"Where are we going now?" Han Solo asked.
The question caught Amir off guard. Right now, he didn't feel safe anywhere—the Imperial cruiser could appear above their heads at any moment.
"Let me find a place to settle these people first."
The ship exited hyperspace, emerging in a remote sector of the galaxy. Amir dialed Ahsoka's number.
A hologram flickered to life, revealing Ahsoka's figure, with Guri Gina standing beside her.
"I saw it, Amir. The Empire's launched an assault on this star sector, so I rushed back. Are you all right?"
"Just managed to escape danger," Amir replied.
"And there's more good news—Guri Gina," he said, turning to the golden-haired girl.
"Rango found your people."
Her expression instantly shifted from surprise to joy, then melted into an indescribable wave of emotion. "Really, Amir? Truly? Thank you—thank you both."
Ahsoka interjected, "Are they on your ship? Do you need us to assist?"
"They're all here with me—just over ten people. We still don't know where the others are, but at least we have a lead."
"As for the extraction—Ahsoka," Amir paused, "I think I'm being tracked. I suspect something's wrong with my body. I'd like to ask for your help."
"Tracked? Your body?" Ahsoka frowned, her mind recalling some troubling memories.
"Yes. I need a scanner. Please—you're the only one I know out here." Amir had just left Coruscant. He had no contacts.
"Of course. We can't intervene in the war here anyway, so I'll take a ship to rendezvous with you."
"I'll enter hyperspace multiple times to scramble any possible tracking signals. Let's meet at these coordinates." He projected a remote Outer Rim planet—he'd passed through it once.
"All right. We'll be waiting there." Ahsoka ended the call.
"So, what's your plan?" Amir turned to Han Solo beside him.
"As much as I'd love to tag along," Han said wistfully, running his hand across the Traveler's control panel, "I've got something else I need to do. But thanks—for getting me out."
Amir rolled his eyes. You mean you want to tag along with the ship, not with me…
He recalled Han Solo's backstory.
He was just a small-time punk from Corellia, spending his days scheming with his young girlfriend. One day, he managed to steal a vial of coaxium.
Coaxium—a rare and incredibly valuable substance, essential for hyperspace travel. A thin layer of it, properly ignited, allowed a ship to enter hyperspace safely.
The two of them had planned to escape chaotic Corellia using that vial.
But just as they were about to succeed, Qi'ra was intercepted. Only Han made it out.
To rescue her, Han decided to enlist in the Imperial Navy Academy.
And here he was now—a low-ranking grunt.
Even now, he was still thinking about returning to Corellia to rescue Qi'ra.
Amir remembered Qi'ra—after being captured on Corellia, fate led her to join the powerful crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. She was trained and became one of its operatives.
If Han went back to Corellia now, he would find nothing.
Amir figured it was time to do something good. After another hyperspace jump, he said:
"You might not know this, but I have a sort of precognitive ability—it might help you."
"Precognition? You think I'm that gullible? I don't buy into religious mumbo jumbo. Only thing I trust is me," Han said, thumping his firm chest with a fist.
"All right, this next part's free of charge." Amir theatrically stared into the space between Han's eyebrows.
"You had a rough life growing up—scraping by, constantly in danger."
"Please, buddy, who hasn't?"
"But you had someone you could lean on—someone you shared dreams of the future with."
Han didn't reply, but he fell silent.
"She loves you. Maybe."
"She loves me," Han said, locking eyes with Amir.
"Okay, I was just making stuff up. Han, you've got 'thinking about a girl' written all over your face."
"That's not funny."
"Forget what I just said. Let's start over."
Amir went quiet. This time, he actually used the ability Guri Gina had taught him—he reached out, sensing what Han was longing for. And this time, something deeper came into focus.
His brow furrowed. He'd actually succeeded.
At the edge of his awareness, he sensed something all too familiar—Dark Side energy.
A powerful force—stronger than any Inquisitor of the Empire he'd encountered.
"Darth Maul." A name echoed in Amir's mind.
He'd almost forgotten that this specter of the Dark Side still roamed the galaxy, biding his time for vengeance.
A Dathomirian, former apprentice of the Sith Emperor, lifelong nemesis of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a user of the Dark Side who'd survived being sliced in half—he was now the shadowy leader behind Crimson Dawn.
And Qi'ra—Han Solo's girlfriend—was working under him.
Amir's sudden seriousness made Han look at him in confusion.
"Maul?"
"Yes. He goes by just Maul now," Amir muttered cryptically.
"So, your precognition… told you what, exactly?" Han asked, smirking with disbelief.
Amir didn't want to keep pretending. Let the Force be the explanation for all things unexplainable.
"Your girlfriend might not still be where you left her."
Han jerked his head around. After all these years, he'd never stopped worrying about that.
"You might be able to find her in Crimson Dawn."
"How do you know? How am I supposed to believe you?" Han leaned forward as far as his safety restraints allowed, locking eyes with Amir.
"Believe it or not," Amir said.
The ship dropped out of hyperspace again, emerging in another remote star system.
Han slumped back into his seat, seemingly defeated. He'd played out the scene of Qi'ra being captured in his mind countless times, imagined all the worst-case scenarios. Compared to those, this young stranger's words didn't sound so bad. Maybe it was worth believing.
Han's voice softened. "Crimson Dawn? Where do I find them?"
"I don't know," Amir replied as the ship reentered hyperspace once more.
Multiple jumps would scramble their signal—by now, it should be enough. This time, Amir had a proper destination set.
"All right then," Han hesitated. "Can I borrow your ship?"
"Not a chance."
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