Chapter 1 - The Perfect Mark
"Sorry, but do you think you could help me for a moment?"
I couldn't help but smirk as I watched Bril do what Bril always does best. He has a fast mouth, and combined with his naturally beautiful Twi'leki features and his gentle, soothing voice, people didn't mind stopping for him. I could pull it off, too, but I had to work harder at it than Bril did. Kindness and innocence just came more naturally to my partner-in-crime than they ever did to me.
It was only experience that kept Bril focused on his conversation without his eyes flicking towards me as I approached our mark from behind. When we were younger it was a mistake that would frequently cost us our success, but years of practice had allowed Bril to pretend I wasn't there at all. When it came to distracting targets, Bril was unrivalled.
Our mark was a human dressed in fine clothes, probably a businessman of some sort, and obviously one with at least some money, since he wasn't coated in grime and dust and didn't smell like a Hutt's back-side like most others on the smuggler's moon.
He was the perfect kind of target for a pickpocket like me - too well dressed and confident to be poor, and foolish or naive enough to believe that he wouldn't be robbed walking through busy streets. Maybe he'd have been safe thinking like that on an inner rim planet, but certainly not on Nar Shaddaa.
For a moon populated by gangsters, thieves and prostitutes, visitors on Nar Shaddaa always failed to keep a good eye on their pockets. I suppose that's partially because nobody ever keeps anything truly valuable in their pockets, just a few credit chips or an odd trinket or two. Still, one would think that people who actually have money would be better at keeping it secure. I mean, I alwayskept their money more secure than they did after I stole it, so I know it's not really all that difficult.
I guess I just valued their credits more than they did.
It might be going too far to say that I needed it more, but like most pickpockets, I definitely had less options than the people I was stealing from. At least my targets could re-earn their credits - I had no choice but to steal for mine, and I needed money to live just as much as anyone else. One doesn't live very long on Nar Shaddaa without any credits after all.
As Bril kept the man talking, I stretched out my left hand, darting it precisely into the man's deep pocket and grabbing a handful of what felt like common credit chips. The same as Bril's success in keeping me unnoticed, my skill at smuggling items out of unsuspecting people's pockets came from experience. People on earth often say that practice makes perfect, and that certainly rung true when it came to my skill with pickpocketing.
I made sure to still be in Bril's peripheral vision when I gave a quick nod and began pushing away through the crowd, headed towards our meeting spot. I trusted Bril to cut off the conversation quickly and make his way over as usual so we could leave. Only an amateur would hang around. Most marks don't notice they've been robbed until later, but if they realise it sooner, then it's best to be well and truly gone.
I started moving as soon as Bril reached me, and he had to run to keep at my side as I ducked and weaved between the crowd. Luckily for both of us, we were both quite small for twelve year olds, and getting out of an area quickly was pretty easy.
"How much did he have on him?" Bril asked quietly when he reached my side.
We made sure to stick to the busier parts of the streets as we fled the scene. That was something learned from experience, too. Busy streets make it infinitely easier to hide compared to abandoned alleyways, especially given our size. Anyone chasing us would probably only get to see an ocean of heads, with us ducking in and out underneath it all.
"Not too much, just some credit chips. Hopefully enough to keep Lady Kallis happy," I said.
Bril looked disappointed at that, not that I could blame him. Most days we only made enough to break even, and despite all signs pointing to the fact that it would never happen, we always dreamed of making enough money to make it off such a backwater planet and actually live a decent life.
But like any of our targets, we too had bills to pay. Well, not bills per se, at least not in the traditional sense, but a percentage of everything we stole had to go towards Zorbo the Hutt's cartel. For protection and board, Lady Kallis claimed, and I couldn't really disagree. The brothel we lived in was owned by the Hutt himself, and only a madman would steal from or attack a Hutt's property.
"Lady Kallis is never happy," Bril said after a few moments.
That was true enough. One would have thought that someone valued so highly by Zorbo that she was allowed to run one of his most lucrative businesses would be a little happier. Doubtless she was making enough credits to fill a mountain, but still she was… well, frankly, a rotten bitch.
"She'd probably be a whole lot happier if you wouldn't push her buttons every other day," I said.
Bril didn't answer, but no doubt he was rolling his eyes or sticking out his tongue behind me.
"Do we have time for another, do you think?" he asked after a few moments.
I shook my head slightly. "Not worth the risk. It's getting kind of late."
We were definitely part of what I liked to call day criminals. We still broke the law of course, or whatever system vaguely resembled laws on Nar Shaddaa at least, but only ever through the day. Nights on Nar Shaddaa were entirely different. The night was the time for gangsters and more hardcore thieves, almost always armed, and in a entirely different league than how we operated.
