The young government official gave off the air of shadiness. She predicted he would be caught within a few standard months, not due to lack of skill, but simply because he looked the part. Appearances were everything in this line of work. Those who didn't fit the part often had to compensate with brute force. It was the main reason why she worked in full armor and helmeted. A teenage girl would rarely be taken seriously. But an armed figure with an unknown face? Fewer people would try to take advantage. The few who did were persuaded otherwise when the brutal force came into play.
"You want me to set up an identity for the kid?" Even his voice was grating. "It'll take some work to make sure it won't set off any red flags. You got the credits for it?"
If only could see her face; he would be quaking under her death stare. "Do not take me for a fool," Raja said, her words clipped. "For such a young child, the process will be relatively simple. The biggest challenge will be the medical portion which the droid will handle."
His eyes narrowed, but she spoke before he could open his mouth. "50 credits for your work…and 50 for the droid's." Raja let her right hand drift casually to her side. She didn't touch the weapon there, but the threat was implied.
His jaw clenched, but he grunted his agreement. Raja watched as he worked, bypassing the security measures and taking down the safeguards meant to prevent such unauthorized activity. He glanced at her occasionally, eyes probing. She would be a statue if not for the sleepy toddler wiggling in her arms.
"Kid got a name?"
"Anakin Skywalker."
"Date of birth?"
She paused, unsure. "We will let the droid estimate that," she said after a moment, her voice neutral.
He glanced at her, suspicious, and then shrugged his shoulders. "You got a place of birth?"
"Tatooine."
"Mom?"
Another blow. "Unknown."
"Dad?"
"Unknown."
He snorted. "Current guardian?"
She hesitated before replying, "None."
The official snorted again. "Relatively simple, my butt. This would be ringing all sorts of red flags if it weren't for me. I should be charging you more."
"If you fail at renegotiations, you may end up with less than you have now."
He snorted again, and she clenched her jaw. It would be absurd for her to lose her temper over such an inconsequential thing, no matter how irritating it was. "All right darling. Let's get the droid ready to go so this can be done."
He stood and prepped the droid. When he was ready, she approached and held the toddler's hand firmly so the droid could prick his finger. Anakin wailed loudly as though he had lost a limb. She wasn't fooled. After a week with him, she understood well enough that he simply didn't do things halfway. If he was upset, he wailed. If he was happy, nothing could keep him down. And he could switch between the two in the blink of an eye.
The official didn't seem to see it that way. "Shut the kid up, will you? I'm trying to work, and he'll wake the city."
She didn't deem his complaints worthy of a response but merely rocked the boy until his sobs subsided and he drifted off again. She watched the man continue to fill the forms and check the medical information as it came in. He snorted again and she wondered idly if he had something stuck up there. "Kid's got a high midi-chlorian count. That or my system broke."
Raja's eyes narrowed as she studied the reading thoughtfully. Even after the official had moved on, she contemplated this new information. If Anakin was Force-sensitive, then perhaps the Jedi temple would be willing to take him. He should be young enough. Even if they didn't want him, they could probably find him a good home. Better than she could.
She'd only spoken with a Jedi once, and he had been a young Padawan. It had been more than two years since she'd met him in a dark alley on her home planet. Hesitant to trust her, but desperate to find his master, he had been kind to her after his initial distrust. He'd told her to reach out to him if she ever needed help. This situation certainly qualified. She was well out of her league and in any case, this seemed to overlap onto Jedi territory.
Her attention was drawn back by the official's huff of satisfaction. "He's in the system and it looks like he always has been. No red flags. Thank me later swee–"
"Finish that endearment and you will regret it."
His mouth clamped shut and he glared. "I have one more job for you," Raja said. "200 credits." He perked up, his eyes lighting up with greed. She smiled under the helmet. "I need you to locate the Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Author's Note: I am making the assumption that the temple records can be accessed/hacked by outside sources. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Please keep giving me feedback!