"Get off my porch you filth! This is not a hotel! Where do you think you are?!"
Aleena felt a sudden spike of pain in her side as the angry storeowner kicked her in the ribs. She sprang to her feet.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to… I've just arrived here, I'm looking for employment, if you have a vacancy by any chance…" she sputtered, but the tiny man was unmoved.
"Get out!" he yelled and shoved the woman with such force that she nearly fell.
"Okay, okay… sorry…" Aleena stammered and distanced herself from the store.
The road was still muddy from previous day's rainfall, her clothes likewise. She had been on Rikoros for enough time to lose count of the days, still without work and, for a while now, without accommodation. She did get a room at the hostel Kevens recommended, even found it acceptable, but after two weeks dwindling funds forced her to give it up. The need for money became only more pressing every since. Contacting Karf was impossible, and she wouldn't have dared to risk it anyway, so Aleena's only hope was to find a job. But over a month of search yielded no results, and with rough sleeping starting to show on her appearance, it was only going to get harder from here.
She forced her dirty curls into a more orderly arrangement, sourly looking forward to another day-long hunt for a source of income.
According to legend Camp Arlette, the host city of Rikoros' only spaceport, was named after the wife of some pioneer who first set up an outpost in the area in an expression of love, though perhaps without foreseeing that this 'camp' would eventually grow into a settlement with almost a million residents. Two hundred years later the compliment would be lost on any visitor. Much like its name, the city's infrastructure had never been updated and was woefully inadequate for its size. Dirty streets peppered with potholes, if coated at all, dilapidated buildings lacking running water and electricity, eternally clogged sewers belching the penetrative smell of trash and rot after every rainfall – which graced the city every other day.
The local government didn't appear to be interested in or capable of imposing any kind of order on this mess. Illegal trades and crime flourished; Aleena herself had to fight off five pickpockets in the first weeks until her looks became ragged enough for them not to bother.
She wandered around, visiting the roadside shops that provided the backbone of the local economy, asking whether they could use an extra worker. The answer varied between a sad headshake and an annoyed growl. Most residents struggled to provide even for themselves; feeding an extra mouth was not a charity many could afford. Aleena got the odd tip about an opportunity at a friend or acquaintance, but in the end all of these leads turned up cold.
By noon she was a lot gloomier and still unemployed. Both money and unexplored parts of Camp Arlette were running short. She made her way back to the eastern district, her mind clouded in dark thoughts.
Her destination was the Blind Blurrg, a tavern she had discovered a few days before. It was a dimly lit, unpleasant place full of questionable people and even more questionable odours, but it had the cheapest bone soup in town.
She nestled into a corner with her meager lunch, glancing into her pouch before putting it away. Not as if she needed to count its contents – she was painfully aware of every credit spent. But there was always that nagging hope that she could discover a couple extra chips among the wrinkles that had escaped her attention before. Alas, there were none. A few more meals and she's broke.
Occupants of a nearby booth stared at her. Aleena adjusted posture to hide her face and spooned the soup faster. Even the briefest glance could make her nervous. Rikoros didn't have the overt Imperial presence of Excio, but that proved to be a mixed blessing. Without a clear source of danger to avoid, Aleena feared a spy behind every gaze.
For a minute, it seemed that she managed to lose the interest of this particular lot, but then she heard the creak of a bench, followed by clapping footsteps approaching her spot. Covertly as she could, she dropped a hand into her lap to feel out the lightsaber in her pocket. Not to show alertness, she tried to keep eating with the other, but missed her mouth. A half-spoon of soup trickled down her cheek just as the stranger arrived at the table.
"Hey girl."
Aleena wiped her face and looked up. A tall, thin woman stood there, grinning. She had noticed this one before – it was impossible not to – but still flinched at the extravagant sight. The stranger was a human, but one would be forgiven to take a minute to realize that. She wore black pants and shirt, adorned with neon-green and lilac threads and countless shiny rivets and chains that seemed to have no pattern or purpose. Her makeup was clearly meant to terrify rather than charm, with two dark patches around the eyes and generously applied black lipstick borrowing her otherwise sickly white face a skull-like appearance. Crowning it all was glowing pink hair, arranged into an array of spikes pointing to the sky.
"I couldn't help but notice that you appear to be a little short on money" the stranger continued mincingly "I might have an offer for you, if you'd like to earn a few quick credits."
Credits. That hit a nerve.
"What kind of offer?" Aleena asked cautiously.
"Come sit with us and we'll talk about it. May Prenna, by the way. And you would be…?"
"Corla, Corla Chau."
"Pleased to meet you, Corla" the woman motioned towards the booth "Shall we?"
Aleena vacillated for a moment. Prenna didn't exactly fit her idea of a trustworthy employer, but the emptiness of her purse was pressing. It can't hurt to at least hear the offer, she decided. She stood up and walked to the booth, followed closely by the pink-haired woman.
It was one of those better tables, large, clean, with cushioned benches on both sides, separated by a thin wall and if not brightened, at least brought to level with the dull weather outside by a small window. Aleena was yelled at the other day for sitting at one of these. They were reserved for guests of special importance.
Prenna was apparently one of those guests, and so were the other three waiting for them: a morbidly obese Twi'lek male and two men with conspicously displayed blasters on their belts. Prenna grabbed Aleena's shoulder and pushed her down on the seat across the alien.
