Chapter 17: Inquiring for Information

17. Inquiring for Information

While the engineering robot was repairing the spaceship, Kunto and Truda struck up a conversation; they were old acquaintances.

"Speaking of which, where did Felacci go? Why didn't he come with you?" Truda asked. "The people over there look unfamiliar."

He pointed at Vant, Tang Xiao, and the others.

"They are my new... uh..." Kunto began to ponder how to phrase it. He couldn't exactly say that Felacci was being kept as a hostage on the planet Dawnstar, being fed well by Tang Xiao, could he?

"Partners," Vant interjected from behind.

"Ah, right, partners!" Kunto quickly chimed in.

"Fine, just make sure you clean up your own mess. I've already notified Jabba; his men should be arriving shortly," Truda said.

"Hey, old man! How could you screw me over like this! I just arrived on Tatooine, the least you could do is buy me a drink!" Kunto complained.

Truda gave a sinister chuckle. "We all work for Jabba. You should know that."

Sure enough, just as they were speaking, several individuals dressed as bounty hunters walked in from outside. As soon as they entered, they shouted loudly, "Kunto! Get out here! Where's the stuff Jabba wants?"

Kunto shuddered in fear. He cast a pleading glance at Tang Xiao, but received no response. He had no choice but to brace himself and say, "Alright, I'm coming... I'm coming right now."

"You lot, unload the cargo and get it loaded! All this stuff is what Jabba wants!" another Twi'lek mercenary roared, brandishing a blaster rifle at Tang Xiao.

The blaster rifle was clearly military-grade, far more high-end than the cheap DL-18 blaster pistols held by Kunto's group; no wonder they were acting so cocky.

T-850 took a step forward, ready to teach this provocative fellow a lesson. But Tang Xiao stopped him, saying, "Alright, let's just load the cargo!"

Without minding the dirt or the labor, Tang Xiao walked into the ship's cargo hold, hauled out a large crate, and placed it onto a 'Bansha II' type hover barge. Throughout the process, the bounty hunters watched Tang Xiao and the others work with their hands behind their backs. Then, one of them tossed a gold coin to Kunto and swaggered away.

Kunto counted it and shouted loudly, "Hey!! That's only 2,000 Wupi! Didn't we agree on 5,000?!"

Wupi-Wupi coins were the currency circulating on Tatooine. Since Tatooine was located in the Outer Rim and was within the sphere of influence of the Hutts, Galactic Republic credits were not recognized; this unofficial currency was the true hard currency.

But the bounty hunters didn't stop. One of them even looked back mockingly and said, "You're lucky we even gave you money! Take it and shut up, you useless Muft Nik cow-milker, hahahaha!"

Kunto's expression shifted several times. It wasn't until the hover barge had moved far away that he fiercely raised his middle finger in their direction. "Bunch of Bansha-born bastards!"

Vant, however, was quite easygoing. He walked over, threw an arm around Kunto's shoulder, and shook him slightly. "It's fine. Don't you still have some money left? We'll make it up after a few more jobs. Once our colony is built, there will be plenty of work, and we won't have to watch Jabba's face anymore."

"Jabba..." At the mention of that name, Kunto's head slumped.

"Come on, let's find a place for a drink. My treat," Vant said.

"In the end, it's still my money. I'll pay," Kunto said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

They made their way into Mos Eisley. The city was completely unplanned, with no designated roads, only a chaotic jumble of houses and shacks, looking much like a massive slum.

Various alien races could be seen on the streets, everyone wearing cloaks to protect themselves from the scorching sun. Some were hawking strange goods, others were asking around for work, and some were mercenaries leaning against walls with weapons, waiting for business to come to them.

Generally, those mercenaries tried their best to look fierce to make themselves appear more formidable.

At that moment, a cylindrical, bamboo-pole-like robot walked down the street carrying several Kwarran heads. Pedestrians scrambled to get out of the way; the fierce-looking mercenaries were the quickest to run.

Some passersby were whispering to each other, "Look, it's those Kwarrans from the Iron Fish Gang! They hijacked Jabba's freighter a few days ago..."

Kunto also pulled Tang Xiao, who was watching curiously, aside to clear the path. He whispered, "That's IG-41, a bounty hunter working for Jabba. Stay away from it. It will shoot anyone it deems an obstacle to its mission."

Tang Xiao said nothing. He glanced at the robot, then turned his head and followed Kunto into a bar in Mos Eisley. The place was a melting pot, where all sorts of robots and aliens mixed together, using the meager income earned from risking their lives to buy low-quality alcoholic drinks and vent their excess energy.

Kwarrans that looked like squids, Gamorreans that looked like giant wild boars, beings similar to humans but with two tentacles on their heads, and Twi'leks of various skin tones... it was practically a zoo of rare animals.

Vant was also very curious about the place. As soon as he entered the bar, he took some change from Kunto and wandered off, soon striking up a conversation with a Twi'lek woman and heading off to drink with laughter.

Tang Xiao, however, walked straight to the large oval bar in the center of the room. He called the bartender, ordered a drink, and sipped it slowly while tossing out a Wupi-Wupi coin, whispering, "I want to inquire about the Skywalker family."

The bartender inconspicuously pocketed the coin. While wiping a glass, he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, "They live in Mos Espa. They are slaves to a Toydarian junk dealer named Wat—he won them from Gadla the Hutt in a gamble. That news has been circulating for quite a while."

Tang Xiao produced another coin and pushed it forward. "I want to find them. Do you have any advice?"

The bartender pocketed the coin again, neatly arranging the glasses one by one, and said, "Mos Espa is Gadla the Hutt's territory. You know the relationship between Jabba and Gadla... hehe. You work for Jabba; you know what will happen."

*This place really is a den of thieves where no one can be trusted,* Tang Xiao thought. He had just arrived on this planet and was immediately taken by Jabba's men, yet the people here had already found out the news so quickly.

Tang Xiao weighed the last Wupi-Wupi coin in his hand. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a great force shoving him aside. Frowning in anger, he turned around only to see a clearly intoxicated drunkard slumped on the bar next to him, exhaling a pungent stench of alcohol. "Hey! I'm talking to you, pretty boy! How about it? Want to partner up with me to make some money?"

Tang Xiao made a gesture to stop T-850, who was about to move, and asked, "Go on, what's your plan?"

"Hahahaha! Look at that smooth skin of yours, you must come from a wealthy family, right? *Hiccup!* I'll kidnap you, and then you can ask your family for ransom money. How's that? Hahahaha! *Hiccup!!*" The drunkard laughed loudly as he spoke, and several people at a nearby table, who appeared to be his companions, joined in with laughter.

[Easter Egg Image 1: Street View of Tatooine]

(End of Chapter)