Welcome back to the newest chapter. I know this took a while and I would give an excuse. But gonna be honest. I'm just lazy. So, sorry.

Italics-Huttese

Hope you enjoy.

"I believe this will not work out in our best interests."

"Worry too much do you, Master Windu."

"Still, Master Yoda. I do not… trust Skywalker to complete the task."

Lax looked at the back and forth between the two Master Jedi amusedly. This argument had been going on for some time. The two venerable Jedi disagreeing about the best course of action to take.

"Not alone will he be." Yoda replied, his wise eyes solemn, "With his brother he shall be. Or question, do you, Knight Kenobi's teaching of his padawan."

The aged and diminutive Jedi's gaze seemed to wash over Master Windu, making him fall silent as he pondered Master Yoda's reply.

Lax and Anakin had been standing here for some time, telling the Council of their findings. Obi-Wan was standing behind them, his amused smile still boring into Lax's head. The Council had immediately devolved into a discussion on what they would do. No one found it a mere co-incidence that their mother and Padmé were both likely on Despayre. Yet, even then the Council couldn't do much about it.

Despayre… had a special status among the planets. A planet whose entire populace consisted of criminals, smugglers, traffickers, spice dealers and pirates. It was one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy. Even though the Jedi's were the protectors of peace and welcome almost everywhere, Despayre was a major exception. Most of the Jedi who went to Despayre were never found again.

"What about the Republic, Masters? Surely they could help us." A woman spoke from next to him. Lax tried not to look at her too much. She looked very similar to Padmé. She had the same colour hair, brown. Same colour eyes, although they lacked the slight hint of amber that Padmé had. He had met her long ago. At Naboo. He barely remembered her name but had recalled it after some thought. Sabé. Padmé had talked of her, how she was her best friend and confidant. And now she was here to help them find and rescue Padmé.

"The Republic has little wish to interfere with Despayre." Master Windu answered, shaking his head as he leaned forwards, "They would have no place to put the inhabitants, no want to use resources to support that many people and very little reason to disturb them. Despayre is isolated from the Republic and almost everyone prefers it that way."

Sabé nodded in understanding, "Then, I support this plan."

Lax peeled his eyes away from her. He knew she wasn't Padmé, he knew that she was only a handmaiden-turned-friend of Padmé, but… She looked so much like Padmé, so similar, that it almost hurt his heart not to continuously think of her. When he found that Mandalorian, he knew what he would do to them, Ystralla had taught hi-.

His thoughts stopped in their tracks as he sensed a gaze filled with power rest on him. Looking up, he meets Master Yoda's green eyes, filled with endless wisdom and knowledge. He was staring at Lax disapprovingly, his mouth set in an undisguised frown.

Lax ducked his head at the sight. He knew that his thoughts were uncontrolled, irrational. But that had been the case ever since he first met Padmé. He knew she was alive. Why else would the Mandalorian kidnap her? But she might be hurt, injured. Anything could happen and while Lax knew well enough that she could take care of herself. He still worried.

"Very well." Master Windu spoke, sitting back in his chair as his face remained emotionless, although Lax caught the flicker of annoyance at the edge of his eye, "I agree to this plan. Anakin and his brother shall head to Despayre to rescue Senator Amidala. Is everyone else in agreement?"

Every other council member nodded their head, finally coming to a consensus. However, Lax grimaced at how the council seemed to miss one extremely important fact.

"Then, the council is dismissed." Windu said, standing up as the holograms in some chairs shimmered and shut down. Lax nodded, turning around to Obi-Wan, before catching sight of Master Yoda motioning for him to come closer.

"I'll be back soon." Lax muttered to his brother, unfocused as he walked to the small Jedi. Yoda was waiting patiently for him on his seat, his cane resting next to him. As Lax came closer, he made sure to stay far away from the cane. His head probably had a permanent bump due to it.

"Young Skywalker." Yoda acknowledged him.

"Master Yoda." Lax returned, standing awkwardly under Yoda's gaze.