"Corla, Zucho. Zucho, Corla Chau" she introduced only the Twi'lek. He's the boss probably, Aleena figured.
Nobody said a word, but Zucho leaned forward as much as his size allowed to examine Aleena. She was increasingly uncomfortable under the gaze of the alien, who, she felt, inspected her like some kind of animal he was about to purchase.
Prenna broke the awkward silence.
"So, what do you think?"
Zucho grimaced.
"I could imagine better."
Prenna huffed irritatedly.
"I hate to break it to you, boss, but we're a tad short on time and I can't see the other applicants queuing up. If you don't like my picks, go find one yourself."
The Twi'lek threw an angry look at the two women, as if they conspired against him. But with a groan, he relented.
"Fine. Use this one."
"What is the job?" Aleena demanded, trying hard to sound firm.
Zucho looked at her almost like he was surprised she could talk. Prenna prodded his shoulder.
"One of my business partners double-crossed me with some high-value merchandise and I intend to take back what's rightfully mine. You visit this slime tomorrow, present yourself as a potential buyer, make him take you to the warehouse, and drop a little something inside. You get, say, five hundred credits."
"You don't have to shoot the guy or anything" added Prenna "Just a little acting, then you walk away, then the crate walks away, that's all."
So it's a heist… not exactly what Aleena was vying for. Crime is trouble, no matter how much Prenna plays it down, and more trouble was the last thing Aleena wanted. Not shooting anyone is one thing, not getting shot is another. Still, she found she couldn't let go of the opportunity, the first and only one in weeks. Stealing an egg from the krayt's nest doesn't sound as brazen if one has nothing else to eat.
"What do I have to drop inside?"
"A droid. Don't worry about it. Are you in or not?"
There was no room for stalling, Prenna's tone made that clear. Aleena gathered up her willpower to push herself to a decision. She tried to think about the credits and not the rest.
"Okay" she said clumsily "I accept."
The words didn't ring as gravely for the gangsters as they did for her.
"Good. May will explain the details" Zucho said, clearly satisfied to be done with the conversation. He looked at Prenna "And have her take a shower."
"Sure thing, boss" the woman smirked "Come on girl, let's go."
She grabbed Aleena's shoulder and dragged her towards the entrance. It flashed through Aleena's mind that she wasn't actually finished with her lunch yet, but pride stopped her from mounting a protest over a few spoons' worth of tasteless bone soup.
They stepped out on to the street.
"We have to get you prepped, tomorrow's the big day. We're going to my place, I'll fill you in on the details there. Come on, this way."
They turned north. The streets were still sparse on account of the midday break, populated only by a host of beggars and colors of empty brown and grey. A cloud started to leak, refilling puddles that had barely just begun to dry. Prenna navigated the mire with the subtle expertise of a native, always putting her feet at the driest spot in range to keep herself remarkably clean. Aleena couldn't afford to care about such luxuries: even marching straight through she had difficulty keeping up with the long strides of her companion.
"So where are you from anyway?" asked Prenna casually, slowing down a bit so that Aleena could catch up.
"Excio" Aleena panted. She didn't tell the truth by mistake. Good deception requires knowledge, and she hardly had any even of the neighbouring province, let alone a foreign planet. So Aleena decided not to attempt to sell any tall tales about being from Boron-Ha or Gohu Minor. To reveal a little secret, so was the argument, is not so dangerous as getting caught in a transparent lie.
Prenna's unexpectedly suspicious glare made her reconsider that.
"Excio, huh? You don't look like it."
That was baffling. Aleena looked exactly like a typical northern Excian, if somewhat shorter.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, there are quite a few of your folk running around here, but they're all these ugly aliens with the hide of a rancor, not cute little girls like you. I thought that's how a proper Excian looks like."
"No, no, we're human. I mean, there are all kinds of people in the cities, but the natives are human."
"Huh, interesting."
They continued in silence. Apparently, Prenna was finished with the small talk, but now Aleena's curiosity had been awakened.
"So, uh, there are Excians in Camp Arlette?" she probed.
"Well, not in Arlette, at least not many, but Caraboro up north is reeking with them. They pretty much own the place. You didn't know that?"
Aleena shook her head.
"I've just arrived here a couple weeks ago."
"Ah. Well –" Prenna frowned "Don't think too much about it. You can go hug your hideous friends after you get your job done."
"You brought it up" Aleena retorted. Prenna guessed her thoughts correctly. If things don't work out here – and there was a high chance for that – it could be a good idea to pay a visit to her countrymen. Though Prenna's terse description of the aliens didn't ring any bells, if they're indeed from Excio maybe she can expect a bit more goodwill from them than from the uncompassionate residents of the capital. She made a mental note of Caraboro but decided not to press the matter further with her companion.
The surroundings started to change: the line of cramped shops and rundown shacks replaced by rectangular, grey residential buildings. They were closely built but never touching, though the gap was often so small a fat mudworm would have had trouble wiggling in. Unable to offer a practical explanation Aleena assumed it to be a status symbol, showing off how, in the overcrowded and impoverished Camp Arlette, the owner could still afford a place to call fully their own. A pathetic brag, but fitting for this town.
A few minutes later they stopped at the entrance of a nondescript concrete cube. Prenna took out a plastic card and touched it to the reader installed on the wall. The device beeped and the door slid open.
