"How much longer, boss?" a voice called out behind Rose. She turned and looked at the green Twi'lek, his eyes empty of fear for the upcoming job.

"We're almost there," Rose mumbled back. "We can't screw up this time." Rose pushed herself past the green boy, his eyes following her movements. She grabbed the blaster off of the nearby crate, setting it to stun. Her mission was simple: steal the lightsaber off of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. She heard the com link on her arm go off.

"What is it?" she snapped as the holographic image of a hooded figure came into view.

"We're reaching the rendezvous point, boss," a Togruta responded.

"Good work, Kator. Now the real fun can begin," a dark smile crept its way onto the face of the young thief. She shut the com link off, turning towards the Twi'lek.

"Hey, lasterbrain, get your stuff together," she ordered to Coab as the ship came to a steady halt. She threw a dark poncho over her figure, concealing her face. "There's no way in Malachor we can lose out on this job."

The two of them jumped off the ship, Coab following Rose. They had stopped in a landing dock that was deep below the surface of Coruscant, waiting for the Jedi Master to make his grand appearance. They had caught wind that he was heading to the lower floors in search of a lead on the illegal spice trade, and someone was paying them large money to take his lightsaber. Coab had tried to convince her to take the bounty on his head, but Rose wasn't about to press her luck. Creeping behind the crates on the landing dock, the two crept along the outskirts, searching for the Jedi's ship. He was set to arrive at any moment.

"Oi, boss, got a visual?" the voice of Kator sounded once again, this time with impatience.

"Not yet," Rose said. "Wait, I think I see something coming." She silenced her com, not wanting to be further distracted. A transport ship was landing on the platform – one that would have hardly warranted suspicion to any normal citizen. Rose felt the strong presence of the Force nearing them. She knew this was the Jedi they were looking for.

"Get ready, Coab," she whispered as the ship touched down, the ramp extending downwards. A lone, cloaked man emerged, his eyes set on the task at hand. "Now." The two snuck on either side of him, cutting off his chances of escape.

"If you two wish to surprise me, you'll have to do a lot better than that. I could sense you from floor 3132," the Jedi said calmly, drawing his saber and turning to face them. Rose was mesmerized by the elegant weapon – its soft green glow filling the area around them with light. "My, aren't you a different one," he said, his eyes narrowing on Rose.

"Jedi," she said with a hint of venom in her voice. She held the blaster up in the air, pointed at Qui-Gon.

"I'm afraid I don't have time for that kind of buisness, child. Now, run along and rethink your choices," he said, a little more sternly. Rose could feel Coab losing his patience next to her. She gave him a look, and the two of them charged at the Jedi. He easily knocked Coab back with the Force, but Rose managed to get through, using her small size and quick feet to her advantage. She had the gun in her hands, firing stun shots in the direction of the Jedi. He deflected them with his saber easily.

"What is your name, child?" he said coolly, not losing his focus on the attacks once. Rose only gritted her teeth in frustration. She knew he wouldn't try to kill her – it wasn't the Jedi way – and she was going to use that to her advantage. She dropped her gun and charged directly at him, stunning him a little. He quickly unsheathed his saber and prepared for the frontal attack. She swung her fists wildly in his direction.

But he had the upper hand.

Qui-Gon struck the young girl down, but not before working up a sweat of his own. He had not expected her to come at him head-first, nor that she would have been that gifted at fighting. When she tried to get up, he held her down. Rose looked over at Coab, his unconscious figure lying on the ground next to her.

"I'm going to ask again, child," the Jedi said. "What is your name?"

"Rose," she coughed out, the Jedi still pinning her down on the ground. It was growing more difficult for her to breathe, and she slowly felt the world around her go fuzzy. "It was just a job. Now let go of me, you nerfherder.

"Why, it appears I've made someone upset," the Jedi laughed, loosening his grip on the girl. She squirmed out from under him, turning to face him. Her loose blond hair was clinging to her neck and back. She looked down at her partner – her friend. He was a few years younger than her, and yet he still towered over her mere nine-year-old self. She was always the shortest one, but she was the quickest on her feet and mind.

"Your friend will be fine," Qui-Gon reassured her.

"You going to kill us?" Rose asked, concern for her friend evident in her voice. She stepped between the Jedi and Coab, not wanting the Jedi to get any closer. He only laughed.

"Of course not, child," he said.

"Rose," she corrected him sternly, unclenching her fists. She saw no malice in the Jedi's eyes; there was no revenge for their attack on them. Realizing they were in over their heads, she reached down and picked up her friend, supporting one of his arms over her shoulder. Rose began walking away, slightly surprised when the Jedi stopped her.

"Ever find yourself capable of things you cannot explain?" he asked her firmly. He saw the hesitation flash across her face briefly, her tired features contemplating on how much she should reveal.

"You're crazy, old man," she said at last, turning and walking way, Coab's body dragging her down.

"How would you like a meal?" he offered, calling after them. Rose stopped. Her stomach had been non-stop growling since they had begun this excursion, and she knew Coab and Kator were in the same situation as her. She put a hand on her stomach, feeling the hungry tremors that erupted from it.

"You're kidding, right?" she said, amusement flashing on her face. "We just tried to attack you, and now you're offering us a meal." The Jedi laughed again.

"Why, it does sound quite ridiculous now that you've put it that way, doesn't it? How about this: you put down your friend there on your ship, and you come with me to deduce this spice trade business that I know you already know about. If you help me uncover some clues, then you and your friend shall be well fed," the Jedi held out his hand to Rose. She looked at it for a moment and then down at her friend.