Time seemed to pass agonizingly slow as Lax slowly wilted under the ancient Jedi's gaze. Nervously, he started rocking on his feet. He knew what was coming, but he didn't exactly wan-

"Wild your thoughts were." Yoda commented simply, still staring scrutinising Lax.

Lax gulped apprehensively, "Yes Master. They were."

Yoda sighed, "Worry much about Senator Amidala, you do?"

"Yes Master." Lax nodded uneasily.

"Care for her, you do." Yoda continued, "Too attached to the Senator you are."

"Yes Master." Lax repeated, not knowing what to say.

"Dangerous that is."

"I know Master."

Yoda leaned forward, before out of nowhere grabbing his Cane and hitting Lax's knees with it. Knowing what he had to do, Lax muffled a sigh of hopelessness. He wouldn't escape this conversation easily. Dropping to one knee, he rested his arms on the other, bringing himself down to Yoda's level.

"Good." Yoda grumbled, letting the stick who must not be named rest next to him. Lax eyed it uneasily. It was probably the most dangerous weapon here, more than any lightsaber, but his attention was attracted by Yoda speaking, "Dark your thoughts have become Young Skywalker."

Lax nodded wordlessly, bowing his head under the Jedi Master's stern glare.

"Wonder I do, if let you go on this mission I should." Yoda said, "Too close to you this woman is. Controlled you are by your feeling to her. On this mission never would the Council allow a Jedi to go."

Lax opened his mouth about to speak, when Yoda cut in, "But not part of the Jedi Order you are, young Skywalker. And trust you do I. Believe that fight this temptation you can. Assure me the Force does."

"Thank you Master." Lax smiled at the approval, his heart warming at the powerful Jedi's approval.

"But, promise me you must." Yoda continued, still as sternly as before, "Use not all Ystralla has taught you. Reason there was that exiled she was by the Order."

"I understand Master." Lax nodded reassuringly, his mind flashing back to all the techniques and knowledge he had learned under his pseudo-master, "I promise not to use the… darker techniques she taught me."

Yoda eyed him, "Good. Now prepare you must for your trip."

Lax stood up, bowing his head, "Thank you Master. Goodbye."

Turning around, he exited the Council room. The Temple was filled with Jedi. Younglings were led across the large hall in groups, following their teachers eagerly. Padawans talking animatedly with each other as they talked of their lessons and missions with their masters. Temple guards in their white armour stood guard, stoically standing, watching over everyone.

Lax spied Anakin and Obi-Wan walking halfway down the hall. Next to them, stood the woman Sabé. She was talking with Obi-Wan and was wildly waving her hands around in the air. Lax set off after them, walking past the groups of Jedi and padawans that greeted him excitedly as he walked by.

Quickly, he caught up to them. Sabé and Obi-Wan seemed to be arguing, and Padmé's old handmaiden was waving her hands wildly in the air as she argued with the cream-clothed Jedi.

"-cannot be serious." She stated, "Taking my ship will be enough to get to Despayre."

"I assure you I am serious." Obi-Wan smiled good-naturedly, "Your ship would be a target the moment we reach Despayre. It has little reason to be there and is a civilian craft. We need a more suitable ship. Such as a smuggler freight or a spice runner."

"And where would you propose to find one?" Sabé asked sceptically, "Does the Jedi Order keep smuggler freights lying around?"

"Nope." Lax cut into the conversation as he joined them, drawing the young woman's eye, "But I have a friend who does."

"Jyke Ryzle." Sabé said, surprising Lax slightly, "Padmé told me of him. But I don't think we have enough time to wait for him to come from Courkrus, so we must find another."

Lax recovered quickly, before smiling as they approached the doors, "Well, yeah. Normally I'd agree with you."

Walking out into the sunlight, he motioned his hand to one of the landing pads next to the temple, "But luckily for us. I was supposed to meet him at Coruscant."

On the landing pad stood a very weathered and jumbled ship. The paint job was scratched, the engines looking like they were stolen from another ship and haphazardly welded on. Idly, he wondered if it could even fly properly or if it had any safety features at all. It would fit right in.