"Welcome to my home, girl."
Aleena stepped inside. The apartment was refreshingly tidy compared to the street swimming in filth and, discounting a rug shining in chaotic colors in the middle of the living area, strikingly ordinary-looking compared to its owner. White walls, a pale green sofa, a couple cushioned armchairs of similar design, a coffee table, a cupboard full of exotic breweries. About the same size or even a bit smaller than the Sakkars' humble home on Excio, but Aleena suspected that here on Rikoros this was considered to be well above the average.
She took off her shoes, then unbuttoned her cloak and moved to hang it up.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Prenna caught her arm "You clean that rag before putting it next to my stuff! In fact, how about you don't touch anything before you take a shower."
She pushed her to a door opening on their left. It was the bathroom.
"Wash your clothes too. Soap is in the yellow bottle. Make it quick, hot water's in short supply."
Aleena stalled.
"Can I get some change clothes?"
Prenna cocked an eyebrow.
"Change clothes?"
"Mine are going to be wet. I'd rather not hang around naked."
"Girl, you forgot to mention that you're some kind of royalty" Prenna grimaced. Nonetheless, she disappeared into the bedroom, shortly returning with a worn gown in hand "There you go, princess."
"Thanks" Aleena said, perhaps a bit more dryly than she intended to. She considered her request entirely reasonable and didn't like being mocked for it.
The tap squealed for a few seconds before letting out a stream of water. It was lukewarm, it was tinted, but it was water. Aleena watched a brownish puddle accumulate at her feet. Suddenly she couldn't fault Prenna for being so insistent about the shower. Until now, she did not realize how dirty she was.
She absent-mindedly paddled the water towards the sink with her foot, evaluating the developments of the past hour. Things moved and turned so quickly, she needed a moment to catch up. Is this really just a one-time job? Or some sort of an entry test, and she can continue to work for Zucho if she passes? Maybe even expected to? She didn't know how to feel about that. 'Gangster' was a slur to her growing up. Monga's bandits, the killers of her mother, were the villains of her childhood, monsters she never knew but still hated with all her heart. When practicing her fight skills, she often imagined them in the path of the blade, screaming, dying, fleeing. And herself standing victorious, having protected her home and her father, who had to suffer so much.
Instead she got him killed and was know begging for crumbs from Monga's kind. The double boulders of guilt and shame struck Aleena. It took an effort to get her emotions under control. She must not think about the past; she will drown if she allows herself to be weighed down by it. The old life is gone, and with it the old morals will have to go too. It's not like she didn't try to find a honest occupation. And who knows, it might not even be that bad, just not… legal.
The water turned ice-cold. Aleena hissed. Short supply indeed.
She quickly finished showering, dried herself and put on Prenna's gown, realizing with disappointment that it didn't have any pockets. She liked having the lightsaber at hand, if for nothing else, then to not let Prenna accidentally find it. She didn't quite trust her host to keep a secret, and doubted that, despite its apparent absence, the Empire was completely deaf to rumors spreading in the city. Or to greedy fat gangsters turning their contractors in for a reward.
After washing her clothes, she reluctantly left the weapon in her trousers' pocket.
"Finally" Prenna looked up as she exited the bathroom "Take a seat, it's time for a mission briefing."
Aleena sat down. There were two objects on the table: a fist-sized truncated pyramid she recognized as a portable holographic projector, and something that looked like a metal snake, some thirty centimeters in length and one in width.
Prenna clapped and started.
"So. As you might have guessed, we're running an honest but not entirely legal business here on Rikoros. We buy stuff, sell stuff, keep the trade flowing. Recently we caught wind of some really expensive surveillance equipment up for the grabs. Well, technically not us, but this guy" she powered up the projector. A myriad holographic pixels shot out of the ray tube and coalesced into the squid-like head of an alien "Dorly Jarson. Smuggler and big time backstabber. He doesn't have the muscle to acquire the goods, so proposes a joint venture. We agree, move in on the transport, get the stuff, everything goes perfectly. Then suddenly Dorly decides he's entitled to the whole thing, because he lost a skipper in the operation or some hogwash like that. So he just takes it and refuses to give us a cut. Zucho'd rather not start a war over it, but we're sure as hell taking our rightful share. And Dorly's too, obviously. That's what you're going to help us with."
She pressed a button. The image fell apart, then reformed into that of a dark-haired woman.
"Ryke Kolaya of the famous Black Sun. The syndicate is interested in the goods, so they're sending her to have a look and negotiate. Dorly expects her tomorrow, shortly after noon, but regrettably she's going to be… delayed. This is where you come into the picture. You take Kolaya's place, meet Dorly at his warehouse and ask to see the goods. He leads you to the crate. You try to look very experty, examine the thing, ask some thoughtful questions I prepared for you and most importantly, drop this darling nearby" she pointed at the snake "It's a droid that will help us get in and steal the thing. You plant it, walk out of the building, make some small talk. Ten minutes tops. You wave goodbye, kiss-kiss, then meet Zucho in the Blurrg and get your payment. That's all. Easy money."
"For me or for you?"
Prenna laughed.
"Both. Come on, girl, have a little trust."
"What does this droid do?" Aleena prodded the snake, but it didn't move.
"Looks around, sends images, unlocks doors, that kind of stuff."
