The escape was completely safe. Only a handful of ships were maintaining a high-altitude blockade; most of the Pykes were still on foot, surrounding every ground-level exit of the base and waiting.
They were never going to see anyone.
The Traveler had already cleared the atmosphere. In another moment, it would be in hyperspace.
"This time the Pykes actually got serious," Seneir chuckled. "And they still only had this few ships left."
Amir agreed. "The base security was light too. Guess you're not as important to them as you thought."
"..." Seneir recalled the hundred soldiers outside the vault and that first brutal wall of fire. He went silent. This was "not that important"? Without Amir, even if he'd brought a dozen men, they might have never made it back.
Still, the result was almost absurdly satisfying. Seneir stared at the piles of currency stacked on the antigrav sled in the main hall and clicked his tongue.
Who would've imagined it? Three people and one ship, and they'd just stripped one of the Pykes' key bases.
Sure, they'd only taken a fraction—but it was Pyke Syndicate money. Even the tiniest sliver of that, in a single person's hands, was unimaginable wealth.
Next time there was a job like this… he'd call Amir again. Compared to that, his own crew was useless.
Amir sat in the copilot seat, assisting 32 with the ship. 32 had been learning fast lately—especially piloting.
He could hold a normal conversation now, but he still didn't like talking.
As the ship cruised, Amir couldn't help thinking about the haul.
When they'd been stacking crate after crate of credits, he had to admit—his heart had leapt.
Even if he wasn't short on money, you never have "enough."
And honestly… black-on-black was the fastest way to get rich. Years of grinding couldn't compare to carrying out a single Pyke vault.
With funding like this, Amir could finally try some bold ideas.
They detoured to the AX-30 station, dumped Seneir off the ship, and the Traveler set course back to Tatooine.
The whole run hadn't taken long. By the time they returned, it was already afternoon.
Amir had pinged Obi-Wan on the way. They were still at Luke's home. Kain couldn't be reached for now.
So Amir took the Traveler straight toward the moisture farm he'd visited once before.
The ship dropped onto the open ground. Amir and 32 stepped out—and immediately spotted Millisyn and Luke in the distance, "commanding" the smart combat backpack as they played.
That's a weapon. If it misfired, this would stop being funny real fast. Amir decided he needed to tighten up Millisyn's safety training the moment they got back.
With the Traveler down, Owen turned his head in the distance. Obi-Wan was beside him, helping tune the moisture vaporators—on dry Tatooine, water was everything.
The horizon had turned a dusty yellow. The scene in front of Amir was strangely peaceful and warm.
"Amir!" Luke called, sprinting over the moment he saw him. "I read all the material you gave me last time!"
The blond boy tilted his head up like he was waiting to be praised.
Amir approved, ruffling his hair—and noticed Luke's eyes flicking toward the Traveler parked nearby.
"You want to try?" Amir asked.
Luke hesitated and glanced at Uncle Owen. Lately, Owen had already gotten annoyed several times over Luke studying the datapad lessons. Flying a ship… that felt like stepping on a landmine.
Owen's expression toward Amir wasn't great either. I let you stay under my roof and fed you, and now you're trying to take my Luke into the stars. If I'd known you'd end up Obi-Wan's apprentice, I would've thrown you out that day.
Obi-Wan rested a hand on Owen's shoulder. "He can't stay here forever. The galaxy is vast—full of color. One day, he'll have to see it."
In the end, Owen sighed. Stubborn as he was, he knew it was true. It just…
"Fine." Owen waved a hand—Luke could do what he wanted. At least today, Owen wasn't going to fight it.
With that permission, Luke's eyes lit up, and the whole world seemed brighter.
"Come on," Amir said, leading Luke up into the Traveler. Millisyn followed right behind.
Luke's piloting lessons had used the Traveler as the example ship. Amir put him straight in the main pilot's seat and took the copilot seat, coaching him through the startup.
Not long after, the Traveler lifted smoothly into the air. The blue-and-white disc-shaped ship looked like a huge bird over the desert—or like a piece of afternoon cloud chasing the twin suns toward the horizon.
Watching Luke settle into the controls so quickly, Amir was genuinely shocked. This was Luke's first time flying, and he was already this steady. It was hard to believe—almost on par with Amir himself as a kid.
The Force helped learning in a huge way. Amir's own ability to absorb knowledge had always been tied to it—especially with machines. He understood structure and function at a deep level, and the Force gave him an extra layer of perception.
In a cockpit, that made the ship feel like an extension of his own body.
And now Amir could feel it in Luke too: an immense Force presence. Luke didn't know how to use it properly yet, but even so, he was already benefiting from it.
They looped around Tatooine at a safe altitude, avoiding the more dangerous terrain. The ride stayed smooth—more than enough to set Luke's blood on fire. Time flew, as it always did when you were happy, and the Traveler returned to the farm.
Luke looked completely satisfied.
"That was the best experience of my life!" Luke said, grinning.
Millisyn watched the whole time, and for a moment she wondered if she was just kind of dumb. She'd been studying forever and still couldn't remember which button did what.
Then Beru's voice called out that dinner was ready, and Millisyn forgot all of it in a single second.
Beru insisted everyone stay. Owen didn't object, but he sat in the corner of the room with a long-suffering expression.
Amir went back to the Traveler and pulled out stored ingredients—plus his carefully hoarded seasonings. Then he carried out a huge pot and set it up in Owen's kitchen.
Everyone gathered around the table with the ingredients spread out nearby.
A lot of it was offworld food Amir had bought in Mos Eisley—more expensive, and completely new to Luke and his family.
"What are we making?" Beru asked. She'd already prepared fruit—precious on Tatooine.
"Hot pot! Hot pot!" Millisyn announced excitedly.
"Hot pot?" Luke repeated, hearing the name for the first time.
"Like this—when the water starts bubbling, you throw food in! Wait a bit, fish it out, dip it in sauce, and eat!" Millisyn explained. She'd tried it once with Amir and instantly fallen in love.
The broth base was Amir's own blend, simmered from spices he'd gathered in Mos Eisley. It smelled incredible.
Obi-Wan had already rolled up his sleeves.
Beru followed Millisyn's instructions. After a moment, she lifted out a thin slice of roasted dewback meat, took a bite, and visibly melted—then offered a slice to Owen.
Owen half-lidded his eyes, reluctant, but he took the meat anyway and put it in his mouth.
Then his eyes widened in spite of himself.
"Good, right? Amir invented it!" Millisyn declared proudly.
"Mhm!" Luke was already eating nonstop. Even Owen and Beru were nodding now.
In the corner, 32 and BD-4 stared at each other in wordless silence, unable to relate at all.
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STAR WARS: RELICS OF THE PAST
🌌⚔️ STAR WARS: RELICS OF THE PAST ⚔️🌌
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📢 THE FORCE CALLS AGAIN! 📢
Star Wars: Relics of the Past has 100+ chapters ahead available on Patreon! 🌠🛰️
Ancient secrets, forgotten relics, Jedi echoes, and buried truths wait in the shadows of the galaxy.
✨ Some things were lost for a reason.⚔️ Some powers should never be awakened.🌌 And some stories begin long after history tried to erase them.
Follow the trail of ancient relics before the rest of the galaxy catches up.
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🛑 ALSO AVAILABLE ON PATREON:
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