“Hey you droids. Is there anything I can interest you in?” The hooded blue creature asked.“No we are just browsing.” The pilot droid said in response.
“You two either have a death wish or are real stupid. These Jawas will blast you with an ion gun and strip you for parts as soon as you put down your guard.”
“Not while I have this gun.” the pilot said.
The Squib let out a loud cackle. “Ha! That gun does not even work! And you are no security droid. Pilot boy.” The squib said as his hooded face turned ridged. He then reached behind his cloak and pulled a blaster and pointed it in their direction. The pilot droid fumbled backwards a few steps and dropped the gun as he fell over backwards. Patches instinctively shot out his pruning shears and put them around the Squib’s neck. The matted blue furred creature smiled coyly at Patches and fired.
From behind himself Patches heard the sound of frantic screeching. The astromech whirled his dome around to see two creatures with wrappings around their heads running away into the desert.
“They are called Tusken Raiders chrome dome.” said the squib still pointing his gun. “So now that I just saved you from becoming spare parts hows about you take your blades from around my neck.”Patches sat still for a moment wondering if this was some kind of ploy, then slowly complied.
“From the looks of it you should be protecting the battle droid.” the squib remarked as he holstered his blaster.
The Jawas in the background started gathering all their salvage and started put it on the many Sandcrawlers in the semi circle. Patches whistled questionably as the Jawas moved franticly about.
“Tusken Raiders are easily frightened but will come back in greater numbers later.” The squib said. “Everyone is packing up before they come back. You should do the same chrome dome.”
The squib then pulled his hood lower over his face and went to work packing up his various items he had laid out on his tarps. As soon as the pilot droid got back to his feet he and Patches started heading back to the C-9979 landing craft.
Once back inside the ship they went straight to the bridge were Esoom was taking a nap near the door. Esoom quickly opened his eyes wiping away the sweat from another bad dream as he heard Patches and the pilot come strolling in. “Did you two have fun shopping?” Esoom asked. “Yes we had fun but some bandits are on their way to disrupt the event and everyone is packing up and leaving before they get here.” Patches gurgled and whistled loudly.
“Well we better shove off then!” Esoom said as he stood up and dusted off this clothing. “Patches will you set the nav computer for galactic center 0,0,0, and pray this ship holds together.”
Patches and the pilot droids went to work powering up the ship and making the computations to make a jump threw hyperspace. The repulser lifts cranked up and the ship lifted up out of the sand. The newly repaired landing gear retracted without so much as a squeak. Suddenly the ship listed to one side slightly.
“What's going on!” Esoom yelled excitedly.
“There is an unrecorded increase in weight in the left rear wing, I am making corrections now to compensate.” said one of the pilot droids at it’s station and the ship then leveled back out.
“Has anyone been in that part of the ship recently?” Esoom asked.
“No sir, no one from the bridge has left.” Said the same Pilot droid.
“Get us in a stable orbit above the planet Patches. Whatever pilots that do not have anything to do till we leave orbit follow me.” Esoom said not waiting for a reply.
Esoom and eight of the pilot droids went down to the left rear wing. Esoom pushed a button on a panel to turn on the overhead lights in that wing section but nothing happened. He then pushed another button that activated the com system to the bridge. “Patches I can not turn the lights on from down here, see if you can override it.”
Soon the lights flickered on one by one. When the last two lights near the tip went on they light up a huge pile of parts and other items that have not been their before.
“Is anyone down there!” Esoom bellowed getting no reply. “Battle droids fan out and search the area.”
“Rodger, roger.” They all said in unison. The droids searched for a long while over and under everything was piled back there with no avail.
“All right droids that is enough, let’s get back to the bridge; we will suck all the air out of this compartment and search again later.” Esoom said turning around and heading away from the mound of stuff.
Suddenly a familiar high pitch cry rang out. “No! No! I alive back here! No kill Lihp!” A familiar Jawa came running past the battle droids and tugged at Esoom’s shirt. “Lihp is Giant mystic mans friend! Lihp help you like you help me! Lihp bring all his stuff from clan’s sandcrawler as payment! Not Stowaway!”
Esoom being very surprised to see the Jawa again laughed out loud and bent down to look the Jawa in his glowing eyes. “Well now did you ever stop to think I might say no.”
“Only giants with mystic powers ever help Jawas, You must have mystic powers! Giant with mystic powers would never hurt Lihp.”
“What are these mystic powers you speak of?” Why do you want to come with us and leave your clan?” Esoom asked questionably.
“Liph hear clan stories of other mystics with strange powers. Make things fly with no repulsors!” The Jawa said calming down a bit. “Lihp want adventure! Lihp tired of going in circles in sand. Liph travel with giant friend in space!”
“Well your going to have to do your fair share of work around here and you will have to stop calling me giant. My name is Esoom.”
“E-sooome!” Lihp tried to say with his limited vocabulary.
“Close enough. But keep practicing” the Ithorian said trying not to laugh. “Now come show me what you brought aboard, and in the future ask before you do anything major like this again. I can’t see how you got this much stuff up here by yourself in such a short time anyway.” Esoom said standing back up and pushing the COM button again. “Patches, it looks like our friend Liph will be joining us. I am sending the other pilot droids back up to the bridge. Take us to hyperspace when you are ready.”
Lihp grabbed Esoom’s hand and the two walked towards the pile of parts and machinery. “Lihp fast and sneaky when in comes to tecky stuff! Lihp brought good things we can use!”
The sound of the Tree Hugger’s new hyper drive let out a winging hum as it gently went to full power and pushed the ship into hyperspace with the greatest of ease towards Courasant.
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