Of Scavengers and Smugglers Ch. 1

Greetings, readers!  This piece of Star Wars fan-fiction is a three-part mini-series I’ve been mulling over for some time now.  I know not everyone will agree, but I loved the hell out of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, and in particular Rey, the main heroine.  This story takes place leading up to the events of the film, showing my idea of what Rey’s potential love life could have looked like.  Obviously, this is pure fiction, did not happen, any similarities to real-life events are coincidental, yada yada yada.  I’ve had a lot of fun with this story, so I hope you enjoy.

Of Scavengers and Smugglers Ch. 1

“How the hell do I get myself into these messes?”

Jakson piloted his ship through the rough atmosphere of Jakku, working just to stay on course.  Truthfully, this ship needed both a pilot and a copilot, but he was good enough to make it work.  All he required was a safe landing area.  Keeping a firm hand on the controls, a red warning light began to flash in front of him.

“Ah, shit… fuel’s leaking.”  Checking his chart of the planet, Jakson saw his destination in range at last.  “Niima Outpost… here we come.”

Approaching the tiny settlement, Jakson made for the small shipyard on the outskirts of town.  The old freighter sputtered and sparked on approach, but he was finally able to set down in the middle of the clearing.  Happy to be alive, he relaxed for a few moments before hearing a transmission from the intercom.

“Unidentified ship, you have landed in a restricted area.  Step out of your vessel with your hands up.”

“Of course,” he sighed to himself, unbuckling his crash restraints.  Jakson stood and made sure his Bryar pistol was securely holstered at his side.  After lowering the exit ramp of the ship, he proceeded into the scorching heat of Jakku, his hands clearly visible the entire time.  Soon, he came upon a team of five masked security officers.

“Pilot, you have landed in Unkar Plutt’s personal shipyard without permission.  State your business,” the leader commanded.

Smiling, Jakson replied, “I’m here to meet with Unkar Plutt.  I have something he’s going to want.”

*****

“These damn scavengers… they never find anything worthwhile anymore,” Unkar Plutt growled.  Sitting at his workbench, he sorted through the various parts he had purchased that day.

“Mr. Plutt, sir!”

“What is it?” he replied, turning to find one of his security officers.

“An unauthorized ship has landed in your shipyard.  The pilot says he’s here to see you.  He says he has something you want.”

“Hmm,” Plutt said, rubbing his large, bulbous chin.  “Bring him in.”

“Yes sir.”

The guards soon brought forth a young man of about twenty-five.  His shaggy, sandy-brown hair was quite unkempt, extending almost to his jawline.  This combined with his rough beard to create a rather crazed appearance.  Yet, in spite of his disheveled looks, the man’s blue eyes projected an air of quiet confidence.  After removing his wrist binders, the guards retreated to the corners of the room.

“Well, sit down then,” Plutt said shortly.  As the man did so, he continued, “My men tell me you have something I want, is that right?”

“That is.  My name is Jakson.  I come by way of the Irving Boys.”

“Hah!  The Irving Boys…”

“Yep.  Toursant and Vanver themselves.”

“And why have they sent you here?” Plutt asked.

“They didn’t.  I’m on the run from them,” Jakson replied.  “Let me explain… I’m sure you’re well aware of the Irving Boys’ unlucky streak in regards to their illegal operations.  One of their recent endeavors went south in a big way, attracting unwanted attention.  That is, it would be, if they hadn’t framed me as the mastermind of the operation.  Now I’ve got a bounty on my head the size of Yavin.  That’s why I’m here.  I need a place to disappear, something that’s easy to do in Niima Outpost.”

“Interesting… and what is to prevent me from collecting on such a large bounty?” Unkar Plutt asked, drawing a blaster pistol from his side.

Jakson just smiled right back at him.  “That ship currently parked in your shipyard.  I stole it from the Irving Boys.  You should be able to see it from that window there,” he said, gesturing to the small window in Plutt’s office.

Lowering the pistol, Plutt rose and peered out the window.  “Is that?”

“Yep.  An old Corellian YT model freighter.  Looks like a bucket of bolts, and needs some serious repairs, but that thing has some of the most incredible hardware I’ve ever seen.  We’re talkin’ customized weapons systems, secret compartments for smuggling, you name it!  A little work, and I bet she’d make 0.5 past lightspeed.”

Turning back towards Jakson, Unkar Plutt mulled over the young man’s offer.  “What exactly would you want in exchange for this ship?”

“Permission to live here in secrecy.  A guarantee that you will forget about that bounty I mentioned.  And a house of some sort, somewhere to lay my head at night.  And access to food and water, of course.”

“Hmm… permission to live here is granted.  I’m not sure if you mentioned anything about a bounty or not; my memory is not what it used to be, you know,” Plutt replied with a slight belly laugh.  “As for a house, I have something that I think can accommodate you: an abandoned Imperial Lambda-class shuttle southwest of town.  I have had it staked off as a place to go on my vacations.  Still, for a ship like the one you’ve brought me, I suppose I can part with it.”

“Sounds good.  Now, what about food and water?” Jakson asked.