"You weren't planning on needing permission from the Council, were you?" Obi-Wan asked, amused as they walked to the ship.

Lax snorted, "You were expecting me to?"

"No." Obi-Wan said victoriously, "But I needed the confirmation. Anakin?"

His brother grumbled as he threw a credit chip to Obi-Wan, "I can't believe you did it so quickly. I was expecting a day at least. Why couldn't Jyke have been off-world?"

Lax gasped dramatically, bringing his hand to his chest, "Anakin!? I thought you knew me better. I'm disappointed you let Obi-Wan win again."

"Are you really spending your time betting when Padmé is in danger!" Sabé reproached Anakin and Obi-Wan, glaring at them.

Anakin ignored her, choosing instead to walk towards the ship. Obi-Wan merely humoured her with a kind smile, before joining his padawan, leaving the fuming woman behind.

"That kriffing Padawan!"

"You'll learn to love him." Lax smiled, following them, "Or hate him. Most people lean towards the second one."

The beaten ship's ramp lowered, steam rising from exhaust pipes and filling the air. How old was this ship? He had been on numerous ships before. Ships of all kinds. Small, large, modern and sleek, ancient and rugged. But this ship looked like it beat all the other's in the age category. Except for that ship in Nar Shad-

Ridding his brain of those thoughts, lest he incur the wrath of his memories of that time, he focused on the two humans walking down the ramp, dressed in clothes not found amiss on any smuggler. Lax smiled at the sight of them, his heart warming slightly. Even after all these years, they were willing to drop everything to help him.

"Jyke." He grinned, pulling the brown-haired man into a welcoming hug, "It's great to see you!"

Holding his friend at arms' length, he surveyed him, looking for any new scars or cybernetic parts. Jyke had grown his hair out, it now hung till his shoulders. His blue eyes were vibrant and full of life, the scars on his face from his time with Liraes long faded. All in all, he looked good.

"Well, we couldn't not help you, could we?" Jyke responded, a smirk playing on his lips, "Seeing as you need help again. Need another bacta pack for that face of yours?"

Lax lifted an eyebrow, "You mean the face that got hurt because you sent me there? It's fine, but you seem oddly obsessed about it, asking about it every time we see each other. I sense some jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Jyke scoffed, shaking his head, his long hair swinging with him, "More like a profound sorrow that you seem to be so incompetent in using the Force."

"Boys, boys, boys." A woman's voice mocked from the side, a tilting laughter evident in her voice, "Why do all your conversations start like this? I don't need to be a Jedi to sense that some insecurities are present."

Lax peeled his gaze towards the speaker, amusement evident in his eyes. The speaker was a tall woman, hair a bright red, she had changed it again. She was smiling, her mouth crinkling at the corners.

"I see she's still as deluded as before." Lax shook his head, throwing a sympathetic smirk towards Jyke, "How do you handle it?"

"It's good to see you too, Lax." The woman spoke, laughingly, stepping forward to bring him into a hug, "Even if your annoying."

Lax broke out into a smile, hugging her tightly, "I know you love me, Zythe. You don't have to afraid to show it."

Looking at the woman in front of him threw Lax back into time somewhat. It had been soon after Naboo had been liberated when Zythe had appeared. Or rather been found. She had been found captive in one of Liraes old bases, held together with the other family members of many clan heads.

Because that was what she was. The family member of the biggest one, the Terantatek. She was Jyke's older sister. Reported missing two years before Lax and Padmé had saved Jyke. Thought dead. Instead, captured and tortured.

Zythe drew back, "But how could I do that to Padmé? It would break her heart."

"Ha, ha." Lax said sarcastically, "What are you doing here? I thought you were still at Bespin?"

"Business went quicker than expected, "Zythe replied, shrugging, "And I wanted to get away from there as quickly as you could. Even friends would stab you between the ribs there."

"Well, it's good that you're here." Lax smiled warmly at his friend, "We'll need all the help we can get."

