Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

His aunt would never approve.

Korkie Kryze sipped on his whiskey, doing his best to blend in with the other bar occupants. It was his third time there, but there were still a few curious glances turned in his direction on occasion. Even now, he could feel eyes on the back of his head, likely from the smuggler in the leather jacket. Each night, he had watched him, to what end, Korkie didn't know.

But he had a feeling that he would find out soon.

Cheers went up from all around him, drawing his eyes back to their original focus. Bathed in pulsing blue and purple lights, the stage at the front of the room was the main attraction. The first act, two scantily dressed purple twi'leks, sauntered off the platform, hips and breasts swaying sensually. But their movements went unnoticed by him, even when one shot him a sultrily wink.

His eyes were fixed on the stage entrance, waiting for what he knew was coming. Only three nights, and he already knew her. Not that there was much to know.

Tonight. He would approach her tonight.

If he lasted that long without embarrassing himself. He shifted uncomfortably, remembering with keen regret that alcohol and self-control rarely went hand in hand.

She was younger than most of the other performers, but nothing about her body said it. Generous curves gave her figure a stark contrast to the girls he was used to seeing, the honeyed skin only serving to increase the difference. Tonight, her hair was a curly gold, contrasting sharply with the startling deep purple of her contact lenses. Just like the heavy makeup and skimpy silk garb, they changed every night.

His aunt would never approve.

Her hands, the only small thing about her, grasped the silver pole in the center of the platform, and with a strength that seemed almost impossible, she pulled herself a full two feet off the ground before spinning around.

He was ruined.

"Sir?"

Korkie started, nearly spilling his drink. Relief filled him when he saw one of the bartenders, but it did nothing to assuage the guilt gnawing in his gut. "Yes?"

"There's a gentleman at the bar who wants to speak to you." The barkeeper pointed to a patron sipping on a drink, and Korkie was sure his heart stopped.

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Well, shavit.

Of course he would have to be at the same bar as the only Jedi in the galaxy who knew his aunt personally.

Blast all the force-forsaken kriffing bantha poodoo.

Abandoning his drink with a hefty tip, he glanced back at the stage one more time, catching a fleeting glimpse of her voluptuous figure curved around the slender silver pole gracefully.

Goodbye.

When he looked back to the bar, Kenobi was watching him with a small, amused smile, twirling his shot around in its glass before tossing it back. Korkie didn't say a word as he followed him out of the bar and into the dimly lit Coruscanti underbelly.

"Does Satine know you're here?"

"Yes." The lie slipped out easily, too easily.

The Jedi raised an eyebrow. "A word of wisdom, young one. Don't ever lie to a Jedi." His eyes flickered to the doorway as bawdy cheers erupted, signalling the climax of the performance. Korkie flinched, knowing that even as they stood there, one of the audience members was likely approaching her, touching her, asking her what no decent man would.

Would she say yes?

His gut twisted at the very thought.

"You're no better than them, though, are you?"

For a moment, he thought the words were from his seemingly dormant conscious, but the distinct Coruscanti accent suggested that it was not so.

"She doesn't want to be in there." It wasn't the first time he had said it, but it was the first time he had said it aloud, to anyone other than himself.

Kenobi seemed unconvinced. "And you know this how? I suppose you asked her?"

Warning bells went off in his head, but he didn't know why. "I don't… No, but…"

"But?"

"I just… I know, okay?" Something in the Jedi's eyes made him uncomfortable, and he forced himself to look away. "I know."

More cheers wafted through the air, likely signalling the beginning of the next act, and he could feel his blood boil. Not five minutes ago, they'd been cheering for her, and already their attention was diverted. Momentary entertainment, that was all she was to them. No sooner than she was out of their sight, their lusts were focused on the next set of tits.

Three nights. It had been all it took to be completely taken. He'd never touched her, yet he could have sworn that it was her skin that he felt in his dreams. He was obsessed with her, with the mystery that was her.

"Hey, Kenobi!" A dark skinned man with a yellow stripe tattooed across her nose jogged up to them, followed closely by a blue twi'lek woman and green nautolan man, both who looked slightly familiar. "You just making it?"

Kenobi's eyebrows raised, seemingly amused. "Actually, Vos, I was on time. Just stepped out to speak to this young man for a moment."

Immediately, the man's focus switched to him, curiosity shining in the dark eyes. "Not another fan?"

"Hey Quinlan, Aayla, look at him. Who does he look like?" the Nautolan grinned, seemingly oblivious to his presence. "The hair, the eyebrows, the chin…"

The twi'lek burst out laughing, leaning against Vos's shoulder, who also broke into a grin. "He does look a bit like our Oafy, doesn't he? You didn't tell us you had a kid, Kenobi."