"And how am I supposed to drop this thing without Dorly noticing? It's not that small."
"We'll wrap it around your ankle, it'll slither off when you give a signal, and go hide somewhere in the warehouse. It's a pretty damn smart little critter, don't worry about it. I've used it like ten times already, always works like a charm. But you can stop fiddling with it, it's switched off, not gonna do anything."
Aleena heeded the advice and instead stared at Kolaya's image. It was clear why Zucho wasn't thrilled with her.
"I don't really look like this woman" she noted.
"Yeah, that's a tiny imperfection we'll just have to live with. Dorly's a Quarren, he can tell apart humans no better than you could two of his tentaclehead mates. You have roughly the same colors and the same number of eyes, that should be enough. And I'm not even sure he's seen Kolaya before anyway."
"How long is she going to be 'delayed'?"
"Depends on how much of her criminal record is on file at the sector judiciary. A couple decades, I'd say."
She switched off the projector.
"So, if you're done with all the questions we can get to the rehearsal."
She walked to the cupboard and grabbed a bottle, then threw herself on the sofa sending another of her skull-grins towards Aleena.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get to it! You're Ryke Kolaya and you've come to buy my fancy spy gadgets" a theatrical gesture nearly sent the bottle flying "Come on, girl, astonish me!"
"Very well. I'll arrange for the payment to be transferred to you within three days."
Prenna burst out in a hysterical, alcohol-stenched cackle.
"How do you… how do you even make that face, darling? I mean, it's like you want to murder me, right now" she wiped off a tear "But seriously, you're good. Really good. Top performance" she clapped.
Aleena was not entirely sure if she truly deserved the praise or it was just the booze talking. She was getting seriously tired and Prenna was getting seriously drunk. They'd spent the whole afternoon practicing, going over the same scene again and again: Aleena impersonating the cold and deadly Black Sun lieutenant Ryke Kolaya and Prenna playing the role of an increasingly inarticulate Dorly Jarson. The process was quite mentally draining; Prenna kept shuffling up her dialog in each iteration, at first to force her partner into improvising and later because, very likely, she couldn't recall her lines from five minutes prior. But whatever the reason was, the method worked: the farmer who merely a few hours ago could barely grasp even the basics of interstellar communications started to feel oddly confident bargaining for high-end hyperradio eavesdropping equipment.
"I have to tell you something, girl, I have… I have no idea how this will turn out" Prenna extended on the sofa and took yet another pull on yet another bottle, still struggling to keep her chuckling at bay "I mean, Dorly could just go like… like… you're not Kolaya! I'm gonna kill you! But either way… we'll either get rich or, uh, laugh our heads off. Wanna have a drink?"
Aleena shrugged. Why not.
"Yeah."
Prenna tossed over the bottle. Aleena took a mouthful and regretted it immediately. The liquid scorched a burning trail down her gullet. She had to cough.
"Whoah, whoah, whoah, careful, princess! We don't wanna ruin your vocal cords, do we" Prenna grinned "Put that down, I have something more in line with your, uh, royal sophistication."
She shambled to the cupboard to search its contents with an uncertain hand. Half a minute later she turned around caressing a bottle of some reddish liquid with a collector's pride.
"Here, try this."
"What is it?" asked Aleena suspiciously.
"Halumi. Straight from Excio. Do you like halumi?"
"Never tasted it."
"What? You" Prenna waved a finger at her guest "I think… you know what I think? I think you're lying to me. You're not brown, you're not ugly, and you don't even drink halumi. You're not really from Excio, are you."
"I am from Excio, just not the part where halumi is made. It's a western continent thing. We don't drink it."
"Oh. So you're from the, uh, eastern continent?"
"Northern. There are three continents, northern, southern, western."
"Uh-huh. Interesting. And what do you drink, on the, uh, northern continent?"
"It's mostly fruit liquors and honey beer where I live… lived. But it's a big continent, there's a lot of different stuff."
"Sounds nice. Is that a nice place? Where you lived. Better than Arlette?"
Aleena shrugged again.
"A bit."
Prenna almost exploded with laughter.
"A bit?! I take it back, I… I take everything back. You need to step up your game, girl, you're a terrible liar. A bit better than Arlette, huh? Good one, good one."
"Okay, a lot better."
"Yeah, so why are you here then and not there in your nice princess palace?"
Aleena bit her lip. Despite her intoxicated state, Prenna noticed the hesitation.
"It's okay, girl, it's okay, we all have secrets here" she dropped back on the sofa, grabbing and casually gulping up the remainder of the drink that almost set Aleena's throat aflame "Like, for example, mine is that I'm an artist. In secret. You see that… that thing you're stomping on?" she pointed to the colorful carpet under her feet "I, uh, I designed that."
"It's really nice" Aleena granted. Prenna either ignored or missed out on her insincerity this time.
"Yeah, uh, it isn't worth a dime."
"So why are you here? Why do you work for Zucho instead of selling your art?"
Prenna frowned.
"I don't know. It's convenient. Kinda bad, but convenient, you know? And anyway, it's not like I could make a living out of paintings and whatnot. Nobody pays for that."
"That's not true. Good artwork is really expensive."
"In your dreams, princess."
"Maybe not here on Rikoros, but…"
"Well why don't you… why don't go do that then if you're so smart, huh?" Prenna snapped "I have… I have a house. I have stuff. You don't. So shut up."