"About that." Jyke cut in, "What exactly happened. I was waiting at the bar when you called me. All I head was that Padmé had been kidnapped. Who exactly did this? Do you know where she is?"

"Despayre."

"… Well, of course she's kriffing there. Why wouldn't she be?"

"And you know what that means."

Jyke let out a heavy sigh, massaging his forehead tiredly, "That we have to go to Nar Shadaa."

"That you have to go to Nar Shadaa."

"You can't be serious." Zythe cut in, "That's a death sentence."

"So is Despayre." Lax replied, smiling wryly, before taking Zythe's hands, "You know that it's the only option."

"Wait, wait." Anakin said, confusion marring his face, an expression mirrored by Sabé and Obi-Wan, "What do you mean we have to go to Nar Shadaa? Why not Despayre."

"Despayre is almost impossible to enter without a… pass." Jyke replied heavily, watching Lax warily, "However, it is controlled by a few families and syndicates. And only they can issue passes. And most are based in Nar Shadaa."

"Why can't we just enter Despayre stealthily then." Sabé said, confusedly, "It's a haven for criminals. They can't monitor everything bought in on the ships."

"Oh, they can." Lax answered for Jyke, "Despayre is almost completely inhospitable, with only very few areas that won't kill you within seconds. And the only habitable area only has a few spaceports, with the families and groups sharing the burden of policing them. It's almost impossible to enter. You can sneak on, but the risk of death is extremely high. Especially for Jedi."

"Why for us?"

"Because at the four spaceports one Dark Jedi is always monitoring for Jedi. And when they find one… well, let's say it's not pretty."

Collectively, Lax, Anakin and Obi-Wan scowled. Dark Jedi… were a nuisance. Not common, but not very rare as well. Lax had only ever seen three in his life. Each, a force sensitive that had been overwhelmed, fallen for their lust for power. The Jedi Order tried, but even their members defected to become Dark Jedi.

They were apparently the most dangerous. Formally taught and much more lethal than the other type. They were decisive and oftentimes the cruellest.

"But if the only way to get to Despayre is to go through Nar Shadaa, why aren't you coming with us?" Sabé queried.

"Past history." Lax waved off her question.

"Then where are you going." Anakin asked, a hesitant expression playing on his face.

"Despayre."

"But you told us it was impossible to enter!" Anakin said incredulously.

"For a Jedi."

Lax smiled as Anakin stopped in his tracks, opening his mouth as if to say something, before hesitating, not finding anything to say.

"I've spent the last decade among these types of people." Lax pressed on, "I've learnt how to act like them, talk like them. Be one of them."

"But what about the Dark Jedi? They will sense you." Sabé pointed out.

Lax cracked a smile, "They won't. My master taught me some… methods to hide myself from their senses."

"I still don't like it." Anakin protested, annoyed, "You could just wait for us to get the pass, then rendezvous with us close to Despayre."

Lax shook his head, "They won't let an extra person in. The pass records everyone who is allowed in, and only they are allowed in."

At his words, all of them fell into silence, deep in thought. Lax knew what they were thinking, but he also already knew what he needed to do.

"Listen guys." He started, drawing everyone's attention, "I know most of you are worried. But this is the best way. While you guys go to Nar Shadaa, I go to Despayre. Setup and find Padmé. Then, when you arrive, we can be done in the day, everyone who needs saving saved. We go home and everyone's happy."

He smirked inwardly as a flash of understanding passed through Anakin's eyes. Immediately, disappearing before with a sigh, his brother nodded, "Fine then. I agree to the plan."

"As do I." Obi-Wan joined his padawan.

"Very well." Sabé muttered, "But I expect you to keep Padmé safe until we get there then."

Lax snorted, causing a short smile to appear on the old handmaiden's dour face.

"I don't agree." Zythe exclaimed, incensed, "There is no way I am allowing you to go to Despayre alone."

"I'll be fin –"

"So, I'll be joining you." Zythe stated, stepping forward and poking Lax in the chest, "Whether you like it or not. I'm no Jedi, and in the end, I am a smuggled. Despayre is literally made for me."

