Nar Shaddaa,
Haven for pretty much any kind of criminal activity. It was the perfect hiding spot for someone like Riggeth, who up until recently, was on a mission to demolish every imperial occupied bar and social ring he had come across in planets now under control of the Empire.
Whenever he committed a crime, he never took credit for it. It was extremely dangerous for someone like a Lasat to even be walking among other civilians anywhere across the galaxy. His existence itself was a crime punishable by death under the oppressive hand of the Emperor. A crime nobody seemed to care enough about.
Despite trying to keep his identity under wraps as much as he possibly could, this didn't stop him from getting irritated when his face ended up getting linked to the infamous Garazeb Orrelios of the equally infamous Ghost crew.
They didn't look alike at all, but the Empire had been desperate to smear that Zeb fellow's name across every galactic channel in order to sway the public that he was some blood-thirsty anarchist, which Riggeth was more than Zeb.
His ambitions and morals not given a moment's thought, but merely used as fodder to promote propaganda towards Lasat being primitive, dangerous animals who acted only on primal instincts. Riggeth liked the way things were before, when he hadn't become an example for his entire race. He thought by leaving his home planet, he could escape Lasan, but it only followed him, like an angry spirit trying to goad him into fighting their war.
He'd have none of that. He left to escape politics, and make a life for himself without the bonds of Lasan's strict societal standards and needs weighing heavily on his back. That was one of the few reasons Garazeb Orrelios annoyed him. His ties to their traditions, his proud wearing of Lasan's Honor Guard clothes, his Bo-rifle, his entire image reminded him of what he had tried leaving behind. Now it was in his face constantly, taking credit for his work, and paraded around Imperial channels for everyone to see. He was sick of it.
He felt an immense need to get outside of his makeshift hideout for air, but there was no clean oxygen of any sort on Nar Shaddaa. It felt the same indoors as it did out. 'Relax Riggs, just one more week in this hellhole and back to business' he thought to himself, peeking out from his barred off window. He could see the flashing lights and heavy smoke waft into busy sidewalks, as every kind of alien from every kind of background rubbed shoulders with each other, always looking in a hurry.
Riggeth was in a hurry too, but he knew the consequences of rushing ahead. While the solitude was suitable, he had hoped he'd get at least one job his entire stay on Nar Shaddaa, but while his skills were great, they were outmatched by the fear that accompanied his appearance. He worked stealthily, but he stuck out more than the neck of a Kaminoan. Even so, it should be less of an excuse on Nar Shaddaa, considering the diverse population occupying it. His tendency to remain obscure would surely be the death of him. He just couldn't decide if he was better off starving to death or being shot in the chest by some imperial lackey.
He heard the ground creak from behind his door. He tried not to immediately reach for his blaster, but past experience made his reflexes act against his will. He turned to face the door, staring at the blank, rusted steel in silence, before saying, "come in." Buttons were pressed, and within seconds, the door slid open revealing a Kubaz standing idly by the door frame. The red tint of her goggles flashed in the darkness. She reached out her hand to him, and started to point out the door, telling him he needed to leave through the nasally squeaking of her tongue. Riggeth had only been able to understand her in Galactic Standard but even then it wasn't always clear.
"I thought you said I had two weeks?" Riggeth asked, refusing to budge.
The Kubaz had been responsible for housing many criminals for the right amount of credits, and Riggeth still didn't know her name, though it didn't matter. He'd never see her again if he could help it. Being stuck on Nar Shaddaa may have been comforting for just about any sleazy criminal, all except him. He was just as restricted as anywhere else, and he hated to take a break on his personal vendetta against the Empire. Surely Saw Gerrera would have enough credits to spare to hire him again. He didn't like to come begging for work, or doing work for free, but with Saw it was always an adventure, and there was plenty to be done. If he could change anything, he'd stop himself from leaving when Saw could not afford for him to stay.
The Kubaz woman shook her fists in frustration, speaking erratically for him to get out. The Empire had decided to pay a visit and search for him, and they weren't far away either.
"Just my luck." Riggeth sighed. He was a fool to think the Empire would simply give up on their mission to kill all Lasat. He had just thought-
No, it didn't matter. There wasn't time to mull it over. He needed an escape plan.
"What do you suppose I do for a ride out of here?"
The Kubaz muttered something of a "not my problem" which she quickly realized wasn't the right response, feeling the ground beneath her disappear as she was lifted several feet in the air.
"Come again?" Riggeth growled.
The woman sputtered and tried to explain, saying he only paid her for a room to stay, but Riggeth wasn't heading out blind.
"You can do better than that. You must know of someone who transports certain cargo in and out of here." Riggeth pressed, giving her cowl a good shake to jumpstart her memory.