The Jedi Master's amusement was clear as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm afraid I must have also been excluded from the secret, for no one told me. But on a serious note, Quinlan, Aayla, Kit, this is Korkie Kryze."

The Nautolan's eyes seemed to grow larger than ever, and Vos and the twi'lek's laughter immediately turned to a hacking cough, "What the hell, Kenobi?" the man sputtered. "You know I was joking, right? Kriff, I knew you and the Duchess were tangoing between the sheets, but I didn't know…"

"If you had let me finish," here, Kenobi pinned his friend with a stern look, "I would have mentioned that he is Satine's nephew."

The hacking discontinued, and relief crossed the trio's face all at once. Quinlan punched his friend in the shoulder indignantly. "Gods, Kenobi, you nearly gave me a heart attack. Don't ever do anything like that again." He grinned at Korkie, seemingly back to normal. "Though Force knows the kid looks like you. Sure you didn't leave more than your robe with your little Duchess?"

Kenobi didn't hesitate to contradict his friend's jab, returning it with one of his own that was taken with equal good humor. But for some reason, the exchange didn't sit well with Korkie. It felt as if something inside of him was trying to tell him something from it, something about himself. But what?

"Korkie," the rich Coruscanti accent startled him out of his thoughts once again, and Kenobi raised an eyebrow. "Remember what I told you, and tell her Grace I might be by soon."

"Yes, sir." He backed up quickly, suddenly wanting to be anywhere except for there. The whiskey was finally effecting him, muddling his sense of truth. Suddenly- he had no idea why- the Jedi's teasing words all seemed to ring true to his mind. And surely he hadn't meant… that… when he said a tango between the sheets, right?

Back inside the bar, any trace of her was gone. A trio of Togrutans were on stage, the lights glinting off of glittering piercings and metallic tattoos as they displayed feats of flexibility. Someone had taken both his seat and his whiskey, but he had no interest in either anymore. The room felt close, the music too loud, the company bawdy and uncivilized. Quickly retrieving his jacket, which was thankfully still under his seat, he was about to leave when one of the patrons waved him over.

The smuggler, the one who'd been watching him. Glossy, jet black hair was carefully combed back, reflecting the same arrogance as the smirk he wore. His jacket and leather holster looked expensive, but there was nothing cultured about the man.

Everything about him screamed snake.

"Hey, kid." An ostentatious gold tooth glinted in the strangers mouth, further confirming him to be rich but uncultured. "Your old man making you go?"

It took him a few minutes to realize he was talking about Master Kenobi, but when he did, Korkie bristled. Why did everyone think the man was his father tonight? "He's not my old man. I don't even know him." The alcohol was slowly taking over his senses, making him lose grip on his temper, already always on a thin leash. "I've seen what I wanted to see. You got a problem with that?"

The man's greasy eyebrows shot up, and he grinned. "Easy, friend. I don't mean no harm." He tried to clap him on his back, but Korkie shrugged him off, stepping away. "A bit feisty, are ya? Well, no harm done."

Something about the man's nonchalant attitude irritated him. "What do you want?"

The grin slipped for a moment. "Saw you watching Amadi."

"What?"

He nodded to the stage. "The girl on the pole. Amadi."

Amadi. His chest clenched some. That was her name. "Ah, her."

Shrewd eyes watched him from over a glass of whiskey. "You like?"

Never let them know they have your interest. It was one of his aunt's favorite things to say, though she probably meant about politicians instead of smugglers. Okay, scratch that. Definitely. "She's okay."

"She's okay," the smuggler repeated, eyes narrowing. He tried a different tack. "I know her."

Korkie hummed noncommittally, drumming his fingers absently on the table top.

Frustration radiated off of the man, showing in the way he sat forward tensely. "I'm supposed to meet her, tomorrow night. Take her home, that kind of stuff. Thing is, I've got a load early tomorrow morning, and I might not get back in time, but I paid her good money." The corner of his mouth tugged up in a smirk. "I might be persuaded to let someone else take her, if they're interested."

Money. Of course that's what it came down to. "And what would someone need to persuade you?"

"Two and a half grand would about do it."

Korkie scoffed. "Twenty five hundred credits? No girl's worth that." The man must be desperate.

"Amadi is." He grinned, leaning back and making obscene motions with his hands. "That girl knows how to give it to you. Mind you, I paid almost twice that much for her."

Everything rang true, and blast it, the offer was tempting. "Even if I wanted her…" which he did, and badly. "...I'm sure it would be much simpler to deal with the woman directly. After all, what's to say you're not lying to me?"