Lax hesitated, responses flashing through his mind, before, resignedly, he answered, "Fine then. You can come. But only you."

"So?" He questioned, "Everyone know the plan?"

"We go to a criminal haven to get access to another criminal haven from the syndicates that rule said criminal haven. While you sneak in, in a mission you yourself said is a death threat."

"Good. You get it."

Padmé POV

"Please sit." The man gestured to an open chair opposite him and Shmi, who was looking at her worriedly.

Padmé didn't hesitate for even a second, overcoming her shock quickly as she sat gracefully on the chair. Summoning her experience as a Queen and Senator, she looked at the man regally.

"Master Isle." She greeted amicably, smiling diplomatically.

"Senator." The man greeted back, a bright smile gracing his face as he nodded at her. He then motioned to Shmi, "I assume you've met Ms Skywalker."

"I have." Padmé smiled at Shmi, impersonally, "How are you?"

"Very good, Senator." Shmi said, voice devoid of warmth, "And you?"

"Well." Padmé answered, before shooting a reproachful gaze at Isle, "Although, I would be better if I had not been taken prisoner by a certain group."

Isle let out a short laugh, his long hair shaking as he did so, "Senator. You wound me. Did you not already say that you know it was not us?"

Padmé crushed the short burst of surprise that burst through her, "Would you deny a helpless Senator the opportunity to voice her unhappiness at her situation?"

"No, Senator." Isle acquiesced with a short laugh, "But, instead of wallowing in misery, why don't we talk about some… business you might be interested in."

That quickly gained Padmé's attention. The last time she had had any business with one of the family's, it had resulted in a planetwide lockdown, tens of deaths and the fall of an old family steeped with power.

"Business?" Padmé asked sceptically, "What business would you want with your prisoner?"

Isle's amused mood swiftly vanished, to be quickly replaced by a grim seriousness, tinged with a hidden anger. He sat himself on his chair, whirring servos the only sound in the quiet room. Padmé watched him warily, forcing herself to remain calm and stoic.

No fear Padmé. She reminded herself. Only strength.

"Let's be honest with each other, Senator." Isle said darkly, leaning back into his chair, "I would never, under any circumstances, take you prisoner out of my own volition. However, it is part of the contract, so it will be done. But you are currently in our care, and that means that I have to make do with what I have."

Padmé sat silently, expressing no emotion as she waited, indicating for him to continue. However, inside her mind was whirling. This was official confirmation that Isle and his family had not captured her. While, it was obvious long before, her time as Queen and Senator had impressed upon her the importance of working only with proven facts. Only if she must, should she do otherwise.

"And I plan to do much." Isle continued, a dark smile growing on his face, "You see. My family is strong, we both know that. However, what we both also know is that there are much stronger families and groups out there."

She silently nodded in agreement. An inkling of where this conversation was heading starting to grow in her mind, and it was a direction she truly wished it would not go."

"So, I plan to make a gamble, one that if I win, will lead to my family growing extremely strong in power."

"And that involves me how?" Padmé asked, "I do not believe I can do much to help you out here."

Isle smiled broadly, instantly reversing from his dark mood to a jovial one. "But there is the crux of the problem Senator. You are the perfect candidate to help me with my gamble."

"The perfect candidate to help you on a planet full of thugs, mercenaries, murderers and smugglers?" Padmé asked, motioning to blocked windows hiding them from the myriad of killers and thieves outside.

"As you say. We are on a planet full of thugs, mercenaries, murderers and smugglers. You are possibly the only person on this planet I know that can complete the task and not betray me for their own sake immediately." Isle crowed triumphantly, eyes sparkling with exhilaration as he threw up his hands, as if celebrating her being there.

"…You expect me not to betray you?" She queried, honestly confused.

"But of course, I expect you to." Isle replied, shaking his head as if disappointed with her, "I just expect you not to betray me at the first chance available."

"…Really?"

Isle blinked as if unable to understand her confusion, before suddenly Padmé's fears of his mental health were eased when he seemed to catch on with her problem.

