The long-lived pirate queen had a much better temper than the rumors suggested.
"Oh, Han! I was just thinking about you. I heard the Kessel job went well?"
"Thanks to you, Ms. Kanata, for throwing that job my way." Han Solo reined in his usual arrogance and spoke with genuine sincerity.
This underworld matriarch often helped those just entering the criminal world, and Han Solo was one of them.
"I have another favor to ask. This is my friend, Amir," Han Solo said.
Maz stood up and shook Amir's hand.
"I've heard a lot about you." Amir also felt a fondness for this kind-looking elder.
"Amir. You're truly young, but . . ." Maz's eyes drifted for a moment before she continued, "Sit down first."
Amir didn't catch her quiet murmur and sat on the sofa nearby.
"I'm looking for Mandalorians. I heard they appeared here in the last few days." Amir went straight to the point.
Maz thought for a moment and said slowly, "Mandalorians. They did come. They borrowed a sum of funds from me."
"Can you still contact them? I have business to discuss with them."
"Of course I can." She paused. "But why would a young Jedi be looking for Mandalorians? You know there is no ancient friendship between them and the Jedi."
Amir smiled. He hadn't expected Maz to instantly recognize him as a Jedi; he had hidden his lightsaber well.
"How did you know?" Amir asked curiously.
"I can feel it. Your Force is strong, Amir," Maz said. She was also Force-sensitive—a Force-sensitive being who had lived for over a thousand years.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
"I will help you. And I have something to give you." Maz smiled, slowly stood up, and walked into an inner chamber. She emerged a moment later.
In her hand was a lightsaber!
"Is this . . . ?" Amir stood up, looking at the hilt.
Maz activated the switch directly, and a purple blade snapped into existence.
"I bought this from Coruscant. A small collectible. But it should have a different meaning to you. It's yours."
Amir took the lightsaber. A purple blade, Coruscant . . . it most likely belonged to that man.
Mace Windu.
In the final moments of the duel between this powerful Jedi Master and Darth Sidious, Anakin had turned traitor, severing Windu's hand. Defenseless, he was struck by Palpatine's Force lightning and thrown from the high-rise window.
To think his lightsaber ended up in Maz's hands.
"Thank you," Amir thanked her sincerely.
The value of a lightsaber was immense; Maz must have paid a heavy price to acquire it.
"Why give me something so precious when we've only just met?" Amir hated beating around the bush and asked directly.
"Why?" Maz sat back on the sofa. "I have spent my life seeking the balance between the light and dark sides of the Force. I see a possibility in you. Consider it an investment for myself."
Amir nodded and didn't say more. He understood Maz's meaning. Without further pretense, he accepted the lightsaber.
But ultimately, he owed her a favor. Although this might mean nothing in pirate circles, it was very important to Amir.
"As for the Mandalorians you mentioned, they will come by again today. Whatever business you have, you can discuss it with them yourself then." After speaking, Maz went back to drinking her tea.
Amir and Han Solo thanked her again and left.
Now, they just had to wait.
He found Milisen playing heatedly in front of an arcade machine. She was ruthlessly crushing a three-legged ant-like alien (at least, it looked like an ant to Amir) in a fighting game.
A combo successfully sent the opponent's character to its doom, and Milisen cheered excitedly.
The ant scratched its head and glared at Milisen with hatred, but was scared off by 32 standing nearby, fleeing in a panic.
It had to be said that 32 looked much more impressive after Kahraman's modifications. His mechanical body was burly and eye-catching, with exposed structures that allowed one to see the precision and power of the system at a glance.
Don't mess with him! That became everyone's first thought.
"Amir, you promised last time! A game console!"
"This one is too crude. I'll make you a better one when we get back." Amir looked at the dirty arcade machine with disdain; he wouldn't allow such a thing on his ship.
"Then! Then why didn't you make one before!" Milisen reacted quickly this time, looking at Amir incredulously.
"Didn't I say 'next time for sure'? So, this time for sure." Amir couldn't explain that he was just lazy. Making a game required designing graphics and code, which was troublesome and delayed the child's studies!
Bad thing! I wasn't wrong!
Then Amir sat in the seat vacated by the big ant and began a grand battle of three hundred rounds with Milisen.
Han Solo saw another acquaintance and went over to brag about his heroic deeds.
Not long after, while Amir was locked in fierce combat with Milisen, he felt a commotion in the surroundings.
Turning his head, he saw two helmeted Mandalorians walking in with swagger.
One of them had her helmet and pauldrons painted with blue and white patterns, accompanied by a black breastplate. She walked in front. When she reached Amir's vicinity, she removed her helmet, revealing short red hair and a headband.
Bo-Katan Kryze.
She was a controversial figure.
Before the Empire, she was a member of Death Watch, a subordinate of Pre Vizsla.
When Duchess Satine led the Mandalorians in adhering to peaceful neutrality, trying to extricate themselves from the war between the Republic and the Separatists, Pre Vizsla disagreed with Satine's policy. He believed Satine disrespected the Mandalorians' martial traditions, abandoning combat for cowardly peace. Thus, he gathered supporters to form a combat unit: Death Watch.
To seize power, Death Watch used countless bloody and cruel means, persecuting many innocent lives and attempting to use terror to cause chaos, leading the Mandalorians into war.
Bo-Katan had trusted Pre Vizsla and joined Death Watch to oppose her sister Satine.
But later, Pre Vizsla died in a duel with Maul, and the leadership of Death Watch fell into Maul's hands. Under Maul's leadership, Death Watch defeated Satine and seized control of Mandalore.
But Bo-Katan believed Maul was not a Mandalorian and refused to recognize his leadership.
So she contacted Ahsoka, who had already left the Jedi Order. With Ahsoka pulling the strings, a division of the Republic's 501st Legion, led by Clone Commander Rex, launched an attack on Mandalore.
At the end of the battle, Ahsoka successfully captured Maul, and Bo-Katan successfully became the Mandalorian leader for a short while. But it was only for a short while before the Republic became the Empire. Bo-Katan, refusing to submit to the Empire, was deposed, and the Empire found an obedient puppet to rule Mandalore for them.
From then on, Bo-Katan embarked on the path of resisting the Empire.
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