"You're probably right," Bril said, clearly disappointed. Like him, I'd have preferred to keep going and actually make a profit, however slight, but it just wasn't worth staying out and getting robbed ourselves, if not shot, stabbed or beaten.
I never stole alone, or did anything alone, not from my first day on Nar Shaddaa when I was five years old. Bril was always with me. Neither of us ever acted without the other, and we would never have been as successful stealing solo as we were as a duo.
Half of our success simply came down to genetics. Bril, though male himself, took very much after his beautiful mother, with a skin pigment of royal blue, and a soft dusting of darker blue freckles across his nose. Twi'leks have always been known for their beauty and grace, and not only was this true for Bril, but he could easily have been the poster child for that entire reputation. Despite being noticeably male, he was prettier than most women.
It's a trait that never failed to garner attention, especially when we entered 'The House of Plom Bloom,' the brothel run by Lady Kallis that we called home. I always walked in front of Bril when we went through the main area of the brothel, trying my best to act as a physical barrier between the lecherous creatures and my friend who was, at times like these, unfortunately good looking.
"What a face on you, kid," one particularly repulsive Rodian said as we passed by. "How much for the night?"
I almost had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping, and I would have, if not for Lady Kallis. If ever I misbehaved on her watch, and especially in her brothel, I'd have been out on my ass within minutes. That's if she didn't decide to order one of the bouncers to beat me to death for the hassle of it all. In the end, it was always just best that I simply kept my mouth shut.
"I don't work here," Bril said with an uneasy smile.
Even his response made me angry. No doubt Bril felt like he needed a good scrub down after being leered at and propositioned by so many disgusting creatures, but still he was always gentle and kind. It's true that he was under the same rules as me with Lady Kallis, but just once I'd have loved to hear him tell one of them off.
We made our way through the brothel as always, stepping into the back rooms past the familiar bouncers. Most of the men out in the main rooms would literally kill to be able to go where we went. The men and women who worked in the brothel usually washed and prepared themselves in the back rooms before heading out to their customers, not that we cared about such things. Living in a brothel has a funny way of numbing you to experiences that some people pay big money for.
Lady Kallis stepped out of her office as soon as we entered the back rooms, same as every other day. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was because she could smell the credits on us, greedy as she was. To her what we had was nothing, a single drop from a vast lake of wealth, but she wanted it anyway, and she wanted it all.
Despite the fact that she wasn't all that physically imposing, Lady Kallis was still intimidating. Like all Cereans, she had a tall coned cranium and pale skin, and her glossy black hair flowed down her back like a sheet of silk. Unlike other Cereans though, Lady Kallis' eyes were blood red and held a hint of danger and madness. She didn't need to be physically strong herself. She could have someone shaking with fright with a mere glance with those eyes.
"You two stink," came her pointedly sharp tones. "You'd better hope one of our patrons doesn't complain about the smell."
I wanted nothing more than to argue that she only lets us bathe once a week, and even then only gives us a single shower for the both of us and a few minutes so we don't take time away from her girls, but that would have been foolish. Lady Kallis was not going to tolerate any backchat.
"Yes, Lady Kallis," I said. Next to me, Bril said nothing, but his body language was suddenly nervous and excited.
Don't do it, idiot.
"Is my mother available? Do you think I could see her?" Bril asked without a hint of fear in his voice, despite the fact that he probably knew what the answer would be.
"She's working. I've already had five requests for her tonight," Lady Kallis replied shortly.
"Well maybe she could have a break?" Bril asked, his deep blue eyes shimmering with vain hope.
Damn it. Just as I expected, Lady Kallis turned her vicious, terrifying eyes towards Bril. Before he could say or do anything else, she reached out and backhanded him, one of her expensive rings carving a thin gash across his cheek. Blue blood welled and began to slowly slide down his face, but he still didn't flinch. Bril was the only person I had ever seen to not show her any fear, and she despised him for it.
"I said no, brat. Give me my credits and get out of my sight."
Before Bril could argue any further and cause us some real trouble, I reached down for our daily take worth of credits and dropped them into her outstretched hand.
She tutted at the amount. "I do hope you two are capable of more than this," she said, eyeing the small pile of credits with distaste. "Soon, you might be more trouble than you're worth."
When Lady Kallis stalked away and out into her brothel, I had to grab Bril's arm to get him moving. The same as every other day when he was refused contact with his mother, he looked utterly destroyed. He let himself be guided towards the stairs at the very back that led to the small storage room that we were allowed to sleep in. It was hot and musty and uncomfortable, but it was home.
"You really need to stop," I huffed as I finally let go of his arm at the bottom of the stairs. "One day she's going to get fed up and toss you to the streets."
"My mother wouldn't let her do that."