"No, no." Isle said quickly, "Normally, I would of course expect you to try and escape immediately. It's what I would do." He then motioned to the window, mirroring Padmé's earlier actions, "But, unlike them, I can stop you from trying to escape."

Padmé raised an elegant eyebrow, her go to reaction to statements like these. Ones that incited her curiosity.

"You see." Isle dug something out of his pocket, "I have -give me a second- this!"

Then with a victorious flair, he set an unassuming device on the table, causing Padmé to lean in and inspect it. It was dark grey, almost black, made with terribly low-quality materials. It had an amazingly simple design. 5 green lines blinked up at her from the side, each successive line increasing in length. Then on the side, sat two buttons. One was dark red, while the other was blue.

That was all that was to the object, but the mere sight of it made Padmé's heart tighten. She had seen one of these before. An almost identical one, years agon on Tatooine. It had once held the life of the person, who had dominated Padmé's thought over these years, in its hands.

But as she heard Shmi's small gasp to the side, she sighed morosely, looking up to see Isle still grinning as he waited for her to speak.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Ah." Isle grinned in satisfaction, "I'm glad that you decided to help. Tell me have you hear of the Grares? A family of Barabel's, humans but with scales and long tails. Eat pretty much any meat."

"And extremely respectful of the Jedi and their wisdom." Padmé continued, "Therefore, highly unlikely to be running a crime syndicate under the Jedi's noses."

Isle snorted dismissively, "You truly expect an entire planet to care for the Jedi and their ways? No, every system has a dwarf planet. And while there are very few Barabels that do not follow their planet's ways, there are still some. The Grares happen to be some of those few."

Padme couldn't deny his reasoning, even if she wanted to. Of course, there would be some… freethinkers from every species. Otherwise, why would Naboo have prisons? But the Barabel were not to be underestimated. Padmé had only me one once and to this day she had never forgotten it. The Twi'lek Senator had resigned immediately afterward that incident.

"And what is it exactly you think I can do about them?" Padmé asked with a sigh, knowing that she couldn't say no. Not till she had time to plan something.

"The Grares are rich, very rich." Isle explained happily, "And using that money they have bought many influential people under their influence. Security Forces Commanders, Customs Officers, Government Officials." He shot a laughing gaze at her, "…Senators."

Padmé tightened up at the jab at the Republic, but quickly forced herself to calm down. No use in letting him rile her up. She knew very well that some Senators were corrupt, and many were working solely for their own self-interests. But she fervently believed that the Republic was the only viable form of government that allowed for a free society. And as long as she lived and breathed, she would protect the Republic.

Isle merely laughed, eyes twinkling in happiness as he exuberantly continued, "So, if I get access to their records, I can find who they own and convince them to support me instead."

"And that's where I come in?"

"And that is where you come in." Isle agreed, causing Padmé and Shmi to gasp as he picked up the detonator and started fiddling with it in his hands, "You need to get those records and bring them to me. If you do that, Ms Skywalker here doesn't die. But," Isle leaned forwards, dark eyes staring straight into her own, "You will not, under any circumstances, allow them to find out that I was the one who sent you. If even a single Barabel comes here, her head becomes mush."

"Even if they're just asking for directions?" Padmé retorted, anger momentarily overwhelming her calm façade.

"A single one, Senator Amidala." Isle smiled genially, as if unaffected by her words, "Now, Ristol will tell you all you need to know. It was truly a pleasure meeting you Senator. I will say I was not disappointed in this meeting."

Padmé put up a barely controlled smile, her urge to hit him with… something growing larger by the second. She sent a real, reassuring smile towards Shmi, before turning around and walking to the door.

"Good luck Senator." Isle called after her, excitement emanating from his voice, "Just remember, you have until the Senate's vote to complete your task."

Padmé ignored him, hidden fists clenched as she exited the room, into the corridor outside. But she forced herself to calm down. Anger would not help her here; it would only distract her. She needed to focus on her goal and not Isle.

