. Were you able to reprogram it?" Luke leaned toward the old man. The Jedi wrapped one hand around his glass while scrunching the napkin with his other hand.

"That I was, sonny boy. It turned the tide in the battle, and we retook Foless for the Republic," he said with triumph.

"Wow! I'd never heard that story before."

The old fellow pointed at Luke and said, "That's the problem with ye young-ens—always racing around the galaxy with your pants on fire, not paying attention to what has gone before." He waved his hand in the air and then slammed his fist on the table.

"Now me daughter, there was a girl on a mission—always running around and doing something. When she wasn't even eight years old, me wife and me had a visit from two unusual chaps, not unlike yourself and your partner back there." He motioned to Naluma at the bar.

Luke narrowed his eyes, startled that the old man had figured they were together.

"Eh, now don't get your shorts in a knot. Ye'd be kinda stupid being in here without any kind of backup. Anyways, these two chaps show up on our doorstep way out in the back range. Now, we weren't used to having people just come knocking on our doors—even our neighbors were kind of standoffish, don't-y'know. Boyo, were we shocked when we heard this knock." He knocked his knuckles on the table at a measured pace for emphasis.

"I grabbed me rifle and cracked the door. There stood two Jedi—took me for a spin, they did. I recognized their kind from me time in the service." He paused and sipped on his whiskey before leaning forward. "Now, if I could recognize a Jedi Knight back then, what makes ye think I can't recognize one right now?"

The man laughed. "Ye two stick out like sore thumbs in a place like this—only ones drinking juice, trying to hide your lightsabers ..."

Luke stared at him and then drawled, "I didn't catch your name, old timer."

"I didn't offer it," he said as he reached into his pocket.

Naluma stood up in a flash and jumped to the table with her lightsaber ready to activate.

Luke motioned with his hand for her to retreat.

The old man pulled out an old memory stick and an antique certificate. "Taznek, me name is Taznek," he said. "I assume ye are Master Skywalker."

Luke relaxed again with a large sigh. "Well played, Taznek. I was beginning to wonder where you were." Luke took the memory stick and examined it. "So, what is this?"

"Well, let's go back to those two Jedi on me front porch. The older one, I think his name was Old Windbag or Windu or something like that—a big giant of a fellow—well, he tells us that our daughter Kainlee was strong in the Force and that they needed to take her to the Jedi Temple to become a Jedi Knight. After some debating, we let her go—and that was the last we ever saw of our Kainlee. She died in the Purge the next year."

Taznek sniffed as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Luke offered the man his napkin. "I'm sorry, more than you can possibly imagine."

The old man wiped his eyes and blew his nose. "Well, me dear wife and me had saved up quite a little nest-egg since me time in the fleet, and we had bought ourselves a little bit of land and an old lodge on the planet Khalkha in Wild Space. It was to be our retirement home."

He waved his arm behind him as he described the place. "Up in the mountains, warm in the summer, deep snow in the winter, a rushing river passing through the deepest of canyons. But, after Kainlee died, me wife ... well, she stopped eating. Didn't last long, and I ... well, I moved away and re-entered the droid coding industry here on this planet."

He leaned forward and tapped on the paper. "The thing is, the compound is still there, just waiting, but I don't have the heart to go there. Now, a few weeks ago I got wind that there was this new Jedi who was starting up the old academy. I'd heard that he had been running his school out of an old Imperial shuttle."

He coughed and winked at Luke. "Now, seeing how things are, I figured that this Jedi Master might just be in need of some land—and seeing as hows I'm not using it right now ..." He slid the memory stick on the table to Luke and continued. "Coordinates are on the stick. Security codes, blueprints, information on the power generator and water purification systems are all there, too."

Wishing he had brought Artoo with him, Luke turned the stick over in his fingers.

"I'm sure the furnishings have succumbed to the wildlife by now, but the buildings should still be in excellent condition. And this," Taznek said as he pulled the crumpled paper in front of him, "is the deed to the place. Hey, girlie." He waved his hand to beckon the server. "Come on over for a minute."

The young Togruta came over but stayed out of reach of the old man. "How may I serve you?"

"Can ye be a witness?"

"It is against our work policy to provide witness information to any authority," she recited.

"Not that kind of witness. Just witness me signing this deed over to me friend here, is all," he said with a cheeky grin and wink as he signed the deed. "Now just sign here that ye saw me do it and nobody was holding no blaster to me head, girlie." After she signed, he slipped her another ten credits. "Thank ye, kindly. I wouldn't mind another drink, too."

Pushing the deed and the memory stick back to Taznek, Luke said with a somber voice, "That is very kind of you, Taznek, but I cannot accept this gift."

"Why not, Jedi? I've got it to give, and ye need it." He extended his hands in front of him. "Do ye think I'm trying to trap ye, or something?"

"No, Taznek, my father was Anakin Skywalker. He killed your daughter. He executed the Jedi Purge," Luke said, swallowing in discomfort as he voiced those words.

"Ye think I didn't already know that? It doesn't take too many brains to figure that one out—and, remember, I'm the brains. I'm not giving it to ye because of what your father did but because of what ye are doing. Do right by those younglings you've got packed in that shuttle—they're somebody's children. And bring peace and order to the New Republic."

As Taznek clenched Luke's fist that held the deed and memory stick, he said, "Do it for me Kainlee."

Did you know . . .

● Except for correcting typos, this chapter has not changed since its first draft.

● Taznek spoke in my head with an Irish accent from the beginning. I don't know why. I hope you enjoy the dialect. A few more characters will speak in dialect in the future, but they will be few and far between.

● Physically, Taznek is based on a good friend of mine who bears an uncanny resemblance to George Lucas. He's a computer programmer and major Star Wars fan. 

● If you can't tell, I'm not a Mace Windu fan. I believe it is his shortsightedness that led to the ultimate demise of the Jedi Order. I'm not talking about his final battle against Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. I refer to his lack of Jedi compassion as exhibited in animosity toward Anakin from the very beginning: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and The Clone Wars. His animosity revealed fear—fear that Jedi were not supposed to have. To combat his fear, he held blindly to the letter of the Jedi Code instead of the spirit of it. His animosity was not only focused on Anakin, but also on Ahsoka throughout The Clone Wars, and especially during her excommunication arc. So, yes, I really enjoyed calling him "Windbag."

● A year has passed since Jakku. Luke and Naluma have been together for almost two years now. The Padawan have completed their first year of training.

● Every good Star Wars movie has a cantina scene. Hope you enjoyed. By the way, Luke and Naluma are drinking juice. Jedi don't imbibe anymore. Got reputations to uphold.

Tell me what you think . . .

● How nervous is Luke now that he knows someone else in the galaxy knows that Vader was Anakin Skywalker, his father? 

● Do you think others know about Vader's true identity and his connection to both Luke and Leia? Why?

● Why do you think the new Padawan need more training than Naluma did?

● Do you think the Force influences people who are not Force-sensitive to do things? Why or why not?