I let out a sigh. While it's true that Bril's mother was Lady Kallis' best courtesan, and the only reason we were allowed to live in the brothel, Bril always had a habit of overestimating how much influence she had. Really, she was just as replaceable as anyone else, though I could never have said as much to Bril.
When I went to answer, Bril was holding the side of his face, his thick blood sliding through his fingers from the cut on his face.
"Come here," I said, gesturing to a small box in front of me.
Still holding his face, Bril came over and sat on the box in front of me, and I guided the hand away from his face to have a better look at the damage. Fortunately it didn't look too deep, and though I was hardly an expert on medical work, I'd had enough cuts and contusions in my time to be sure enough that it wouldn't scar.
"Bloody idiot," I said fondly, mimicking some of the favourite and only words I could remember from my Uncle Vernon. "You know how unpredictable she can be."
I tore a small strip from the bottom of my shirt and wet it from our only source of water, a slightly leaking pipe on the wall. It wasn't perfect, but it at least let me clean the cut on his face.
"Is it so wrong to want to see my mother?" Bril sniffled, tilting his head to the side to give me better access.
"You know I don't think that," I said, wiping at his face with the slightly wet cloth. "But I think sometimes you forget how dangerous she is."
"No I don't!" Bril argued loudly, pushing me away and fighting tears. "I just… I don't know - I just want to see my mother." Finally his tears broke through and begun to fall down his cheeks. "Why can't she just give me a few minutes?"
I moved back to him, wrapping my arms around his back as he cried. I hated to see him cry. I didn't particularly care about his mother at all, but Bril was the only friend I ever had, and when he was upset, I was too. But there was nothing I could do but hold and let him know that I was there. Maybe that would be enough.
Lady Kallis finally allowed us to wash the next morning. Even if she only gave us a few minutes in which we had to share, it at least let us clean up enough so that we didn't appear to be street kids on immediate sight. That alone always helped us be more productive. We always managed to find targets out on the streets eventually, but it was always easier when we were clean. People tended to avoid street kids, after all.
We hit the streets as soon as we were dressed, ready for another day of credit hunting. We had to be, if our plans were ever going to get off the ground. Shuttles off Nar Shaddaa were notoriously expensive, and we had to have enough not just for myself and Bril, but Bril's mother as well, not that she had any knowledge of such plans. Add that to Lady Kallis' greedy expectations for us each day, and saving was very slow going indeed.
Our first stop was one of the busiest areas on the top levels of Nar Shaddaa, a place where we were always guaranteed to find a good mark. In the middle of the courtyard was a giant statue of Zorbo the Hutt, easily one of the most influential Hutts in the cartel, and probably the most important individual on Nar Shaddaa. I hated the very sight of the statue, except for the fact that it was quite useful to us. Climbing up just the lowest part of the statue gave us a good vantage in which we could search the crowd for a good mark.
While Bril occasionally picked a good mark for us, we both knew that I had the better eye for it. Most times I could tell from a glance the sort of people who were carrying money on them, and of those, who would be best to approach.
Sometimes we might be waiting hours for a suitable target to show up. Despite all the money that would pass through the street in front of us, some of them were clearly out of our league. Too many were armed, and others had an entourage of followers that made it impossible for us to get close. What we needed was someone travelling alone, had the air of wealth about them, and was more than likely not armed. It was a rare breed on Nar Shaddaa, but still we managed to find them with a bit of effort.
It wasn't long before I found a potential mark walking alone through the crowded street. He was human, young, and more than anything, he looked nervous, his eyes shifting and scanning the people ahead of him. All that meant to me was that he was trying not to be noticed, but it made him all the more noticeable. Even better, he was carrying a thick, clearly expensive case.
I was about to point him out to Bril when he looked straight up at where we were perched on the bottom of the statue. His eyes locked on our location like glue, and for a moment I thought he had realised just what we were up to. After a moment more it was obvious - he wasn't looking at me at all. He was looking at Bril, and after years of living in a brothel, I could recognise immediately the look in his eyes.
Lust.
It made him the perfect mark, and I had the perfect plan to rob him.
Notes
So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The idea for this fic just kind of randomly hit me when I was playing SWTOR one day, and ever since scenes and plot have been just coming to me. At this point its probably the fic I have plotted the most.
This fic is set in the time of The Old Republic, which means both an active Republic and Empire at the same time. It also means a whole lot of Jedi and a whole lot of Sith are out in the galaxy, but in this, Harry is not a force user, but will still have his magic.
Also, hogwarts and earth will absolutely play a role, and in the coming chapters I will reveal how Harry ended up on Nar Shaddaa.
Please feel free to leave a review or any constructive criticism. I can't even begin to describe how happy reviews make me.