"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜."

The war had begun. The conflict between the Republic and the Separatists began not too far away from home. There was chatter among customers in the restaurant. The war was a popular topic these days.

"What's the difference between the Republic and the Separatists anyways?" I asked Wes off to the side.

"From what I hear, they're not all that different and the war is pointless, but I do know that the Republic doesn't tolerate slavery." He bumped his wrists together as if he wore handcuffs. Wes picked up a tray full of burgers and blue milkshakes and headed back into the dining area.

The afternoon went by nicely which was a rarity. With the war growing and the governing bodies of thousands of systems being distracted, crime increased. If Mos Eisley didn't have enough infidels already, there were even more now. A lot of nights, Wes and I acted as bouncers to keep out drunks and criminals. I was grateful for the training Wes gave me. My skills grew with the practice I received from kicking out people who tried using our plates for target practice.

We closed up for the afternoon and I walked the streets to meet up with my friends. A hot breeze picked up, carrying bits of sand in the air. It sat in my hair and between my clothes. The suns beat down on my body without mercy. Off-worlders cowered from these conditions, but for me and the others who lived here, it was just another day in this bleached spaceport.

I found Jed sitting in the shade by a building looking bored.

"You're finally here," Jed looked relieved. "I told you to never leave me alone with those two."

Ash and Jam approached catching their breaths after a fit of laughter.

"I'll never understand couples," Jed complained. "They're always laughing at some dumb inside joke."

"Well," I shrugged. "I'm here now."

"Sil," Ash said smiling. She pulled me into a deep hug that didn't bother me despite the heat. After pulling away from Ash, I bumped fists with Jam.

I leaned against the wall and felt a lump under my feet causing me to wince. I pulled off my boot and turned it upside down, smiling at the pile of sand forming on the ground.

"Do you HAVE to do that right in front of me?" Jam complained as he threw his hands in front of his face to shield himself.

"Sorry," I chuckled.

The four of us went on our usual stroll through the spaceport. We got drinks, told stories, looked for bounty hunters.

The sound of an argument caught my ear. I drifted from my friends and followed it. In an alley, two of Jabba's water tax collectors threatened a young couple. They were moisture farmers by the looks of it. Anger filled me at the sight. I started scaling the building that was to the backs of the tax collectors.

"Sil, what're you doing?" Jed whispered.

"Come on," I gestured for him to follow me. "It'll be fun."

He took a peek in the alley before following me up the building. We laid our stomachs on the roof as we looked down into the alley. My fists clenched as the woman begged that they have another week to get enough water for the tax. I had to do something. I wouldn't let anyone suffer because I was too selfish to help.

"You two are coming with us," one of the tax collecters said. They pointed their spears at their backs as they walked the farmers towards a speeder.

In a surge of anger, I pulled my blaster out of my belt and took aim. Before Jed could stop me, I fired a shot next to the tax collector's' head. I grinned at their startled reactions. They whipped their heads in all directions looking for the shooter. I looked down victoriously, but for a moment too long. Jed already ducked his head, but they saw me.

"Oh shit," I whispered.

"What? What happened?" Jed asked frantically.

I grabbed his shoulder. "Let's go."

We crawled away from the edge of the roof, our heads barely missing the blaster fire coming at us. Jed and I climbed down the building, which was mostly us crashing into each other as we fell. We hit the streets and ran.

"Stop those two!"

People turned and watched as we ran. We turned a corner and headed into a maze of alleys. We took lots of turns and lost the collectors. I could only hope that the moisture farmers got away too.

Jed and I crashed to the floor and caught our breaths.

"I can't believe we got away," Jed gasped.

"Me neither."

We stood up and made our way back to the main street. The excitement had died down and the speeder was gone. I sighed in relief.

Ash and Jam ran towards us and fussed over how lucky we were that we hadn't been arrested.

"Don't do that again, Sil," Ash pointed a finger at me.

"I'll try," I grinned back, still feeling the high of the chase.

"What is wrong with you?" Jam pushed my head playfully earning a chuckle from me.

"Oh come on," I pushed him back. "You know how much the heat makes my blood boil."

Evening fell and we went back to our homes. I was outside the restaurant when I heard muffled voices coming from inside. I crept by the window to take a peak and saw the tax collectors inside talking with my master.

