CHAPTER 4

Snake in the Grass

Earlier that morning.

"10 credits? Chuba doompa, dopa-maskey kung!" She spat out in Huttese. "Don't play me the fool Fusho!"

"Cheespa bo coopa! You watch your mouth Amara." Fusho warned as he narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn't going to let anyone speak to him that way and call him names in his own shop, especially not from a woman.

Exhaling in exasperation she pleaded. "Come on Fusho. Help me out."

He looked down at the watch, eyeing the detail with small hand lens. After a few moments of inspection, he spoke. "Soboba. 15 credits… no more," he muttered.

"15? You know this is worth at least 30!" she raged.

Fusho put down his hand lens on the counter and threw the watch back at her. "Then go somewhere else and peddle your junk," he snarled. "I have a business to run." Amara barely had enough time to react before she caught it with shaky hands.

She stood there, narrowing her eyes at his. She did not want to back down but with what little options she had left she had no choice. She sighed in resignation before placing the watch on the counter and pushing it gently towards him. She held out her hand and Fusho chuckled as he placed the 15 credits in her hands.

"Mee jewz ku. Always a pleasure," he taunted. Taking the watch and putting it below the counter.

Amara reached into her knit sweater and tucked the credits into her bandeau. She left Fusho's stand without saying another word.

Damnit, she thought. Amara was certain that she was going to get much more for the timepiece she swiped from that pilot. She knew that Fusho wouldn't give her a fair deal, but she was at least hoping for enough to top off her savings.

The previous night, after leaving the pilot with the small knife to free himself, Amara quickly bolted from the cantina. She wasn't trying to avoid the pilot. She just didn't want to be pegged as the person who helped him escape. She didn't know why he was tied up, nor did she want to know. But she knew Chiara.

While Chiara worked at the Cantina as one of The Red Veil's top escorts, it was also known amongst the staff that she also supplemented her income with taking various contracts with the First Order. She had a list of names the First Order was looking for, and she kept an eye out for those people. If they showed up in the cantina she used her talents to get them isolated. Amara saw many people go upstairs with Chiara over the months, and not one of them ever came back down when she returned. Amara had made it her business to not know what happened once they went upstairs.

When Amara saw the pilot sweet talking with Chiara from across the room, she knew that he was trouble with the First Order. And since he was trouble, she knew she had to stay far away. That made it all the more annoying when she couldn't help how her body reacted when she first saw him walk up to her bar.

He radiated a crisp masculine energy that seized her attention. He wasn't a tall man but that didn't detract from his overall physique and confident aura. His sun-bronzed complexion complemented his wide smile, that showed a dazzling flash of white, as it reached all the way to his deep brown eyes. He was very handsome, his features strong and even. His posture, chin up and chest out, put his confidence on display while his smugness called out to others around him as if to say, "Come at me, I dare you."

His body showed the air of a cocky pilot, but his eyes added more depth. The way his eyes scanned the crowd showed her a different side of him. One that said he had his share of experience in the galaxy, and had few illusions left. He was a man who had been militarily trained. Somehow all of that combined made him even more attractive.

And she cursed herself for thinking that.

She was done with military men and she had a goal. She needed to get off this planet as soon as possible. Men were a distraction that she just didn't have time for. As she made her way through the crowd she glanced up at the large clocktower that was at the center of the marketplace. Where did the morning go? She grumbled as she quickened her step. She still had a few errands to run before Trader Pascal closed shop for the day.

"Mara!" a voice called out from the crowd.

Amara's stomach dropped as she recognized that husky feminine voice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before putting on her best surprised smile and turned. "Chiara!"

Navigating through the crowded marketplace, Chiara meandered through the mass of people, weaving through the gaps as if she were a snake in the grass. Her eyes focused on Amara, her mouth turned upwards into a grin that failed to reach her eyes. Her curves and sultry movement lured you in, her softness entrancing you.

But just like a snake, Chiara was full of venom, and was quick to bite when you weren't looking. Amara always kept her guard up when she was around her, not wanting to be caught in her grasp. She knew better than to get too close to her. Any slip and Amara ran the risk of revealing too much. She had worked too hard to get where she was and she would be damned if one mistake would muck up everything.

"You're up early," Amara remarked casually as she pulled her bag further up her shoulder.

Chiara brought Amara in for a hug. "Oh god don't remind me," Chiara groaned as she pulled away. "I would definitely rather be sleeping that's for sure. I had a long night last night and needed to wake up early to take care of some things."

Amara had a feeling that what she needed to take care of had to do with that pilot she stumbled upon last night. "Well isn't this a pleasant surprise. I've been up already for a couple hours. Just getting some errands taken care of myself. Is there anything you need me to grab for you while I'm out and about?"

