Oh, I got trouble!

Yeah, so, this last month has been pretty awful.

My grandfather never made it out here. He'd made arrangements the night before he was supposed to leave to have a speeder pick him up at his house and take him to the spaceport. The speeder driver showed up a couple of minutes early, and waited. The appointed time came and went, but no sign of Grandpa. He waited another ten minutes, thinking perhaps, since Grandpa was an old man, perhaps he needed some assistance. The driver found the door unlocked, went in, and found Grandpa Jair had died in his sleep.

It's taken me a while to get to the point where I can really write about it, partly because some of me finds it hard to believe he's dead. He was a tough old guy, and part of me finds it hard to believe that he just died like that. I'm not saying someone killed him, because it's not like he's got these great secrets or anything. I do need to remember, though, that sometimes people just die. It's not like he was a kid or anything.

But that wasn't the only reason it's been tough for me to write.

I had a...visit...with a local Imperial official this month. Apparently they were less than thrilled that the gist of one of my stories concerning taxation on moisture farmers shed a bad light on the "graciousness of the Empire and their concern for the working families that keep it running smoothly." I resisted the urge to ask aloud if the oppression of non-humans wasn't doing a better job of that than I was, but they still took away my network connection at home for two weeks. So that means I had to go to the Weary Traveler to catch the bolo-ball games.

How can I post this, you ask, and not risk further persecution by the Empire? The answer is I'm never completely free from persecution. We are all, at any time, at risk of having our lives ruined by the long arm of Imperial Law. I would rather be shut down having exercised my freedom of speech rather than be scooped up whilst cowering behind some furniture in a back bedroom. Besides, officials in my sector generally know that, while people may piss and moan, they're not likely to put those complaints into action.

So, yeah, this has been a very sub-par month for me. One positive note is that my grandfather left his family a small fortune, and while I'd rather have my Grandpa Jair back, I now have a bundle of credits to my name. Some of it will be invested, but I've been thinking about buying a ship. I know it's kind of a big purchase, but I've always wanted to fly, and go wherever I want, whenever I want.  Besides, it would be an appropriate way to commemorate Grandpa's life.

So what to buy? I'm definitely going to check out Mos Espa and Mos Eisley. I have a few contacts in each city that might be able to grease the capacitors for me. Do I get something new or used? Something like a fighter, or more like a freighter? Choices, choices.

What I do know is that my next entry will be written from my home on Commenor. My family very kindly waited on the funeral until I could be present, so I'll be on the next flight out of here.

Keep it real, yo.

JJK