Ask A Bone to Pick

[Hatice Altaris]

Flashback: Pre-Sith​

Nadya walked down the cramped streets of the lower Axxilan underworld, hands stuffed in her pockets, a hood thrown over her head. Although her little criminal organization was starting to grow, she’d met a number of setbacks and failures that had left her increasingly anxious of the future.

People were after her now. Rival gangs, bounty hunters, and she still had plenty to worry about when it came to assassins. While nobody had yet to guess she was a member of the Altaris family and that she’d taken on a whole new identity for the last few years, what if someone recognized her face? What if someone figured out she could use the Force? She needed to be careful, else she ran the risk of losing everything she’d created in the last four months. Most of all, she had to make sure it’d never happen.

If Nadya wanted to remold and rebuild her family fortune, then she’d have to get rid of her enemies, as a start. She had to be the one to strike first.

In her left pocket was a datachip loaded with precious information, powerful enough to ruin her competitors, and something she could not risk losing. Her job was to deliver it to a certain someone in the Oncat District, at a nightclub owned by the Harshaw Gang. She would have to be sneaky about it though, because if anyone discovered her presence there, it would certainly spell out her death.

She lifted a hand up to her temple, pulling the hood farther down her face, praying it was enough to cover her emerald green eyes. She should have just worn a mask, but she’d thought a shawl and a frayed scarf would be enough. Boy, was she wrong. She just hoped nobody would stop her on her way to the club.

But knowing fate, she had an odd feeling that wouldn't be the case.

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

As always, Zaesthaoh wandered the streets. She noticed @Hatice Altaris and could tell by the way she walked, not to mention her clothes, that she was an outsider. Hoping the woman had something she could use, the Ghostling slipped by her like so many others in the crowded area, nearly undetectable save for her glow. As she did so, the girl slipped a tiny hand into Nadya's pocket, grabbing the chip and perhaps a few credits before withdrawing her hand and continuing on her way. If undetected, Zae would easily skip back into the midst of the crowd, her short stature helping hide her.

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya felt an odd sensation in the Force, like someone calling to her from afar. She thought of her mother calling out to her for dinner while she played in the gardens with one of her brothers, climbing sweet plum trees or hiding in the bushes. It was a call to action. A call she could not ignore. But by the time she realized what it meant, it was too late. It was not a memory the Force had wanted to remind her of—it was the present.

Someone had stolen the data-chip.

Nadya felt inside her pockets and did a double take. They'd been emptied. All her fingers could touch were dust and lint. Immediately she turned and searched the crowd for a target, for a suspicious face, but she had no idea where to start. There was a Kiffar man selling fried kebabs, a woman carrying a basket of fruit on her head—dozens of strangers and unfamiliar bodies crossing the street. She wanted to shout that there was a thief, hope someone would help, but what would that accomplish?

Then Nadya felt it again. That call.

She felt a pull toward a short young girl, a Ghostling, that walked as though she was some ethereal spirit who’d been begrudgingly tied to the earth. They seemed like they were trying to disguise themselves in the crowd, but Nadya was not so easily fooled. She had been a nobody once too. A thief and pickpocket. When her family died and she was cast into the lower districts, she’d had to steal plenty times in order to survive. She understood the game, and Nadya knew what had to be done next.

She shouldered through the crowd, cutting her way to the girl. One look over their shoulder and they’d see her coming—and if they didn’t start running, well, they would soon regret it.

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Years of living on the streets had taught Zaesthaoh to listen, to focus on her victim for a few minutes as she made her escape. The woman noticed much faster than most, and singled her out sooner than anyone had. The moment the girl felt Nadya's gaze land on her, a surge of panic went through her, and when she started coming towards her, the Ghostling ran. She found the narrow gaps between the people, twisting and turning to weave her way through. A sudden stop as another hurried person ran past her caused the chip to fall into the street, but Zae didn't care. She had to keep going. She ran as fast as she could, running with ease across narrow beams over deep pits, weaving through people and other obstacles, taking alleyways and shortcuts. She would lose her pursuer. She always had. Why would this be any different?
@Song

 

[Hatice Altaris]

She had noticed the data-chip fall out of the Ghostling’s possession, clattering on the street and very nearly disappearing into the crowd. She moved quickly to grab it, scooping it off the pavement before she checked to make sure it wasn’t damaged. At seeing it was not, she looked out for the girl, even as they continued to run and maneuver through the mob of bodies ahead. Nadya had what she wanted. There was no reason for pursuit. And yet, unanswered questions hung in the air.