Aleena flinched. She stepped on a sore toe, it seemed.
"Okay, sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"I said shut up."
Prenna struggled to her feet and threw the last, empty bottle on top of the pile.
"I think I'll call the day in. Lots of work tomorrow. You can sleep on the sofa, or, uh, wherever you want. I don't care."
She stumbled to the bedroom. Aleena watched her, the halumi still in her hands.
"Goodnight, May" she said softly.
"What? Yeah, uh, goodnight."
The door closed. Aleena unscrewed the cap and took a shy sip. She didn't like it. It was too sour.
It is ironic, Aleena thought, that what easily looks like the fanciest part of town is apparently a smugglers' hive. 'Fancy' didn't mean much, of course: in better places, the quarter could probably pass for a relatively pleasant industrial zone. Zero decoration, rectangular, utilitarian buildings everywhere, about as unimaginative as dull concrete can get. What put the quarter ahead the rest of the city was its wide, airy streets with generally well-maintained, clean asphalt coating. Got to make a good impression on protocol guests, Aleena pondered. Like a high-ranking member of an interstellar crime syndicate.
She took the last corner, her cloak mildly flapping in the wind. Grey clouds swirled on the sky, bringing the promise of yet another rainy day. The downtown crowd was absent here; only a few people wandered on the streets, minding their own business. Aleena did likewise. She arrived at a large, open area flanked by a number of warehouses. Across the square she noticed two tall, greenish aliens sporting tentacle-like appendages on their head.
Aleena's stomach twitched. The first part was going to be the most dangerous. She felt pressure on her shin: the droid latching onto her leg pulled itself tighter. It had been so still she nearly forgot about it, but now, as if picking up on its carrier's anxiousness, it tensed up too.
She glanced around to assess viable escape routes. If the smugglers don't fall for the trick, she'll have to get out real fast. She recalled Prenna's argument that Quarren could distinguish humans no better than humans could Quarren, and found some odd reassurance in the fact that she could not tell which of the two aliens was Dorly Jarson.
They established eye contact from a distance, so she only made a short nod upon reaching the pair.
"Jarson, I assume?"
"Welcome, Miss Kolaya" the one on the left replied "Yes, I'm Dorly Jarson. This is my colleague, Gar Filumow" he looked around over Aleena's head, visibly surprised "Just alone?"
Aleena had a prepared line for that. She cocked an eyebrow.
"Is it a problem?"
"No, of course not. I just expected someone of your importance to bring some security."
"I have all the security I need" Aleena replied icily, brushing her cloak aside to reveal a blaster on her belt "And I advise you not to test it, Jarson."
"Alright, alright, just wondering" the alien protested "No need for hostility, we're here to do business, aren't we?"
"Well then let's get to it."
"Of course, of course. Follow me, please."
That went better than expected. Being such a grouch probably won't help Ryke Kolaya secure a good deal, but will save Aleena Sakkar from a whole lot of small talk. The less chit-chat, the lesser chance she slips up; so she preferred Jarson to keep his prices high and his mouth shut.
The entrance, a massive metal gate, was likely once painted bright orange, but was dulled to rusty red and grey by the seasons. Jarson typed in a long sequence on the keypad. It beeped and blinked, acknowledging the password. A series of loud metallic clangs followed. The gate separated into four wedge-shaped pieces, each slowly rotating into a hidden socket along the frame. Aleena admired the robustness of the locking mechanism. They were surely not the first ones to try to rob this guy.
The warehouse was bigger than it looked from the outside. Aleena counted eight lines of storage racks right away, nearly two stories high each, packed with containers of various shapes and sizes. Floating inventory droids flew back and forth between them, buzzing like oversized insects on a summer evening. A nearby one powered up a scanner ray, allowing Aleena to make out a few inscriptions in its light: 'silk', 'condensed tibanna', 'optical cable'. Jarson was trading with a wide range of goods, if the labels could be trusted.
Suddenly it appeared small-minded to try to lift just one thing from this vast inventory, or for the man possessing it to get into such a bitter squabble over just one box out of the hundreds. That this was the nonetheless case made Aleena appreciate just how expensive the equipment she's after must be.
The container in question was in the middle of the second row to their left, a man-sized black slab on the bottom shelf. Jarson snapped his fingers and gestured to a droid. It flew over the group and lit up like a lamp. Aleena, having already adjusted to the shade, had to blink.
Jarson activated the repulsor on the container, pulled it into the aisle and opened up the lid.
"Well, here it is."
Aleena knelt down. The metallic snake repositioned itself on her leg not to cut into the popliteal, while its floating counterpart above hovered lower to provide better visibility. Droids are so considerate.
The machine was a tangled mess of wires and circuitry. Boards, coils and capacitors all about, seemingly everything connected to everything else by at least to cables. Aleena tried to match the chaos in front of her with Prenna's instructions. Taking a stab in the dark, she pushed aside a batch of cables. Three neatly parallel removable boards were revealed behind, and a fourth, empty slot. A memory popped into her mind. These must be the decryptor cards. So the circuitry connected to the array is the… main computing core? Computing unit? Something like that. The layout started to make sense.
"It's military-grade equipment" Jarson boasted.
"Indeed" Aleena confirmed dryly, running her finger on a sequence ingrained at the bottom "It even has an Imperial Navy inventory number. Someone's going to miss this if they don't already."
