Star Wars: The Ancient Force

C H A P T E R . 3 -- First Prep

THE BLUE LIGHT OF DAWN was still out by the time Luke, Han, and Terigo finished breakfast. This time, in their small inn room, none of them were concerned about tentacles.

Outside, in a market of mostly humans, the three start walking back to the base until a bright yellow hood on a passerby catches Terigo's eye. After looking at it casually, her breath stops and she halts to stare into the wearer more intently.

"Luke," she says, turning to him and catching up, "there's a clothing shop nearby, just down the way. May I ask that you take me there to get different clothes?"

"What?" Luke says, while Han just rolls his eyes and keeps walking.

She grew a little solemn as if ashamed to ask, "I could really use a hood if we'll be traveling in space, and I've always hated these black styles the Sith made me wear."

Luke pauses to absorb what she said while Han seemed to stop listening.

With a modest smile, she adds, "That and, what are people going to think if I still look like their enemy?" She manages a chuckle, tugging on her shirt.

Han crosses his arms and smirks, "You could still be their enemy you know. What if you should look this way."

She smirks back, plopping a hand on her hip.

Luke says, "I guess that means your deeds will need to outshine your clothes."

Her smile disappears, "Wait, so, it doesn't bother you that you look like a Sith Lord? Doesn't it bother everyone else though? A savior dressed like their enemy..."

Luke grumbles and trails off: "You wouldn't understand. And don't call me a savior..."

Luke turns away to start walking again but catches the timid eyes of people staring. It troubles him as he takes a moment to brood on the thought. His brooding, however, causes him to miss that they were only staring because he was in their way of their stuff behind him.

Terigo asks, "Space doesn't get cold for you? Coming from a desert planet?"

"What?" She read more than I thought. Then Luke remembers the fragments of words he heard inside her about coldness, and the cold rocks inside her.

He sighs, "Fine. Where's the shop? How do you know where it is?"

"I read it from a passerby."

Luke looks to Han, both unamused.

Han shifts to one foot, skeptical, eyeing Luke, "Jedi magic, or a trick?"

"Let's go," Luke groans. "Han, maybe you can get supplies while we go."

.

Han plops a bag of supplies outside the clothing shop and slumps on a broken Gonk to wait. Terigo steps out of the shop with Luke, nearly humming. The guys try to groan away their boredom, but she looks bright and reborn, not just from her pearly-white smile, but also her golden-yellow hood. She lowers it to allow it to drape as cowl, revealing a tidied up ponytail and a freckled chest to match her freckled bare forearms. Her overclothes manage to hug her figure as much as drape and are a brighter tan than her sun-bathed skin. If it were for her clothes alone, the guys may have only looked once, but it was her fit physique and welcoming full-faced smile that drew a longer glance.

Their boredom begins to melt until they both catch themselves, Luke attending to an itch on his right forearm as a decoy.

.

Entering a private shipyard, "Chewie! Fire up let's go!" Han yells.

As they walk to the lowering ship door, Terigo slows to gawk in awe at the whole ship.