Who was this girl? What did she know?

She could have been nothing more than a measly pickpocket, but Nadya had to be sure. So, without thinking, she tucked the data-chip safely up her sleeve and gave chase. Having been used to the crowds of lower Axxila, she cut through them like water, dancing back and forth as she tried to catch up to the Ghostling. The girl was fast, and only now did she understand why her species were considered ‘ghosts’—they could disappear in a blink. If not for the Force, Nadya would have lost her already.

But she also knew this city like the back of her hand. Instead of directly following the pickpocket, she took a shortcut down a narrow alley, running about as fast as she possibly could, until she emerged from around the corner, just in time to see the Ghostling face to face. She kept the alley’s exit to her back, cutting off the pickpocket. She panted heavily, clearly exhausted from so much physical exertion. “Are you done running, or am I going to have to trip you to stop? I’d hate to hurt you, but I know how easily your people bruise.”

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Zaesthaoh skidded to a stop when Nadya appeared in front of her. As the woman spoke, the girl slowly backed up, looking for a way out. There was none. Knowing she was beaten, Zae stopped, exhausted from running. "Okay. Ya got me. All I wanted was something to eat." Now that she had stopped, her thin, bony frame was clear through the rags that hung off her body, as well as the scrapes and bruises of street life. "Ya want ya creds back? I've got em right here." Every few words she'd stop herself to clear her throat or cough, and her hand shook as she thrust it out to return the credits.

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya almost felt a twinge of pity at seeing the girl. Up close, she looked remarkably young, as if she’d been plucked out of the nearest middle school and dropped into the middle of Axxila’s criminal underworld. She could not have been more than fourteen. Maybe less. Nadya could relate to that, and she remembered the cold days after her family’s death, when she had nowhere else to go than down a trash chute in the lower districts, forced to scrounge and steal to keep from starving. For years, she’d suffered alone. Was this girl the same?

She gave herself an internal shake. It didn’t make much of a difference. They had stolen from her, and she had to find out why.

“I don’t want the credits,” she said, taking a step closer, but stayed far enough so as not to frighten the girl away. “I want information. Who sent you?” She flashed the data-chip between her thumb and forefinger. “You tried to take this from me. Why?” She dismantled the Ghostling with her gaze, trying to find reason to her actions. But they only coughed wetly, her skin deathly pale. Sickly. She looked as if she might drop dead right then and there just for talking.

Nadya hesitated, then looked around the alley. Nobody else was watching them. Perhaps their meeting had been purely coincidental, a bit of bad luck. There was no way the Harshaw Gang would recruit a dying thirteen year old girl. She looked at her and sighed. “Where’s your family?” she asked, though another question hung unbidden in her mind. Do you even have a family?

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

When Nadya stepped forward, saying she didn't want the credits, Zaesthaoh took a step back, her hand dropping to her side. "Information? I don't know nothin. Nobody sends me anywhere cept me." Looking at the chip as she was asked why she took it, the girl shook her head. "Like I said, I just wanted something to eat. I had no idea it was so important to ya." She shifted uncomfortably under the woman's gaze, and snorted when asked about her family. "Family? That's a laugh. Think I'd be here if I had one? I've lived here far as I can remember. My family is the streets, the sewers. I got nothin cept what I can steal or buy with what I steal."

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya stared at the girl for a long moment. She might not have trusted her answer, but even with the Force, she could sense the honesty in her words. The girl was no liar. They hadn’t been sent by the Harshaw Gang to steal from her, and if anything, they probably didn’t even know Nadya’s name. She was just another street orphan. Without a family, without a home. That much was clear by the rags she was dressed in and the dirt smudged on her pale cheeks. The accent, too, was very telling. This girl was truly the bottom of the barrel.

“I thought so,” Nadya murmured at her reply. She did not know what to do next. She wanted to turn and go, leave the girl to her own devices to continue fending for herself, but a part of her longed to do something. To help. She had been in that same situation once before. Nobody had ever helped her, or fed her from the goodness of their own heart. After weeks of sleeping in broken pipes and dumpsters, she had been picked up by a local crime boss, Don Salvara, and forced to work for him as his servant. A trophy girl. She’d been no better than a slave.

