10 The Castle in The Sky

The former General and Rebel secret agent had lots of stories to fill the time between Kashyyyk and Achto; Lowie hadn't really told a soul about his secret work for the late Rebel Princess. The battered ego of the war-weary flyboy seemed to heal with every passing parsec that he spent with his newly found ally. Sharing a mutual respect for everything that Leia and the Resistance had started; Poe and Lowie knew that losing sight of Rey could attract new dangers to newly established peace of the galaxy. The tone of this mission suddenly adapted a more serious shade of uncertainty; What if they failed to find her?

Lowie was a bit more optimistic when measured up against Poe's incessant insecurities. The Wookiee was more worried that the x-wing and the pilot that his Uncle sent him were both in need of a little repair. Lowbacca welcomed the new mission with open arms; he enjoyed the spunky wit and overall easygoing nature of his new companion. Leia was always so concerned with keeping his identity a secret; he rarely seemed to have much time for even one friend. Poe had seen so much action as a fighter pilot and Lowbacca admired his abilities even more now as they were approaching a field of asteroids and space junk. Naturally assuming the navigation position and claiming the co-pilot's chair, Lowie began to chart their course; Poe grinned from ear to ear. Deciphering the different dialect of the young Wookiee became easier for Poe who had a natural interest in language; he spent a few late nights with C3po, learning as many he could.  Lowie chirped a lightspeed code at Poe and he swiftly entered the coordinates to Takodana; the last rest stop before Achto.

Looking forward to stretching his cramped muscles; Lowbacca's chair wasn't exactly designed for a Wookiee. Dameron was longing for the taste of something strong to dull his peaking anxiety; he wondered if the young Jedi had ever been to a cantina. He was worried about Rey. The quiet moments spent with in lightspeed helped the crew reflect and Lowbacca reached out with the force. Keep your light on. Lowie thought to himself; the message was meant for the scavenger he'd never met. He knew she would do the same for him if their roles had been reversed because it was the Jedi thing to do. As the x-wing reached the end of the lightspeed tunnel, heavy waves of instability shook the ship violently, causing one of the rear turbochargers to burn out completely. This sent the x-wing into a spiraling free fall. Powerful, panicked notes of Shyriiwook and several expert pilot maneuvers later; they made a crash landing on the beach; near Maz's castle.

"We did it, we're alive!" Poe exclaimed as he practically launched himself out of the x-wing; dancing victoriously on the sand. Echoes of a Wookiee's laughter seemed to explode all around them and Lowbacca scooped him into his arms; nearly hugging the life out of him. A quick assessment proved that the x-wing would still need a few hours worth of repairs but the crew was just happy to be alive. Poe convinced Lowie to get a quick refreshment from the cantina nearby; confirming that this was indeed the Wookiee's first cantina debut. Hoping Chewie would forgive this necessary pit stop; Lowbacca let the fun-loving flyboy lead him through the crowds of merchants and other random space invaders. Lowie could detect a light shade of scum and villainy in this newly constructed resort that had been damaged in the assault led by Kylo Ren and the First Order. The castle had survived 1000 years of war and peace and Poe believed it would survive 1000 more.

Struggling to stay focused in the myriad of excitement, Lowie relied upon a Jedi breathing exercise that Leia had taught him; he carefully kept his suspicions to himself. Poe greeted or waved at almost everyone they passed; whether or not they recognized him or not. Lowbacca was grateful that their unplanned arrival hadn't caused any reactions from anyone-no one appeared to be bothered by the crash landing on the beach. As they pushed through the tapestry that was the door of the cantina, peculiar smelling clouds of smoke filled their nostrils and a cheesy band was apparently playing one of Poe's favorites. Flexing his famous swagger, the flyboy practically danced over to the beautiful blue-faced Twi'lek that was tending the bar. She was very attractive in her own strange way and it was rather impressive to watch her pour drinks and communicate with the Lekku on her head. She expertly mixed each cocktail like a live performance and the young Wookiee and the pilot were comically paralyzed in awe. A commanding but motherly voice split across the cantina and completely silenced the noisy little cantina. "POE DAMERON!"

The crowded room parted to reveal the short wrinkled creature that Poe knew to be the one and only, Maz Kanata. The self-proclaimed "mother of the galaxy" adjusted her goggles and zoomed in on the shy Wookiee who looked like he was trying to disappear under her scrutiny. Maz closed the gap between them surprisingly fast for someone her size and vintage, "Stop ogling my beautiful Oola, you scruffy looking Womp Rat," she teased. "I'm not talking about you, handsome," she purred as she awkwardly pet Lowbacca's paw. "I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time." The ancient but wise old pirate queen enjoyed the way she could take charge of a whole room, effortlessly; and it showed. Maz gently ushered her newly claimed guests over to a more private table in the corner of the cantina. A quick snap of Maz's wrinkled orange fingers and the life of the party returned as if uninterrupted at all. Lowbacca kept his head on a swivel as Maz and Poe discussed the possibility of new parts for the damaged x-wing on the beach. He still hadn't located the source of the scum he had caught a whiff of earlier; and he almost noticeably jumped out of his chair when Oola hand delivered a round of Maz's famous amber colored ale, unbelievably strong and perfected over the course of hundreds of years.

The bittersweet and extra frothy texture was surprisingly refreshing to the suspicious young Wookiee; however he was unprepared for the following result. An obnoxiously loud Wookiee-sized burp turned into an embarrassed roar and poor Lowbacca truly wished he could disappear.

"I remember my first ale!" Poe teased as he heartily pat his new friend on the back "Should've guessed you had enough hair on your chest already!" Poe winked at Oola as she left smiling and Lowbacca looked away shyly. Maz continued to gossip with Poe as she had already arranged for her personal mechanical engineer to tune up the x-wing.

Lowbacca couldn't help but keep watching Oola and now an issue appeared to be rising up between two Jawas and another Twi' lek that seemed to know Oola. The Wookiee wordlessly stood up as he watched the situation escalate, Poe nodded and kept his trusty blaster close and ready under the table; unseen. The Wookiee had been able to creep up almost behind the two Jawas now, unseen by anyone but Oola; whose subtle acknowledgement made the young Jedi blush but briefly. The Jawas had both drawn blasters now and had them pointed at Oola and the other Twi'lek who drew a blaster of his own."De Wanna Wanga!" He snarled. Two shots rang out and Lowie jumped into action instantly igniting his magnificent bronze-bladed lightsaber.