Chiara smiled. "Oh, you're too sweet," she began. "No… well, actually, maybe there is something you can help me with." Chiara reached into her pocket and pulled out a small card. She pressed a button on the side and a holographic scene appeared. The image was a still that was taken from The Red Veil's security footage. The picture was a closeup of the pilot as he was heading down the back staircase of the cantina. He had one hand around his wrist as he looked off into the distance. "Do you remember seeing this man last night?"

Amara examined the picture, noting his furrowed brow and intense expression on his face as he scanned the room. No doubt he was either looking for Chiara or for her. The thought of him finding her again caused her body to become covered in goosebumps. Whether it was fear or excitement, she wasn't quite sure. She would ponder that later when she was not being questioned by Chiara.

"Hottie, isn't he?" Chiara's voice cut into whatever trance Amara was in, causing her to bring her focus back to Chiara.

Amara smiled and shook her head. "Typical pilot. Definitely not my type."

Chiara laughed. "Oh honey… a face like that is everyone's type," she mused. She lifted the hologram so that Amara could get a closer look. "Do you remember him from last night?"

Amara looked at the picture. Her pulse quickened. "I remember seeing him at the bar," she said slowly, carefully thinking of what she was going to say next. "I refilled some drinks he brought to the bar. I didn't see him again after that."

Chiara tilted her head, her face giving nothing away. "Really? The camera showed you coming down the stairs a few minutes before he did. I thought that perhaps you saw him upstairs when you went to grab your stuff."

Shit.

If Chiara saw her on camera then she would have seen her going upstairs as well. And if she saw her going upstairs she would have noticed that when she came downstairs she was no longer dressed in her work gear. There was only one place where the girls kept their things during their shifts.

There was no way that Amara could have gotten her things without her noticing that pilot. Amara paused, gathering her thoughts and carefully sorting out what she was going to say next.

"Oh, is that who was upstairs?"

Great Amara. Now you sound like a dummy. Think of something better you idiot.

"Honestly, I barely paid him any attention. He was completely passed out when I was in there. I figured that it would have been best to just quickly grab my stuff and sneak out before he woke up again. Why was he in there? Don't you typically do the kink clients in the other area?"

Chiara observed her. Amara could see her eyes narrowing as she contemplated what she just heard. Amara counted the time between her breaths, trying to make them as evenly spaced as possible. She didn't want to tip her off that she was nervous.

Seeming to believe her story Chiara turned off the hologram and put the card back into her pocket. "Oh, he wasn't a client. He was being held for questioning."

"Questioning? By who?" Amara asked. She didn't know why she asked. She knew better than to ask questions. But this man couldn't help but catch her interest and she couldn't understand why. Once again that was another thing she would ponder when she was out of the serpent's lair.

"Apparently Mr. Drop Dead Gorgeous has made a bunch of enemies around the galaxy." Chiara said in a casual tone.

Amara could only imagine who those enemies were. "Who is he?" She prodded.

"His name is Poe Dameron. He's a commander fighter pilot for the resistance. He's one of the most trusted operatives of General Leia Organa, the leader of the resistance. Ever since he joined he has been a massive thorn in the side of the First Order. They're offering a lot of money for aid in his capture." Chiara raised her chin in Amara's direction. "You know Mara, if you help me find him, we can split the money."

Amara shook her head. "You know I try not to get involved in that political stuff," she began cautiously.

"Yeah I know. But just think how much closer you'll be towards getting that money you need." Chiara eyed her up and down with a smirk. "You got the goods. You're wasting your time behind the bar. I can help you get better money."

"Yeah but at least it's honest money." She said quietly.

Chiara laughed. "Oh please. There is nothing wrong with using what you got to get what you want." At that she paused when she heard a series of beeps going off from her wrist at her gold comm-receiver. She glanced at the receiver, her eyebrow raised in interest at the message. "I got to run," she said quickly, before pulling Amara into another hug. "You know where to find me if you change your mind," she said, giving Amara a light kiss on the cheek.

As Amara watched Chiara walk away her body shook as it let out a long shaky breath. She hadn't realized that she was holding her breath and she felt her chest contract as she took in air. She needed to get out of here, and not just away from the market.

She looked back up at the watch tower, cursing as she saw the time. She only had a few more hours before sundown. She took off in a jog as she made her way west.

Amara slogged through the shallow waves of the lake as she made her way towards the bank, her sodden bag dragging on the ground beside her. Once she reached the shore she tossed the bag onto the wet sand with a thud. She unzipped the top of her wet suit and rolled it down to her waist.