Would the Ghostling end up the same way?

Nadya closed her hand into a fist. She couldn’t believe she was about to say this. “Damn it,” she muttered, then folded her arms over her chest and looked at the girl. “You said you’re hungry, right? There’s a diner nearby. We can talk some more there.” She turned and moved toward the mouth of the alley, not bothering to take the girl’s hand or guide her away. No, this was her choice to make.

Still, once she neared the street, Nadya cast a look over her shoulder. “Well?” she said. “Are you coming or not?”

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Zaesthaoh watched as Nadya appeared to think, thoughts of her own racing through the mind. Now was her chance to run...but this woman hadn't done anything to hurt her. No one before had bothered to talk to or even look at her except to take something back.

When asked if she'd said she was hungry, the Ghostling nodded, her stomach rumbling. She hesitated to follow, fearing it was a trap, but then decided to follow after being asked if she was coming.

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Nadya hadn’t been lying. She led the girl to a shoddy-looking building around the street corner, wrapped in dusty windows with an overhanging sign that read: Bob’s Place, an absolutely horrendous name for such a restaurant. But it was close, and she enjoyed the eggs and baked chicken they served there. Once, back when she was a gutter orphan too, the owner had frequently threatened her away, smacking her with a broom when he caught her sleeping in the trash out back. Now, she basically owned him.

“Miss Nadya,” the man exclaimed, practically bowing as she entered the diner. “It is so good to see you again. How’ve you been?” He looked over her shoulder to the girl who’d been shadowing her through the street. “Oh, you’ve brought a guest! What’s your name, little one?” Nadya raised her hand, clearly not interested in smalltalk. “Just get us a table, Bob. Preferably somewhere in the back.”

“Of course, of course,” said the man, plucking two menus before he guided them to a booth in a private corner of the diner. Nobody would bother them there.

Nadya slid into the cushioned leather seat, presumably opposite of the girl. She draped an arm over the seat, relaxing. Meanwhile, Bob hovered nearby, a pen and paper in hand, ready to take their order. “Get whatever you want,” she told the girl. “Order the whole menu if you’re that hungry. Makes no difference to me.” She figured the Ghostling was starving, if not utterly malnourished, and they were free to grab as much food as they required. Nadya had plenty of credits to spend.

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Zaesthaoh was understandably wary of Bob, but had decided to trust Nadya, at least for the time being. She followed the woman to the booth. The poor girl couldn't read, but, assuming there were a few pictures in the menus, was able to get an idea of the food. She indeed ordered several things from the menu, all of which had pictures. The Ghostling indicated this the way most any child would: she pointed at a picture and declared she wanted it. Once the food arrived, her lavender eyes widened. She'd never seen this much food in her life.

 

[Hatice Altaris]

The Ghostling was so young. So innocent. Just the way she shyly walked through the diner, to how she thumbed through the menu, pointing at every pictured item like a child in a zoo—it made Nadya’s heart ache. Only a moment ago, she had considered killing this girl for stealing the data-chip in her pocket. Now, she only felt pity and remorse. Not long ago, she had been in the same. A nobody cast out from her own home. A starving orphan with just the clothes on her back. How long had this Ghostling been living like this? How many children were out there, too?

She gave herself an internal shake. Not now, she thought, feeling old memories bubble to the surface of her mind.

It didn’t take very long for the food to arrive. Bob must have cooked specially for her, and some of the dishes came out steaming, fresh off the grill: a burger slathered in grease, a pancake pyramid, herb-roasted chicken breast. It was a dinner fit for a queen. And by the look on the Ghostling’s face, it was probably the first real meal she’d had in ages. “Go ahead,” Nadya said with a smile. “Dig in.”

Indulging herself with just a mug of coffee, she watched as the girl devoured through the food, clearly hungry. In between bites, however, Nadya thought it might be wise to ply her with some questions. Perhaps she might answer more honestly then, now that they knew they could trust her. “Do you have a name?” she asked quietly. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I know what it’s like living out on the streets. I understand, too. And you can trust me to keep a secret.”

