Part 2: Grandma's Gambling Problem
"How much is a trip to Coruscant?" The Sith asked the person she believed to own the fastest ship.
"That would be twelve thousand credits, Lady…." The pilot leaned forward and flashed a charming smile.
"Mercure Skywalker. You are staying for the Podrace, aren't you…?" The dark-haired Sith asked the Twi'lek before her.
"Janier. Janier Rar. Well, I'm staying if you're watching that race, Lady Skywalker." The Twi'lek pilot replied.
"Mind if I pay you half after the race and another half when we get to Coruscant?" Mercure asked.
"Sure thing, fair Lady Skywalker."
As the middle-aged Sith followed the bustling crowd and climbed to the top of the stands for the race, she reached out with the Force once again to scan the podracers. When she reached the top, she heard a shout.
"Hey, lady, who do you think will win this race?" Mercure Skywalker heard a voice beside her.
"The red one in the center."
"What, are you crazy? He came in last for five years!" The man shouted at the Sith Lady.
"I bet fifty thousand credits that he will be first this time." Mercure Skywalker replied in her icy tone.
"Prepare to pay, woman." The man beside Mercure gave her a boastful look
"My name is not woman. I am Diabla and I will win this bet." The dark-haired Sith smiled slightly as she began to slip into the Force.
"Well, if you're serious about the bet, then so am I." The man flashed a portion of his wealth to the Sith.
As one racer passed the Sith's prized red, a piece of debris hit its engines and the red podracer was ahead once more. Another racer passed the red one, but several of its bolts came loose and the racer crashed soon after. When Siths gambled, they always won, and Darth Diabla was going to continue the winning streak with the help of her powers.
The whole audience, except for Mercure Skywalker, looked incredulous as the crimson painted podracer crossed the finish line.
"Bantha fodder! Why you were right, Diabla. Fifty thousand, as I promised." The man handed a suitcase to Mercure. The Sith smiled. Her ticket to her apprentice on Coruscant and the money for her new ship were in her hand.
"My family has a talent for gambling." The dark-haired Mercure headed back for the Twi'lek she was about to pay. Mercure went over her plan in her head. First was the ride to Coruscant. There, she would locate her possible apprentice and then she would hire someone to retrieve her granddaughter from the clutches of the Jedi.