The man tossed back the remainder of his drink, seemingly unconcerned. "Nothing. But then, what's to say she'll be here for anyone to ask her? You see, my friend, girls like her move around often. A few days here, a few days there. Never too long in one spot, or things start to look suspicious, if you know what I mean."

Korkie didn't, but he sensed the truth in his words. "Two thousand."

.A smirk, and the man sat back. "Done."


Something was off.

Satine watched Korkie carefully as they ate breakfast. For the past few days, he'd seemed absent, and today more than usual. There were dark circles around his eyes, suggesting that he hadn't been sleeping well. It was his first time being on Coruscant with her; it was too risky to bring him, though it was better now. Perhaps the thrill of being on the city-world was keeping him up.

"Auntie?"

Her heart stuttered at the title as it always did. "Yes, Korkie?"

"Who were my parents?" Ocean blue eyes- she would be lying if she said they were not identical to her own- gazed back at her, seemingly unaware of what they were asking. "I mean, I know I'm your nephew, but how, exactly?"

Of course he would want to know. She had known this day would come, and had honestly thought it would come sooner. Yet, she still wasn't prepared. "You were my brother's son, as I told you before. Your mother was a nobody, a girl who didn't want a child." The lies tasted as foul on her tongue as the parfait she'd been nibbling at. "He was killed several months before your birth, in a bombing on Kalevala, and she disappeared shortly after you were born. As my only living relation, I took you in."

His brow furrowed, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The bombings… that's wrong."

She blinked. "What?"

"They only bombed Kalevala twice. The second time was over a year before I was born."

A quick mental calculation proved he was right. Blast it, why hadn't she realized it before? "There must have been a mistake."

His eyes narrowed. "Or my mother was lying."

"I'll check the files after breakfast," she promised, knowing that there were no such files to look at. "Someone probably made an error."

He grunted, turning back to his food. She sighed in relief, glad that he had let the subject go. But peace could only reign for so long.

"How did you know Master Kenobi?"

She choked on her tea, forcing her to cough into her napkin. Surely he had not asked what she thought he asked. "What?"

Blue eyes bored into hers, and she knew he knew something. What other reason could there be? "I asked how you met Master Kenobi."

"He and his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, were sent to protect me when Sundari fell." Best to go with the truth. "Why do you ask?"

Korkie ignored her question. "Were you close?"

He knew, oh Force, he knew. But how? What had he seen or heard to make him put two and two together? "We were… friends, if you will. As you may imagine, the war didn't give us much time to build relationships." She tried to search his expression for any clue of what had brought this on, but his face remained impassive. "What is it, Korkie?"

"I went… out… last night, to clear my head, and I ran into him and some of his friends. He recognized me." Here, his eyes dropped, and Satine knew there was more to the story than what he was telling. "When he told his friends who I was, they made… insinuations… that you were… you had…" His face turned bright red, and Satine knew exactly what had been said.

"That we had sex?" His face flushed brighter, and he nodded. Damn you, Obi-Wan and your uncouth friends. "I see."

"He's a Jedi."

The reminder was a swift, cruel dagger to her heart. "Yes."

"Did he…" The boy swallowed, seeming almost afraid to finish his question. "Did he force you?"

Force, this was one of the strangest conversations she had ever had. And with Korkie, nonetheless. "It was consensual."

"Did you love him?"

"He was a Jedi." Tears pricked her eyes, and she looked away so he wouldn't see them. "He never could have stayed."


Wow! First chapter and already so much is happening! To be honest, when I wrote this and the next two chapters, I had very little intention of ever posting it, and ended up going back and dividing it up into something that resembled chapters. I know there's a lot to comprehend, but I really couldn't find a better place to end it at.

Thank you to all of the new kudos/favorites/subscriptions/follows/bookmarks, you guys are awesome! And for all of you who have visited my Tumblr and left likes and/or comments, thank you so much!

Now, for my lovely reviewers:

Rachaelizame (Ao3): I'm so glad you like this! It's always encouraging to know that people look forward to my works. Korkie is such a fun character to write, as is Obi-Wan. I hope you liked this chapter as well!

ry1765 (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews like yours make my day, and I hope that you're not disappointed.

barelypassing4sane (FF): I hope we didn't disappoint!

DogsAreTheBest312 (Ao3): Thank you so much! It may not come as a surprise to you (seeing as I am writing this) but I love our Duchess and Jedi as well.

CCA03 (Ao3): I'm glad you've decided to join us for this little adventure! Your enthusiasm inspires me so much!

Rachael (FF): I'm so glad you caught that! Don't worry, it won't be the last reminder we have of his younger days.

Next time: Hautings of the Past. We've seen a bit of Korkie, a bit of Satine, and now we'll get to see a bit of Obi-Wan & friends.