The Life and Times of Jarik Solo

Chapter 1

Pew! Pew! Pew! The young boy ducked out of the way just before a few blaster shots nearly turned him into a pile of scrap metal.
Running through the narrow side streets of the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shaddaa, Jarik Solo kept an eye out for any unattended speeders. As Jarik continued to evade his pursuers, he caught something a few meters ahead of him. A Rodian on a stalled speeder! Not wanting to lose his chance at escape, he increased his speed and, with one deft leap, jumped onto the speeder, pushing the Rodian off. With a few muttered apologies, Jarik rode off into the night.

Once Jarik had finally lost his chasers, he found himself in a small cantina in the Corellian sector of the moon. The adrenaline from the chase had not quite wore off yet, so to calm his nerves, the young man sat down with a glass of Polanis ale.

As he sat there with his drink, Jarik observed the laughing people around him; the giant of a bartender, the twirling Twi'lek dancers, and the drunken old men, and he wondered if he'd ever have a chance at a normal life, a life where he didn't have to run from Imps and thugs alike. A life where he could settle down, maybe even have a family...

An intoxicated patron jostled into Jarik's table, shaking him out of his fantasies. Get ahold of yourself, he thought, you chose the smuggler's life. Besides, you'd never make it, living a legitimate life. And it was true, Jarik could have been able to get a real job, but he chose not to. A regular, boring life would never satisfy him, and he knew it. He craved adventure and excitement.
Almost as if in answer to his thoughts, a hooded figure quietly slipped into the seat across from him. Jarik didn't even notice him until he spoke.

"Hey, kid?"

Startled, Jarik immediately brought his hand to his blaster, only to find it missing.

"Looking for this?" the mysterious figure asked, waving Jarik's blaster in the air. "You really should be more aware of your surroundings. You never know who's out to get ya."

A long silence ensued. Realizing that the young smuggler wasn't going to reply anytime soon, the figure got right down to business. Clearing his throat, he said, "You're Jarik Solo, right?"

"Who wants to know?" Jarik shot back defiantly.

"Defensive, are we?" he said with a chuckle. "Anyways, the name is Shan, Shandar Shan, and I'm looking for a good runner."

Jarik was surprised, to say the least. He was the one who usually sought out jobs from people, not the other way around. Something seemed a little amiss. Still, curiousity got the better of him, and he allowed himself to find out a little bit more about the job.

Revealing no emotion on his face, he asked "What's the job, and how many credits?"

With a rumbling laugh, Shandar replied.
"A man of few words, eh, Solo? It's merely a weapons run to Coruscant, no big deal, and it will get ya a good 20,000."

For a moment, Jarik was dumbstruck. 20,000 credits was more than he could have ever hoped to see, especially for a weapons run. But then he remembered. Coruscant, now rechristened Imperial Center, was a buzz of Imp activity. No way he'd get past there, especially with illegal weapons. But it's 20,000 credits, he reminded himself. After a short inner conflict, Jarik gave a nod.

"I'll do it, but I'll need a new ship, and forged records. And I'd like those credits in advance. "

The man seemed torn for a second, but finally gave a nod.
"It'll be done." Handing Jarik a datapad, he added, "be at the Nar Shaddaa Spaceport by midday tommorow. Your ship and records will be there. The details about the run are on the datapad." With that, the man swept out of the cantina, with no trace that he was ever there in the first place.

What have I gotten myself into? Jarik thought.
Dazed by a combination of both his drink and the events that had just unfolded, Jarik decided that he'd mull over his decision tommorow, when he was more clearheaded. With that final assurance to himself, Jarik started back towards his small apartment.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Shandar Shan is an OC of mine. He probably won't make too much of an appearance, though. Also, this story is set before Jarik meets Han Solo, but he has already 'claimed' Han's name, obviously. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that!
- purplelightsabers