Even with a mask on, she looked hesitant to answer, but she told him she knew a Rodian who traded spice to and from Nar Shaddaa, who had been rumored to smuggle a few criminals before. The trip wasn't a short one though, Riggeth would have to put himself in more danger trying to find him within the heart of Nar Shaddaa, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He didn't think to worry about the Rodian complying with his request. One way or another, Riggeth always found a way to get what he wanted.
"Thank you, darling." Riggeth grinned unsettlingly wide, and kissed the sides of the Kubaz's mask. Like a loth-bat out of hell, she lashed out and struggled in his grip as the Lasat placed her down and side-stepped towards the door. He grabbed his face mask and sniper rifle, taking his leave with a nod of his head and the same wide smile on his face. She had told him of the escape route the first night he stayed, and he had timed himself going towards the exit. It was less than a 30 second escape if he was running, which he was, but just before he pushed open the doors, he forced himself to casually walk outside in an attempt not to bring too much attention to himself.
The Kubaz was right, the Empire was on the move. He could tell by the way many the people in the streets started to scatter and whisper to each other. He would rather not stay to see how close they really were to him, so he used the opportunity of the bustling crowd to get his way back to the main city.
His plan seemed to work until he heard the chilling static of a Stormtrooper's com sputtering in his ear. He didn't dare a side glance, instead he quickened his pace a bit. He folded his long ears tightly across his head, and moved towards a rather scraggily looking Talz, who measured a relatively equal scale to him, only a couple inches short. Hopefully it would be enough to make him invisible in the crowd.
Riggeth outfit covered a lot of his stripes with dark clothing, a stark contrast to Garazeb Orrelios who had no qualms with hiding his identity from the Empire. It was easier for him, he had a ship that took him just about anywhere. Riggeth was a loner, mostly, keeping to himself and taking up transports. He was in sore need of his own ship.
He had one before, an Old Republic beauty. He thought back in regret to leaving the old girl behind when one of his hiding places was scouted out, this time not by Stormtroopers, but by some good-for-nothing gang of thieves who thought they could trust the Empire with serving them credits for his capture. They were wrong on both accounts. One, that the Empire was good on their word, and two, that they'd get out alive. Of course, a few managed to escape, and to his sorry luck, another pack of thieves was waiting by his ship. If he had anything of value in his ship it would be his weaponry, but he always kept his favorite things by his side.
Knowing that trying to take back his ship in the wide open would be foolish, he had gone to find a new way of going off-world, and he had been hopping rides ever since.
In his hurried motion, he accidently kicked his knee straight into the tiny chest of an Aleena. They squawked loudly, which grabbed just about everyone's attention. He didn't stop, he knew even if he checked to see if they were alright, he'd catch their eyes. He used that time to turn a corner and find his way out through a maze of alleyways, where the smoke got thicker, and the smells got funnier. It touched every one of Riggeth's senses in all the wrong ways. The Stormtrooper's helmets would probably aid them in finding him, but he had little choice.
Picking up his pace, he bolted straight ahead, feet splashing in water puddles, and frightening wild creatures back into their hiding places. These wild creatures were abundant where he stayed, and were often made into a meal for him. It wasn't ideal, but his body could digest just about anything raw, so he abused that power to its limit, and street rats were only bottom of the barrel to what he'd eaten. He hadn't had the wherewithal to care for a long time.
His long ears picked up the sound of synth-leather boots walking cautiously down one of the alleyways ahead, and his feet acted fast, halting to an abrupt stop. However, he failed to realize how wet the ground was, and he fell to his side, sliding down a couple feet ahead. Just before he could collect himself, he saw the white armor of a Stormtrooper peering through the fog.
The emotionless mask turned and spotted the Lasat on the ground, nearly frozen in place. It may have taken the man half a second to realize what he was before he could think of how to respond. "Hey!" The man shouted, and Riggeth's hand launched outward like a lightning bolt. It whipped around to the holster on his hip, and before the Stormtrooper could lift his weapon to aim, his chest blew open with a laser blast searing through it. In mere seconds, the man fell to the ground, and Riggeth was back on his feet once again.
He sidetracked backwards in case any reinforcements were close by, and then he was struck with an idea. He could use any one of these building walls to climb his way to the top. He would be at a clear advantage against the ground troopers, but there was a possibility they might have brought aerial support with them. Even if that was true, he decided to climb up one of the buildings anyway. His sharp claws and prehensile feet were perfect for climbing, even when it came to man-made steel walls. With ease, he had made it all the way to the top without being spotted, his feet moving just out of sight of a flashlight glaring through the fog. Crouching down, he remained silent, checking for any signs of escape. There wasn't any way inside the building from the roof, so he wasn't in the clear yet. He still had to make it to the landing ports, or otherwise meet his maker.