"It's second-hand" the smuggler hurried to reassure her "The Empire won't be able to trace it."
"Do I get a warranty on that?" she scoffed. The Quarren remained silent. Aleena flashed a mocking half-smile at him "I thought so. But it's not a deal-breaker. So you say it's second-hand?"
"Yes… but as you can see, it's in a very good condition" Jarson replied reluctantly. Aleena decided, with a hint of pride, that she was nailing the role of the tough negotiator. But there was more she needed to do. She slid her left foot under the container and scratched her kneecap. The droid got the signal and slithered downwards.
Aleena looked up to draw the sight of Jarson and Filumow.
"This is just the computer core. What about the antennas?"
"We don't have antennas, unfortunately."
"Just the core."
"Yes."
Down at her ankle, she felt the droid exit the cloth. She lost focus for a moment, and just nodded a few times before continuing the conversation. Jarson didn't seem to have noticed anything.
"I saw some decryptor cards in there, though."
"Yes, it comes with three decryptors, for GES-1 and GES-2 civilian codes and one for HSES. And it's extensible, of course."
"HSES?" Aleena clicked her tongue, hoping that HSES was something to be impressed about "Not bad."
She could no longer feel the touch of metal. Droid deployed. She stood up, stealing a downward glance during the motion.
Jarson cleared his throat.
"So, unless you need to look at something else, I think it's time for us to sit down and talk business. I suggest we get to someplace more comfortable for that."
"Agreed."
The Quarren closed and pushed the container back onto the rack. Aleena tensely watched it slide over the floor. Nothing. Wherever the snake had gone, it left no trace behind. Pretty smart thing for its size.
Jarson dismissed the droid on lamp duty. They headed back towards the entrance in dusk.
"Ah" Jarson stopped, as if suddenly remembering something "Gar, fetch some of that Corellian wine from the previous batch. Unless" he looked at Aleena "Our guest wishes for something else."
"Oh, no, that'll do fine" said Aleena absently. She briefly contemplated the sad irony of the fact that the person she was helping to rob was more polite to her than pretty much anybody else on this planet. But then again, he was nice to a powerful customer, not some refugee girl.
Filumow turned back to get the wine. Aleena and Jarson proceeded forward.
"I hope you were pleased with what you saw?" the alien probed.
"More or less what I expected."
"Then we should be able to come to a quick agreement."
"Perhaps. But do I need to remind you, I'm not here to buy anything. Just negotiate a price."
"Of course, of course. Still, it'd be good to know when can I expect you to make the payment" Jarson said, quickly adding "…and pick up the goods."
Aleena lifted an eyebrow..
"Is there a time constraint I should know about?"
"No, no… I just prefer to close deals quickly."
She had a rising suspicion that Jarson actually expected Zucho to try to interfere in some way. It might be a good idea to mention that to Prenna.
"If we can come to an agreement now, I'll arrange for the payment to be transferred to you within three days."
They reached the entrance in the meantime; her last words were accompanied by the roar of the opening gate. The four doorpieces retreated into their respective pits. However, the way was not free.
Aleena froze.
A black-haired woman stood outside, flanked by two droids. Ryke Kolaya.
"Jarson, I assume?"
Aleena felt the gaze of the smuggler. She darted through the entrance in panic. The Quarren tried to grab her, but didn't get a good hold.
"Don't let her get away!" he yelled. Easy as he was to deceive, the smuggler deciphered the situation remarkably fast.
She felt a second hand on her shoulder, this one strong and cold. Kolaya's droid. It tugged her back. She launched again to break out of its grasp, but the steel hand latched onto her like a padlock. Aleena fumbled for the blaster. She aimed at the droid's face and pulled the trigger.
Click. Nothing. The weapon was not loaded.
Kolaya might not have fully understood what was going on, but she certainly understood the meaning of a bare gun. She pulled her own. In final desperation, Aleena smashed her useless weapon into the criminal's face. Kolaya stumbled back. With the second she bought, Aleena jumped and, resting her torso against the droid's hull, kicked her in the stomach with two legs. All three fell on the ground. Filumow came in running, bottle in one hand, blaster in the other. Kolaya dropped hers.
Amidst the chaos, Aleena reached out, and with a spark of focused effort, pulled Kolaya's gun into her hand. She started firing blindly. The two Quarren dived into cover. The second droid was hit on the head. It twitched in a manner disturbingly human, then became still.
A hard object pressed against Aleena's throat. She managed to wedge a hand in between just in time to counter the droid's squeeze, while searching for her captor's head with the gun. She fired twice. Droids don't relax even in death, but without the will to keep it in place, she could pry the suffocating arm off her neck.
She sprang to her feet, gasping for air. A hint of movement in her peripheral vision. She jerked the weapon towards it: Ryke Kolaya, caught in mid-motion trying to get off the ground. Her eyes pierced into Aleena's, blazing with anger and perhaps only the slightest sign of fear. For a moment Aleena stood aiming the gun at the woman with shaking hand, then turned around and ran away.
Blaster shots rang out. Aleena stumbled. Searing pain pierced her left shoulder and spread down her arm. Emboldened by her retreat, the smugglers emerged from the warehouse and started shooting; one of the bolts grazed her. She ducked her head and returned fire. The nearest corner was just a few meters away. She dived behind it, feeling a tide of relief as the wall threw between her and the gangsters a sheltering mass of concrete.