She had barely any information on the Grares, Isle and Despayre. Then there was the person behind Isle, the person who had kidnapped her. Like she had said before, it was likely not the Trade Federation, because she saw no way that they would benefit from the vote passing. So that meant it was someone else. Someone who had an interest in the Republic having a Grand Army.

Military contractors? A Senator from one of the border systems. Or – someone who she had done something to in the past. But it could be any of those. Padmé knew that she had incurred a wide sense of resentment among groups of people as Queen and Senator, both due to her policies and actions, but they were too many to narrow down without evidence.

"Sen'tor." Ristol's greeting bought her out of her thoughts as she left the unassuming house.

The large man was leaning against the wall next to the door, teeth curled into a broad smile as he tapped his fingers on his blaster.

"I see you dec'ded to acc'pt his offer." Ristol grinned as he pushed himself off the wall to join her.

"Thought it was too good to pass up." Padmé said. She was in this situation now. Time to make the most of it. She gained nothing from antagonising Ristol and Isle now.

"I know. Boss giv's some good terms." Ristol agreed nodding his head.

"Of course." Padmé said diplomatically as she smothered a grimace, "He said you would have some more to tell me."

Ristol's eyes clouded in confusion, before his face lit up as he seemed to remember something, "Oh y'ah." He waved his hand off to the side, to a small, dark street, "The Grares are that'a'way."

Padmé waited for more, but Ristol remained silent, metal tooth glinting as he kept on grinning at her.

"Is that all?"

"And I'm supposed to give you this." Ristol grabbed a blaster from his belt, tossing it at her. Padmé caught it unconsciously, surprised they would give her a weapon.

"You n'ed it for Despayre. If ya walk'd out th're without a gun, you'd be d'ad in a minute. Now, you c'n atl'ast protect yer self."

Padmé nodded in understanding, before repeating, "Is that all?"

Ristol grinned once more, "Yeah. All I c'n tell ya. Good luck Sen'tor." With that, Ristol turned away, disappearing into the darkness of the house quickly and leaving Padmé alone on the doorstep.

"Well then." Padmé muttered to herself, clipping her blaster to her belt, "That'a'way."

She set off down the dark street, hand on her blaster, eyes fliting around for any suspicious activity as she walked in large berths around corpses and… other unidentifiable things. In her head she was flying through all the information she was given. Barabels were very quick and strong, much more than humans, and due to their lizard ancestry, they could regrow almost anything.

That meant they were in love with fighting, with adrenaline. They were hunters, but fortunately for the galaxy, unlike Trandoshans, not of major sentients. Yet, while they were extremely warlike and violent, they also greatly respected the Jedi. If not for the Jedi, the Barabels would be much harder to contain and much more bloodthirsty.

So, if these Grares weren't like the rest of their kind, it meant one thing for certain. This was going to be extremely diffic-

"Hey there."

Padmé reacted instantly, hand drawing her blaster and lifting it up to shoot at the speaker's face. Only for a body to plough into her and send her flying far away, coming to a stop near the entrance of an alleyway.

Padmé burst to her feet, grabbing her fallen blaster just as a bolt hit the ground where she had been lying on. She backed into the alleyway, forcing her assailants to converge into one position. She would be trapped, but at least she could see them.

And not to disappoint her, three people appeared in the alleyway entrance. A human, Twi'lek and a Glymphid. All three had their blasters drawn, with one even carrying two. And slowly but surely, they approached her.

"You know the deal, human." The Twi'lek shouted, "Belongings, credits and blaster."

Padmé narrowed her eyes and bought her blaster to bear on the Twi'lek, causing them to do the same to her. If she gave her blaster away, she would be defenceless, and she knew what being defenceless would mean. Better to take a slim chance than to miss it.

"I believe I won't be doing that."

The human in the middle smirked.

"Well then. We'll just take it then."

There. Hope you enjoyed. Quarantine will still be going on for a while, so depending on how lazy I get, I may start writing the next chapter soon. But… no promises. I'm going to release a new chapter on my other fic first.

Anyway, all reviews will be appreciated and constructive criticism is welcome.

Till next time.

Adjö