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Zaesthaoh did indeed dig in, devouring the food. This definitely beat scrounging through the garbage for food. It was probably a once in a lifetime thing, though, and she was grateful for it. As Nadya asked if she had a name, the girl paused, thinking. Did she? She racked her brains for the answer, and a faint memory came to mind—a voice full of love, speaking to her. "I will always love you, Zaesthaoh. Never forget that." She knew the answer and nodded. "Yeah, I got a name. It's Zaesthaoh. I heard Bob call ya Miss Nadya. I assume that's yer name."

 

[Hatice Altaris]

“Zaesthaoh,” she repeated. “Talk about a tongue twister.” She smiled softly. While hard to pronounce, she doubted it was a name she’d be forgetting anytime soon. “And yes, you would be assuming correctly. Some call me Dona Nadya, if they’re feeling generous, but you can just call me Nadya.”

She had other names, too. “Askim,” my love, back when her mother used to soothe her to sleep during late nights alone, or “Hatice,” back when she was a daughter of the noble Altaris family, clothed in fine dresses and jewelry. She had gone by many other names since then, trying them on as if they were clothes in a shop, before discarding them for the next. She wondered if she would ever wear that name again, if she’d ever return back home to Axxila’s upper levels.

How long had she even been down here? Three, four years?

Nadya looked at the girl and raised an eyebrow. “How long have you been here, alone, on Axxila?” she asked. “Did someone leave you here or…?” She let the question trail off. She didn’t know if the Ghostling was born here in the lower districts, where the gravity was at its worst. Maybe she’d come from somewhere else, abandoned by her family or tossed into some orphanage to rot before inevitably escaping. Or she was like Nadya, taken and thrown into indentureship.

Although by the looks of it, she didn’t look to be serving anyone but herself.

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Zaesthaoh shrugged when asked how long she'd been down here. "Long as I can 'member. Far as I know, the streets n sewers are my family. Got no one but me. No one wants someone who breaks at a touch. Paper skin n glass bones, they say. I cost more than I'm worth. Gangs don't want nothing to do with me."

 

[Hatice Altaris]

Paper skin and glass bones. Nadya understood what she meant. She’d heard stories about the Ghostling species, how they’d evolved strictly to the low gravity of their homeworld and to the point where a hard enough punch could prove fatal. What kind of gang would recruit someone like that? Who would want to take in a girl that could shatter at a single touch? She was only surprised that Zaesthaoh had managed to evade wealthy crime bosses on the streets. A Ghostling, while not useful, often made fine trophies and ‘pets’ for them to keep.

Just as how Don Salvara had kept Nadya.

“I have a gang,” she told Zaesthaoh, swirling her cup of coffee. “Maybe you could join up with us.”

She didn’t want to creep the girl out, but neither did she want to hang her high and dry. Axxila’s undercity was cruel, and not fit for the likes of a little girl. “The fact you’ve survived this long on your own is a miracle, but the longer you stay out there, the more likely it is you’ll end up crossing the wrong people. Someone like me, but who isn’t so kind or so merciful.” She set her mug down and gave Zaesthaoh her full attention. “I own a place in a nearby district. The House of Glass. It’s got a roof, a spare bed, and plenty of food and drink.”

“I don’t expect to keep you around for charity alone, though. You’d have to pull your weight somehow, but you do seem pretty clean with those hands,” Nadya said, referencing how talented of a pickpocket she was. “Maybe you could work for me.”

She had to admit, the thought of recruiting a little girl into her ranks made her rather apprehensive, but what other options were there? If she didn’t stay with Nadya, then the Ghostling would fall right back onto the streets, back to sleeping in the sewer and stealing lint and chipped coins for a living. That was a fate worse than death. Nadya would know.

@Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Zaesthaoh]

Zaesthaoh looked up from her food at the mention of a gang. Was she being offered a place? The girl continued to listen. It was true that it was nothing short of a miracle that she'd survived. Nadya's offer was even more appealing at the mention of a place to stay.

"Ya got yer own place? 'S more n most down here can say," she said dryly as she ate. Of course there was a catch, but the Ghostling grinned at the compliment. "Thanks. Been doin it fer years. Maybe I'll sleep on yer offer. Oh, wait. Yer the one with a place to sleep." So she has a sense of humor. "Yeah, I think I can work with ya for a while."