Matuscarantos

  Over the next four weeks, I added to my routine, a ton of research on what I as a 4th css citizen would need to do, to be able to leave Tatooine in peace. I hadn't intended to stay even this long, but even my first simple explorations of Hutt Spacer Law had shown that the amount of extra time was needed to gather more funds and build up a cushion for other problems.

  All the ridiculous permits were mind boggling. There was the initial permit to leave on a shuttle, a permit to temporally reside on either the small orbital station or the shipyard itself, a permit to buy a ship, a license to own a ship. All of those were just the start, there were also the permits to leave the system, a license to do business in Hutt Space, and then a permit if I ever wanted to return. Then there were all the small bribes to smooth these permits through and keep the officials from wasting my time.

  Stars, I was already going to have to bribe my way into a retroactive permit for owning combat droids. Though the entry level droid permit did allow up to 10 droids, four of which could be specifically for combat. I had five droid and only two were strictly for combat. Which made me look at X4 hovering nearby wondering if they would know about him from scans.

  It was easy to feel smothered by the overly attentive protocol droid. He tried to insert himself into every activity, even when not needed. Having long forgotten the feeling of having a family, I found his actions pleasant most of the time. I had my doubts any being would think X4 was capable of extreme levels of violence upon a first viewing. He was just too good at his protocol duties. I chuckled to myself as I started making arrangements to meet with the officials needed to leave the pnet.

  I found a sense of peace in the constant flow of our business. It was meditative. I'd developed a tendency to overwork, and as a result, I made far more than my target levels of credits each week. As a person that had grown up with almost nothing to call my own, I soon found myself extremely uncomfortable with the high figures on my cred sticks. Given the circumstances I knew I'd be thankful for every bit of it soon enough.

  So far we'd avoided any major hiccups. All in all the droids were an excellent deterrent, but I still would've bet that someone would have tried to rob us anyway. I'd seen indenture servants and sves stab each other to death each other over a single credit, and bounty hunters shoot down children over a measly hundred credits. I had far more faith in the greed of other sentients, than their good sense.

  I sometimes found myself watching the interactions between my droids to take my mind off my constant worrying. For example, Pal had taken it upon himself to show Red a myriad of ways to utilize his engineering programming and tools for combat. Most people underestimate the Astromech Droids when actually, the same sensors and algorithms so useful for interstelr navigation were also excellent for scoring bullseyes on womp rats. Red would soon become a little terror when needed.

  X4, when he wasn't watching over me like a hawk-bat, liked to pnt herbs in the few remaining pots left over from the previous occupants. His horticulture skills were almost non-existent, but his said he liked the idea of being responsible for new life. This had me wondering if I had some kind of amplification effect on the oddities of droids with the spark.

  X4 and Red did not get along very well, or at least it seemed that way at first. They tended to verbally snipe at each other, with Red beeping some particurly vile comments at times. However since they seemed to spend a lot of their free time together, I began to believe that instead of this being a rivalry, this was actually them exploring the boundaries of a budding friendship.

  Beep whurr, whooo beep.

  "No, why would sucking on a thermal vent module be useful, you undersized trash receptacle?"

  Grruuu whurr beep boop unt.

  "You truly are a filthy little example of poor programming."

  I shook my head at their awkward banter.

  Pal and X4 on the other barely spoke or interacted with each other. They seemed to go out of their way to avoid each other. Perhaps they simply didn't like the other's programming?

  Thankfully, taking care of the droid permit only took up a couple of hours one afternoon, when I was already traveling to Rekarsh for my test Bazaar run. I quickly bought a 2nd css droid permit, allowing me to own up to twenty droids, with 8 being designated for combat. An extra thousand credits had the permit backdated to when I became a 4th css citizen.

  I briefly though about upgrading my degree of citizenship for a 100,000 credits, but no, I wasn't pnning to spend anymore time in Hutt territories than necessary.

  Since I was already there and had a pocket of fresh credits. I took care of the rest of my permits. After only a few dozen more holocalls, and a few hundred extra credits each call to speed things along. A small extra bribe here and there to conduct the business without face to face meetings, I soon had my 2nd css shuttle travel permit, 2nd css Shipyard residence permit, 3rd css System entry and exit permit, and my 3rd css business license. The Ship permits I'd have to get on the Shipyard itself.

  The main question left burning in my mind, was whether I wanted to sell the location of the mining town to the Quoop'entini. The warehouse was still loaded with ore. Though I never did find the mines themselves.

  "Might as well." The thought of the crazy little Jawas having lots of better weapons, and the trouble they'd cause the Hutts, amused the spark out of me. I wasn't pnning on setting foot back on this pnet if I could help it.

  "Master?" X4 asked from his pce just behind my left shoulder.

  "Don't worry about it X4, I'm just thinking out loud."

  I decided we'd do one more ore run, for that st extra bit of currency, and a chance to buy a newer ship.

  A few days ter and once again, everything had gone off without a hitch. I found myself facing the Quoop'entini Elder sit on his sowa.

  "How much?" the ancient Jawa asked.

  " 100, 100, 50." I said.

  The Elder's eyes fshed with pleasure, "Price honored." It nodded.

  "Also location." I added.

  The Jawa threw back its head and made a long and loud unduting noise, it was their hunting successful cry. Two of the other Jawa came into the tent, by the noises they made and their postures, they thought to find me dead.

  "Yes. 5,000,000." The Elder seemed a little over eager there, but I got why. The Quoop'entini really loved these metals even if I didn't know what they were doing with them.

  This price was perhaps a mere pittance of what I could make with all the ore left in the warehouse. But getting something for the knowledge was better than getting nothing and never returning.

  "Agreed." I nodded.

  The Elder trilled again, "Boon Companion, I name you. Iksoth, guard you!" I had no clue who or what Iksoth was, but I was gd that the Elder seemed jubint.

  The Elder made another loud wailing cry, that all the other Quoop'entini took up. We wasted no time in transferring the st load of metals to them, and I gave the The Elder who had come with us to my speeder all the maps data they would need to find the mining town.

  With that out of the way, and with almost 9,000,000 credits to my name, I wasted no time in returning to Rekarsh. I drove up to the city gates, and began the long wait in a small line of other speeders. It was time to enter the city to get to the shuttle port.