“Food and water are never free in Niima Outpost.  If you want those, you will work for them.  By day, you will scavenge for spare parts out in the Graveyard of Giants.  Clean them up and bring them to me, and if they are useful I’ll give you some of my food rations.  It is that simple.”

Jakson was a little perturbed by this, but decided he had to accept.  After all, he was the best mechanic the Irving Boys had ever employed.  How hard could scavenging be?  Eying Unkar Plutt a moment longer, he finally stuck out his hand.

“Agreed.”

“Excellent.  The rules of Niima Outpost are simple.  Do as I say.  Do as my guards say, as they are under my orders.  Finally, stay away from the scavenger with the quarterstaff.”

“May I ask why?”

“That is my best scavenger, and that one works best when left alone.  My men will not hesitate to remind you of this should you forget,” Plutt warned.

“Um… ok then.  I’ll go get my survival supplies off the ship.  You said the Imperial shuttle is southwest of town?”

“It is, maybe a kilometer or two.  It’s the only ship in the area, you won’t miss it.”

*****

The next several months were quite a change for Jakson.  Gone was the exhilarating life of a smuggler, replaced with the simple existence of a scavenger.  As such, he decided to change his appearance, cutting his hair short and shaving his beard.  This not only made the desert heat more bearable, but also threw off any potential bounty hunters.  He had developed quite a knack for machinery over the years, and was often able to salvage parts that others had passed over as useless.  His most incredible find, a crashed Imperial speeder bike, came after about a month on Jakku.  He at first considered scrapping it for several weeks worth of food, but soon thought better of it.  It took a lot of work, but he finally managed to get it running again.  Despite a nonfunctional laser cannon, Jakson’s new transportation was quite impressive.

The speeder bike allowed Jakson to travel to other wrecks unreachable without adequate transportation.  His daily labors provided him enough spare parts to remain quite well fed and comfortable.  His new home, a crashed shuttle named the Tarkin, was rather spacious and well preserved.  Unkar Plutt had used it as a vacation home over the years, converting much of the troop seating area into a living room.  Further, part of the cargo hold made for quite a luxurious bedroom.  Considering the circumstances, Jakson was more fortunate than most on Jakku.

All the while, Jakson saw the mysterious scavenger with the quarterstaff.  Each day, he caught a glimpse of him, usually flying by on a pieced-together speeder.  If that scavenger had managed to build that speeder by himself, he had to be one hell of a mechanic.  Still, Jakson never knew what this mystery scavenger looked like under the face wrap and work goggles.  Remembering Plutt’s warning, he remained a safe distance away at all times.

After a few months, Jakson became well known around Niima Outpost for his reliability.  Not only was he able to salvage almost anything, but his bike also provided him an incredible range within which to work.  Unfortunately, that success attracted some of the seedier residents of Jakku.  One hot evening, Jakson was hauling his final bag of parts at the end of the day.  As he approached his speeder bike, a Teedo had parked himself alongside, strode atop a luggabeast.  The scavenger raised his electropole and shouted an unintelligible threat in an alien language.  Jakson drew his blaster pistol, but was halted by the sound of another individual behind him.

“Drop the weapon.”

Knowing he was outnumbered, and feeling a blaster pressed to his back, Jakson complied.  He kept his hands in plain sight as the Teedo approached.  The creature began to rummage through Jakson’s bag of spoils, looking for anything of value.  But, as the alien continued to inspect the bag, a loud thud sounded from behind Jakson.

“Ow!”

No longer held at gunpoint, Jakson spun around and saw the blaster-wielding thug lying on the ground in pain.  Standing over the male Twi’lek was the mysterious scavenger, quarterstaff in hand.  Taking the opportunity, Jakson turned his attention to the Teedo. The pair traded blows, but the smaller alien was quite scrappy and managed to knock Jakson onto his back.  Before he could finish Jakson, the masked scavenger assumed a defensive stance between them.  Knowing they were beat, the two would-be robbers dashed off into the desert.

“Whew… thanks… for the help,” Jakson heaved.

After helping Jakson to his feet, the stranger made for his speeder and took off before Jakson even knew what had happened.

“Hey, wait!  Who are you?!” he shouted, but it was no use.  He was gone.  “Huh… odd.”

*****

That day taught Jakson an important lesson in watching his back during his time on Jakku.  He remained vigilant in guarding his spoils and home against the scum of Niima Outpost.  Still, he felt bad that he hadn’t been able to thank the mysterious scavenger for his help.  This guy had no skin in the fight, yet chose to step in because it was the right thing to do.  Though he remembered Unkar Plutt’s warning, Jakson still sought to find a way to repay that kindness.

Such an opportunity arose about a week after the robbery incident.  As Jakson ate his lunch atop a tall dune, he saw a familiar-looking speeder zooming through the desert below him.  As the stranger rode, a Steelpecker bird suddenly flew in front of the speeder, forcing the driver to swerve and crash.  The speeder hit the sand with a thud, but the scavenger was flung a few dozen feet away, landing in a pit of sinking sand.