I choked on a gasp and dropped to the ground. After a few frantic breaths, I snuck towards the back and waited for the collectors to leave. My heart hammered against my chest so loud, I couldn't make out what they were saying.

Enzo appeared in front of me looking grim. He motioned for me to come inside. I went in cautiously, looking for the collectors.

"Are they gone?"

"Yeah," Enzo said. "But they'll be back in the morning."

"Master," I started. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble-"

"It doesn't matter," he cut me off.

I looked at him confused. Wes entered the room and looked at our master with a raised eyebrow. The tension was high.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because you're leaving," Enzo said firmly.

My stomach dropped. I had no idea what he meant by that. Was he giving me up?

"Where am I going?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know yet, but far away from here," he said. "And you need to leave before those collectors come back."

I shared a look with Wes whose eyes widened. Was my master saying what I thought he was saying?

"Master," I said. "What did those collectors say?"

He slumped into a chair and put his head in his hands. "Why did you have to mess with those collectors Sil?" his voice fell. "You don't mess with water tax collectors," he said louder and his head shot up. "They're taking you to Jabba's tomorrow."

A wave of fear crashed over me. My hands shook as the reality set in. I looked around the house and realized this was it.

"But that's not going to happen," Enzo asserted. "You're leaving this planet."

My mouth hung open. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wes looking just as surprised.

"How?" I asked.

"We need to find a pilot who's leaving tonight," he said.

Enzo disappeared into a room and Wes looked at me. As if we were magnets, we collided against each other into a tight hug. Tears flowed down my cheeks as he comforted me. We had never been this fond before, but we were scared. A million thoughts flew into my head. Where would I go? I had nothing outside of Tatooine. I had no other home or family. Hell, I'd never even been to space.

Enzo came out and gestured for us to leave. "Let's go."

I stepped outside and the usually pleasant night air felt deadly cold. We walked quickly and quietly to the cantina. The mood in there was the opposite of how I felt. There was music, dancing, and drinking. People laughed and fought each other.

"You two wait here," Enzo sat Wes and I in a booth as he went from table to table talking to people.

I was in a daze. I could barely process the situation I had gotten myself into.

"It's going to be alright, Sil," Wes patted my back. "You can have a new life, you know?"

I smiled at him and felt a bit better. I had always dreamed of getting off Tatooine, but not like this. Not without saying goodbye to my friends and only having a few hours left with Enzo and Wes. Tatooine was all I knew. I didn't know if I was ready to leave.

Enzo came back with a woman wearing a pilot's jacket. He seemed in a better mood as they sat down across us.

"Aris is willing to fly you out of here," Enzo said. "You're going to Coruscant."

I looked at the woman like she was my savior and my doom.

"Thanks," I said in a low voice and turned to Enzo. "Are you sure about this? Do you really want to use your money to get me out of here?"

"Nothing I've ever paid for has been more important than this, Sil," he looked at me deeply. "You deserve a better life."

I clenched my jaw to stop myself from crying. I had never heard my master say such kind things.

We followed Aris to her ship and she headed inside. Enzo, Wes, and I stood by the ramp and we looked at each other one last time. Enzo gave me some money which I put in a pouch in my belt. I still had my blaster that I kept hidden. I carried nothing else besides the desert clothes on my body.

"I still have so much to tell you," Enzo said. I couldn't tell if it was my imagination, but his eyes turned glassy. "I never even got to tell you about your family."

Wes cried shamelessly and squeezed me in a hug. "Take care of yourself, sis."

I tried my best to memorize this moment. I pulled away from Wes and embraced Enzo. He patted my head gently and looked longingly at me. "Sil, find someone you can trust. It's a big world out there, you'll need a friend."

"I thought you said there are no real friends," I said.

"There are some good people out there," Enzo smiled. "You just have to find them."

I seriously doubted I'd ever find anyone I could trust. The only people I truly trusted stood in front of me. I wouldn't give up on them.

"I'll come back," I decided. "When I figure things out, I'll be back."

I took my time going up the ramp. I took a last look at the desert planet and the glittering sky. They smiled and waved as the ramp sealed shut.

I had a mixed feeling about this.

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