She tried to catch a breath. Her arm hurt like hell.
The empty street enticed with an easy escape, but Aleena was afraid to have her back towards the enemy. She heard them approaching. There was no time left; she used up all her advantage getting hold of herself. If she runs now, she will be shot for sure.
So she did the only other thing that could be done. Wincing like one does before a plunge into icy water, she leaned out from behind the corner. Jarson and Filumow were running towards her, weapons drawn but unprepared for a counterattack. She fired a couple shots at their feet. The aliens stopped and crouched, lacking any usable cover on the open field.
Bang, bang, bang. Aleena neatly circumscribed Filumow with a volley: one at the feet, one past the shoulder, one over the head. Always close but never on. She couldn't bring herself to turn the barrel that final few degrees, to have a straight shot at the Quarren. She was just as angry at Prenna for putting her into this mess, and refused to get dragged into it deeper by killing someone.
One can miss only so many clear shots and be taken seriously, but for now the act was convincing enough. The aliens slowly retreated towards the gate. Kolaya disappeared entirely.
Bang. That was a close one, she could feel the heat on her neck. But how…? She realized it almost too late that the shot didn't come from the front. She had a split second to dive out of the aim of the droid sneaking up behind her.
Fire. The droid went down. Must be Kolaya's backup. Before she could recoil, two more appeared at the end of the street, advancing with a rigid jog. The relative sense of security behind the corner was shattered with enemies now approaching from all sides. Aleena discharged the blaster, again and again, all around, not even caring about her aim anymore, just trying to fight off the enveloping threats.
Another droid goes down. Another pair appears, now across the square.
This Ryke Kolaya must be a real fine lady to come here and negotiate, and not just take over the entire district with her goddamn droid army. She puts the CIS to shame.
Aleena tried to think. The droids are slow and have terrible aim, Jarson and Filumow are on the other side of the wall and don't seem to want to press their luck. She has a chance to escape but she has to act fast. There's a service ladder on the opposite wall. How did she not notice it before? Doesn't matter. Get to the ladder, get to the rooftop. She should be safer there.
She took out another droid, then bolted through the street. She made it to the ladder. It was rusty and wet. The steps raced downwards, four, five at a time. She didn't climb, she jumped, calling on the Force to complement the power of her own muscles. Plasma bolts landed all around her. One sent burning sparks to her face. She winced. When she opened her eyes again, there were no more steps. She made it to the top.
She scrambled to get away from the edge. Another moment of relief, maybe even a minute. She wasn't too keen to find out which, though. Where to now? Back down on the other side? She'd lose her advantage. And with Kolaya's pets all over the place, she could very well be caught in a plier again. Into the building? She didn't see any way to enter. Well… the lightsaber is always there. Cut a hole in the roof, jump inside. But then what? Only way out is the open street again.
Aleena took a deep breath. There's really just one option here. She measured the distance to the next rooftop. Less than ten meters. Should be possible.
She holstered the blaster and started towards the edge. The Force flowed through her muscles, accelerating every step.. The gap rushed closer. Three, two, one and jump!
She launched from the edge, flying over the street in an unnaturally high arc. Her stomach twitched. Heights weren't a problem, but she hated flying - with hovercraft, with spaceships, and especially without. Man has feet to stand on the ground, not to dangle them hurling helplessly in the air. She put them forward to prepare for landing, hoping not to twist an ankle.
She arrived on the roof with a healthy dozen inches to spare, going into a roll to soften the impact. Back on her feet, she charged forward immediately, already concentrating on the next leap. And two, and one, and jump. Legs out, arms forward, land, roll, up, next.
A couple minutes and a few buildings later she decided it was far enough. She sat down by an exhaust port, panting and cursing quietly. Her injury, merciful enough to stay unnoticed during the escape, now collected its dues double. Aleena pulled up the neck of her shirt, hissing as the cloth rubbed the wound. An elongated ellipse of charred skin blemished her shoulder, framing a patch of exposed flesh. It wasn't very deep, but could easily get infected if not kept clean.
Those 'couple decades' flew by real fast, she fumed to herself.
But the saltiness couldn't stick. She was busted, she was shot, but she made it out, alive and successful. The five hundred credits was good as hers, and she was increasingly hopeful for more. A new assignment. A place in the gang, even. Five droids down without so much as a working blaster to start with. That should turn some heads – and open some pockets. Money, contacts, three meals a day and a warm bed for the night. Friends. A normal life.
A normal life as a gangster… robbing rivals, shooting droids, jumping on rooftops. Suddenly she saw a face, the disappointed face of…
No. That door must remain locked.
The offer can be considered when it is made. For now, off the roof.
They agreed to meet up at the loading area behind the spaceport. The docks were idle that day. No ships in the sky, no work on the ground. Only a few transport vehicles shuttled back and forth. Aleena settled down on a pile of steel beams where she could get a good overview of the site.
Prenna still managed to surprise her. Just a few minutes later, she heard slow clapping from behind. She turned around and jumped off the pile.
"You put on quite a show, girl" Prenna grinned "Good job."
"Thanks" Aleena smiled back "Kolaya was there, though."