After he was confident that danger had passed, he braved a look over the horizon of bright lights, a giant dome welcoming an array of landing ships. He would have to be especially stealthy while navigating through the platforms, and he had no idea if this Rodian fellow even existed. It was worth a shot. Riggeth had gotten himself out of worse, there was no reason this escape would be any different from the rest. He calculated the jump from the next rooftop. It was something a human couldn't achieve, but a Lasat could. He wasn't as spry as he used to be, but he still had a spring in his step, perfect for a long jump, even if he was sore later on. Taking a few steps back, he leapt to the next rooftop without making much of a sound, then rolling over on his landing.
He let out a sharp gasp he had held in tightly, smiling to himself. "Should have stretched." He muttered, than forced himself back on his feet to do it again. With the agile, albeit aged, grace of a Tooka, Riggeth managed to pass by both security and Imperial scouts, with even the wandering civilians and spectators unaware of his presence. He still got it after all these years. He wandered if Zeb could do what he could, if the Honor Guard had prepared him with this kind of stealth. They weren't exactly known for their furtiveness.
The feeling of a hot blaster bolt singeing the side of his ear tore him from his thoughts, and he kicked up his legs for one last leap to get away from the enemy trooper following him. His jump was too sporadic, and he was foot short from the other side. He quickly reached his hands out, and clawed the edge of the other building, hoisting himself up before he could be noticed. Distant shouts informed him multiple Stormtroopers were on his tail, and he needed to take cover again. He doubted he'd make it to the landing platform before the troopers found him. The best course of action for his survival would be to lay low until the heat of the hunt died down. It had been a while since the Empire searched for him so vigorously.
Peering his head down the building, he noticed a broken window into a dark room. Without a second thought, he swung himself inside without so much as a hair brushing against the edges of the bare window. His landing was soft, the floor was carpet. Scanning the room, it seemed uninhabited. There wasn't much furniture, the lights were off, and the smells had faded. He stood up taller once he felt a little more confident nobody was inside the small apartment, but shirked his body towards the shadowy corners of the room once he heard the voice of a man on an intercom, his garbled speech sending pricks of nervous excitement through Riggeth's spine.
What he wouldn't give to swoop down and kill the trooper now, but again, it was best not to risk it. Perhaps when the circumstances were not as dire. Oh how he hoped for that day to come soon. His claws tingled at the thought.
Crouching down in silence with only the sound of wind leaking into the room, it gave him time to think of a plan. It wasn't a horribly original plan, sneaking out back and disguising himself as an old beggar until he got to the nearest, most unguarded hangar bay. Once he managed that, he'd need to think of a guess as to where he'd meet his ride at. All else fails, he could just hide onboard an unsuspecting transport. His luck with how those started and ended varied.
He wasn't left alone with his thoughts for long, for he got an unexpected call on his personal com. It hadn't buzzed for a whole month. He almost thought about not answering it. It could be Orarsa with another detailed description of his demise, and yet, he couldn't risk Saw calling him and him not answering. Before he could decide on what to do, his thumb pressed the com button automatically for him.
"…Yes?" Riggeth groaned softly at his trigger-happy thumb.
"Riggs?"
Riggeth's ears shot up. He knew that war-torn, tremulous voice anywhere. It was Saw Gerrera.
"It is. Saw, that you? It's been too long." Riggeth answered in a hushed whisper, mindful that a Stormtrooper could be just outside.
Saw seemed to have picked up on it, and got to the point.
"The Ghost Whisper is in trouble. I promised her family that I'd help out where I could."
"This where I come in?" Riggeth asked. He didn't normally go on rescue missions. Just sabotage. Though, in his eyes, they ended up as some kind of rescue. Anytime the result was the Empire being damaged, it was rescue enough for the civilians of those planets.
"You are the best I know, and if anybody could take on the Empire's "secret" agent, it would be you. Oh, and before you say anything, yes, I will pay you." He could practically hear Saw rolling his eyes.
"Credits sounds good- wait, are we talking ISB?" Riggeth twitched an ear.
"No, it's one of the Grand Admiral's personal best. Don't tell me you'll back out now." Saw grimaced. He clearly hadn't thought of a plan B.
"Nah, no, just- I guess it doesn't matter. I reckon you want to give me the rest of the information on your ship?"
"Be more secure that way. Will you be able to get a ride?"
"Well, that remains to be seen. Think you can give me a ride yourself?"
There was a long pause. Riggeth figured it was just Saw trying to fit him in to his busy Empire-destroying schedule.
"Tell me where you are, and I'll get you." His voice came back again, a wave of relief crossed Riggeth's face.
Well, it looked like he wouldn't know if that Rodian smuggler was real or not. He'd get to have a good, old friend pick him up instead. Maybe this time, he'd be able to take down a few Imperials on the way to the pick-up.
"Nar Shaddaa..."