Star Wars - Kenobi Read Online Free PDF

“And he had a shot on Plug-eye and didn’t take it.”
    “I don’t think that boy would know his blaster from his spanner.” Orrin looked behind him and chuckled. “Now where’s that flask?”
    Veeka and Jabe walked up from the house. “I thought you didn’t want me to drink this early,” Veeka said.
    “You make me drink,” Orrin said. He turned to look at Jabe, fresh-faced and thrilled to be here. The boy was the age his Varan—Veeka’s twin—had been five years earlier, when tragedy struck. It was one reason Orrin had taken him onto his maintenance crew: Jabe was a sunny presence.
    But Orrin knew what awaited the kid at home. “Boy, when your mother finds out I let you go out with the posse, they’ll need to make room for me on the pyre beside the Tuskens.”
    Veeka opened the maintenance hatch of her sporty landspeeder. “You want to hide back here, runt? You’ll just fit.”
    Jabe blushed at the teasing. “It won’t be that bad,” he said.
    “Oh, yes it will.” Orrin stared at the kid. “You’ll be begging the Jawas to adopt you.”
    He stepped forward and clapped his hands twice loudly. “That’s it, people. Good job, here. Back to the oasis. Drinks at Dannar’s Claim!”

CHAPTER THREE
    THE OLD NIKTO WOMAN plopped a bolt of cloth on the counter. “Do you work here?”
    Standing behind the counter, Annileen Calwell didn’t look up from her datapad. “No, I come in here and do inventory in my spare time.”
    A moment passed before Annileen suddenly froze. “Wait,” she said, eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. “Counter. Cashbox. Title deed.” With a look of alarm, Annileen turned abruptly to the alabaster-skinned customer. “I’m sorry, I guess I do work here.”
    It was a game they’d played every day since Erbaly Nap’tee’s first visit to the store. Except that for the Nikto woman, it wasn’t a game: Erbaly had never once remembered who Annileen was. For a while, Annileen had thought the alien simply couldn’t distinguish among humans. Eventually, she figured out that Erbaly just didn’t care—and so their game began.
    That had been eleven standard years ago.
    The shrivel-faced alien clicked her tongue with impatience. “Now, see this?” Her withered white finger jabbed at the fabric. “Do you know why this costs so much?”
    “No,” Annileen said, smiling primly. “Why?”
    The Nikto’s cracked lips pursed. She started to say something more, but Annileen stopped her.
    “Just a second. They need me in the cantina.” Her apron whirled as Annileen spun and walked the meter and a half to where her sundries counter turned into a bar. She picked up a glass that a sleeping prospector had knocked over and then returned to Erbaly. “I’m back,” she said.
    The Nikto woman tapped her foot. “Is there someone else here I can talk to?”
    “Now there, I can help you,” Annileen said. After setting the glass in a basin, she stepped out through a gap in the long counter and walked to one of the back tables, where a green-snouted Rodian huddled silently over his morning caf. Annileen clapped her hand on his shoulder—an act that he seemed not to notice in the least. “This is Bohmer,” she said.
    Erbaly studied him. “Does he work here?”
    “We don’t know,” Annileen said. “But he’s here an awful lot.”
    “Thank you just the same.” The elderly Nikto sniffed disdainfully and headed for the front door.
    Annileen picked up the bolt of cloth from the counter and called after her. “I’ll set this aside for when you’re here tomorrow, Erbaly. Have a nice day!”
    Erbaly said nothing as she stormed past Leelee Pace, Annileen’s best friend, who was preparing a parcel for mailing—another of the store’s many services. The crimson-skinned Zeltron laughed heartily as the Nikto slammed the door behind her. “That’s our Annie,” Leelee said. “Retailer of the year. Customers can’t stay away!”
    “Sure they can, Leelee.” Annileen orbited