"Yeah, I'm as shocked as you are, but apparently law enforcement in our beloved little city are not the incorruptible saints a hardworking citizen would expect them to be. That, or someone bailed her out in record time. Which is pretty much the same thing, if you ask me."
"Wait, you saw her too?"
"Of course I did."
"With the droid?"
"Nah, girl, with my pretty two eyes. I was sitting on a rooftop two blocks down."
"You could have helped."
Prenna shrugged.
"Looked like you can handle it. You're in bombastic shape, darling. Jumping over streets and all. What juice are you on?"
"Nothing. I just… exercise a lot" Aleena couldn't help but feel disappointed over how lightly Prenna took the shootout.
"If you say so. Where's my blaster, by the way?"
Aleena removed the holster and handed it Prenna. The woman lifted it to her eyes to inspect, appearing surprised.
"This is not my blaster."
"No" Aleena replied with an edge, at once remembering how the empty weapon almost got her killed "But it's loaded."
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that. That was my backup, I don't really keep tabs on it. But you managed, and that's all that matters, isn't it?"
"Isn't it going to be a problem that Kolaya showed up? I mean, for you."
Prenna considered it for a second.
"I think not. Our little friend is safe and sound inside. Dorly might have figured out that we're up to something, but he probably suspected that anyway. On the other hand, he probably thinks that he thwarted whatever we were trying to do. So it could have helped, even. We'll see."
"When will we see?" Aleena probed.
"Tonight. Well, actually, you won't. But you can go pick up your money at the Blurrg. I already told Zucho you did your part."
She let out a long sigh.
"Well, gotta go. I still have to make some preparations for act two. See you around, girl!" she waved and headed off, only turn back towards a stunned Aleena after a few steps "Oh, and one more thing. Dorly's not gonna be impressed with your little stunt. You might wanna get out of town."
"But… what about you?" Aleena stammered, thrown off by the unceremonious goodbye.
The question seemed to amuse Prenna.
"Don't worry about me, girl, I'll be fine. See ya!"
And that was it. Prenna turned into a side street and disappeared. Aleena stared at the empty corner, speechless and disappointed. For the second time, she put her faith into someone only to be abandoned in the most humiliating manner possible. No offer. Not even a 'let's keep in touch'. She felt like a fool. There she was, worrying about moral integrity and whatnot… they were never going to offer anything. She was just a tool, used and discarded when no longer useful.
But it's all on you, said the cynic inside. She should have expected it from this scum. It was stupid to take the blabbering of a drunk as a sign of trust, to mistake trivial gestures for compassion. Prenna's human face was just another layer of makeup; in reality she was no better than Zucho, Jarson, or any other wretched criminal in this town. She saw the whole thing, watched Aleena fight for her life. 'Quite a show'. Was that shot a little more precise and when through her heart, Prenna would have had a good laugh out of it, and count the credits it saved for the gang.
Whatever, princess, a voice ringed in her head. Shut up.
She swallowed her bitterness and headed to the Blind Blurrg. No need for the drama. She wanted to go to Caraboro anyway. Let Prenna drown her pitiful life in that fancy alcohol collection of hers. Serves her right.
Zucho was in the same booth she met him at the day before, though accompanied by different men. Aleena stopped by the table. The Twi'lek was slurping some thick, orange drink. He didn't look up. Aleena cleared her throat to break the awkward silence and Zucho finally acknowledged her presence with a disgusted glare.
He took out his purse and threw some credits on the table.
"There's your money."
Aleena counted the chips.
"That's… one hundred" she said cautiously.
"So?"
"We agreed in five."
"Did we? Well, you made a mess. Take it and get lost."
Aleena didn't move.
"We agreed in five hundred credits" she insisted.
The guard smirked. Zucho's eyes narrowed.
"We didn't agree in anything. I said a number and you took it. I could have said a hundred and you would have taken it all the same. Look at you. Dirty beggar. You stank yesterday and you'll stink again tomorrow. You should be thankful to be clean for a day in your worthless life and have some change. Now take it and get out before I change my mind."
Aleena's blood boiled. Kevens, Prenna, and now this. She was itching to draw the lightsaber and chop off the head of this cocky, treacherous, repulsive alien right then and there, Imperial spies be damned.
In fact, why not?
The bodyguard lazily slid his hand onto the handle of his blaster. The air seemed heavier than before.
The pain in her shoulder soared, recalling the deadly power of plasma weaponry. With an angry huff, Aleena reined in her emotions. She's injured, outnumbered and stricken with enemies already. It's not worth it. Not for a blasted four hundred credits. Balancing on the edge of frenzy ready to break loose, she collected the chips and marched to the exit. She rushed out the door and started with long hard steps towards… somewhere. Anywhere. Away from people, away from humiliation, away from this rotten city.
She felt naked. Like all her shame and helpless anger was displayed to everyone around. As if they all witnessed how she can be fooled and dismissed and pushed around. Treated like garbage. Taken for nothing. And she won't even say a damn word about it. A Jedi? What a joke. An impostor, rather. A loser with a stolen lightsaber, that she's too afraid to even show. That's what she is. That's what she will forever be. She took it out on an empty tin can, kicking it over the street. Oh, look, Master Jedi is cranky! Better watch out!
Something ignited in her heart, some unnamed, unnoticed emotion. Barely just a candle in the firestorm raging inside at the moment, but more persistent and sinister.