"What the hell," she said, shaking the hand. "The saber wasn't worth that many credits, anyway." Rose did as she was told, leaving Coab on the ship with a confused Kator.

"Boss, how do we know he isn't doin' that weird Jedi-mind-trick-thingy on ya?" he asked as he began his scanning of Coab's body.

"Because I know better," she snapped back. "Besides, the Jedi are those peace-loving hippies. I don't know why they are involved in the spice trade, but I don't really care. We have a free meal chance. That'll at least get us through the trip back home."

Kator could only nod his head in agreement, trusting his friend. Rose gave a pat on his shoulder in encouragement and hopped out of the ship.

"Ready?" the Jedi asked. Rose nodded. The two of them proceeded into the depths of the lower floors, heading to the local cantina. Rose had offered that it was a good place to start. Everyone knew if you wanted to find a low life, you looked at the cantina first.

"Those markings on your arms – are you a Varian?" Qui-Gon began. His questions had been non-stop since they had left the ship. Hoping to quiet him, Rose only nodded, but it had the opposite effect she had had hoped for. He only began to ask her more and more questions.

"You're quite far away from your home world," he thought out loud. "Most of your people don't even leave the planet, save for the diplomats and senators."

"I didn't leave by choice," she mumbled. They continued through the ally way, Rose grateful her face was concealed by her cloak. She felt her anger boil to the surface. "None of us did. We were taken by the Shadow Dwellers."

"Ah, yes, I've heard of them. They're a thieves' guild, are they not?" Rose nodded. They neared the cantina, its neon sign glowing faintly. There was a bouncer outside of the door.

"You will let us in," the Jedi moved his arm across the bouncer's face, his eyes glazing over for a moment.

"I will let you in," the bouncer echoed, stepping inside. Rose followed the Jedi in, careful to not bump into the bouncer.

"How does that work?" she inquired as they entered the noisy bar. The band was playing loudly in the back, drowning out the conversations around them.

"It only works on the weak minded," Qui-Gon explained. "They are easily influenced."

"Thanks for explaining that one," Rose mumbled back sarcastically. They made their way over to the bar, the bartender taking one look at them before holding up his hand.

"We don' serve kids 'ere," he growled. Rose shot him a dirty look.

"You'll make an exception tonight," the Jedi next to her said. The bartender snorted and turned away, serving other customers.

"Alright, I need you to do a little bit of reconnaissance," the Jedi started. "See that man in the corner? The one talking to the woman? Go sit in the booth behind them and eavesdrop on what they are saying. See if they mention something about the spices." Rose did as she was instructed and slyly snuck over to the booth adjacent to the man the Jedi was talking about. She slunk into the seat and preoccupied herself with a piece of trash on the table.

"The shipments'll come in after three rotations," she heard the people behind her say. "Down at the docks by the Blue Asteroid."

"I do not wish for my spices to be… disturbed again," a woman's voice said slowly. Rose slunk down farther into the booth, wishing she could disappear.

"It won't happen this time. The Jedi don' have a clue to what's goin' on," the man said quickly, knocking something over in the process. Whatever it was, it spilled under the booth, soaking Rose's shoes in the sticky substance and causing her to emit a small screech of disgust. Qui-Gon appeared at her booth, and Rose saw the two strangers leave their own, sending him dirty looks. He laughed when he saw Rose's pouting face.

"Hear anything of use?" he inquired, ignoring her looks of disgust.

"Three days," she said, wringing out her shoes. "They're dropping them off at that bar – the Blue Asteroid." The Jedi seemed pleased with her work.

"You could have done that yourself, Jedi."

"You saw how they walked away when I approached the table. You already know the answer to your own curiosities," the Jedi said, stroking his beard. "Now, we eat," the Jedi moved up from the booth they were at and motioned for the girl to follow him. He made sure to throw a tip at the bartender as they left the scene, earning good favors with the local under dwellers.

"What about my friends?" Rose asked, jogging slightly to keep up with the Jedi's stride.

"We shall go fetch them," he replied, his eyes locked on the pathway ahead of them. Rose felt something; something wasn't right about the streets ahead of them. They were too quiet. She looked up at the Jedi she was walking beside. His face betrayed no emotion, but Rose could feel something was wrong. A figure emerged from the clouded alleyway, his silhouette all that was visible. The Jedi stopped next to her. He put a hand up to stop Rose and gently pushed her behind him, blocking her view slightly of the approaching figure.

"Well, look what the mooka drug in," the mystery figure said, stopping only a few meters away from the duo. Rose froze. She knew that voice.

"I told you to get the lightsaber, not partner with him, you harpy," the figure hissed at Rose, who only hid behind the robes of Qui-Gon. The Jedi put a reassuring hand on her head. "Made a friend, I see? Well, guess you won't be needing these ones." The man threw a bag at Qui-Gon's feet, a foul stench emitting from it.

"Hide your eyes, child," he whispered to Rose. She ignored him, bending down at the bag at their feet. Undoing the string clasp, she saw the heads of her two friends. Coab's tongue was lazily rolled out of his mouth. Rose felt a surge of mortification as she stared into the dead, glazed over eyes that had lost all of the life and luster they used to. She felt her stomach wretch, but nothing came out. There was nothing that could come out. She closed the bag quietly, standing up from her spot. She felt anger surging throughout her very core. Qui-Gon took the bag from her, moving it out of the way. The time for mourning her friends was not now.

"Cobaya wolei, mah pateessa," she uttered softly as she turned her gaze back towards the mystery figure.

"I believe it goes without saying, my child, but you are no longer under our favor," he said, taking another step towards them. "This is the third mission you've failed to pull through on. It is unacceptable. Your head now, if you please." The sly smile returned to his face.