She sat on the ground beside her bag, taking a moment to relax as she looked out across the water, the light of the sunset casting shimmers across the waves. After a few minutes she pulled the bag into her lap and examined her haul.

Amara pulled out a handful of barnacles, rolling them back and forth in her palm as she inspected their quality. She had spent the rest her afternoon searching the jagged cliffs for barnacles, as she did once a week. The barnacles found here were a rare delicacy in Hosinian Prime and restaurants shelled out hundreds of credits for them. Hunting for barnacles was one of the few ways that Amara made her money.

The barnacles were mostly located hidden within the jagged crevices of the cliffs underwater. Many people who tried to harvest these barnacles found themselves easily cut up and trapped due to the location and size of these openings. Because she was smaller in stature, she could easily maneuver her arm into the gaps and expertly cut the crustaceans from the rock. It wasn't the most glamorous job but with a good enough haul she could make as much credits as she did during a busy night at The Red Veil and in only a quarter of the time.

She smiled as she put the barnacles back into her bag. "This is just what I need," she whispered. She could finally get off this planet. She had been here far longer than she originally intended, and with the increased presence of the First Order, it was time that she disappeared.

She knew that Hosinian Prime was a risky place for her to be, but she had run out of options at the time and she needed to leave Batuu as soon as possible. She wasn't there long enough to save up enough credits, but she was able to barter passage on a trade ship that was headed to Hosinian Prime. Although Hosinian Prime was risky, being on this planet had its advantages. She was able to secure the job at the Red Veil within the first week of arrival, and there were more opportunities for side hustles. Because of all her hard work she was able to amass a big enough savings that she could sustain a more permanent spot. With the credits she had she could go to a more remote planet. She could build herself a home, one that was remote and nestled far away from the chaos of the galaxy. She would have a good enough foundation to start a new life. A better life. She could start all over. She could give herself the life that she was never allowed.

She tied a knot on the top of the bag, sealing the barnacles inside and tossed it aside. Standing, she arched her arms up over her head and stretched, moaning as she felt her back pop in relief. She looked at the sunset again, noting its position in the sky. She had a good amount of time before she had to be at the Red Veil for her shift. She looked around and as usual she was alone in her little alcove.

Because of its size and because of its location against the protruding cliffs, larger boats rarely ventured into this little section, afraid of the damage it would cause to their vessel. Only boats that ever made it through were smaller and more nimble boats, but with the sun setting and night creeping up, those boats would have been making their way back to the docks for the day if they hadn't already.

She slipped out of the rest of the wetsuit that she wore and tossed it on top of her bag. She was still wearing her undergarments. She took one last look around the cove and when she did not see anyone, she slowly she slipped out of her remaining clothing and kicked them behind her.

She waded into the water, sighing as the cool water bathed her skin. She waded until her feet were no longer touching the ground and swam further into the center of the lake.

Enjoying the serene quiet of the water she let her body fall back so that she was floating on the water's surface. The water caressed her body like a glove, protecting her from the world around her. Face up to the sky and eyes closed, she let the feeling of weightlessness take over. Being in the water gave her a sense of tranquility that she was not able to replicate in the city. When she closed her eyes her sense of time fell away, and she felt at peace. It was a sense of tranquility that she had not felt since before everything changed.

As she floated, she wished she could stay there all day. She wished that the water would fully envelop her and pull her deep into its grasp. She wanted to forget, she wanted to be free. For years she has felt as if she were drowning and at this moment she wanted to cease to struggle. The thought of letting go and succumbing to the darkness called to her from below.

Her head felt heavy and she relaxed her neck, letting her head fall beneath the water.

Stay.

That voice called to her. It was a voice she heard many times before. It was a voice that haunted her.

Stay.

The voice said again, this time with more force. Her arms felt heavy as they slowed their slow movement that was keeping her a float. Slowly she could feel her body dip below the surface. Her chest started to constrict as it was starting to beg for air.

Stay Amara. The voice pleaded.

You know I can't. She heard her own voice say as she was taken back to that day. Her arms twitched as they began to move slowly in the water.

I'm not letting you go.

The voice called to her again. Her chest screamed. She wanted to pull herself back up and continue fighting but the voice called to her again. The water, that was once caressing her skin, was now strangling her.

She felt something touch her shoulder. Startled she jolted and pulled her head up out of the water as her body desperately gasped for the air she was refusing it. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as she tried to regain focus. As her vision started to clear she saw a figure of someone leaning over her.

"Well isn't this my lucky day." A male voice broke through her silence.

Amara screamed as she thrashed in the water, causing her head to hit on the front of something solid. She saw stars before she felt her body go limp. Her world went black as she began to sink into the darkness of the lake.