At this very moment, halfway across the galaxy, Julia Harlow was throwing a self-dubbed "Hutt Ball Soirée." Her mother's fascination with the sport had always struck the young thief as illogical and above all out of character. Hutt Ball was what her mother would ordinarily call unnecessarily violent, a barbaric sport that should have gone out centuries ago. And yet, she and her closest friends were fascinated with the sport for some reason, caught in the same fever as the rest of the galaxy.
Somewhere amongst the gathered crowd below, a young and upcoming executive set to take over his father's company—a prospective beau, handpicked by her mother— stood waiting with two tickets to the game, one intended for her. Felicia would never show, and if he had half the brain her mother gave him credit for, he already knew that. Of all the places in the galaxy Felicia Harlow could be at that very moment—stadium side seats or a luxurious penthouse on Coruscant—she chose to frequent the Reeky Rek.
The malodorous cantina floated high above the city, circling the Hutt Ball Stadium below, but it wasn't the view from its balconies that had drawn the Echani, nor was it the gambling. After all, why gamble your own credits when you could just take someone else's?
This was the biggest sporting event of the year, drawing in thousands upon thousands of viewers from across the galaxy, each of them just itching to make a quick, easy credit. Someone would be strolling out of the Reeky Rek later today, their bank account the richer thanks to a handful of misplaced, drunken bets. Felicia would make sure to collect those winnings, later tonight—when the short-lived winner was passed out in their hotel room or lying face down in an alleyway behind another sleazy cantina.
There was nothing glamorous about this particular brand of thievery, but it was easy. Even cat burglars had to relax every now and then.
Dressed all in black, the Echani strode through the entrance of the Reeky Rek, silver eyes instantly scanning the crowd. Felicia was late, but better to arrive late than early and ugly.
Somewhere amongst the gathered crowd below, a young and upcoming executive set to take over his father's company—a prospective beau, handpicked by her mother— stood waiting with two tickets to the game, one intended for her. Felicia would never show, and if he had half the brain her mother gave him credit for, he already knew that. Of all the places in the galaxy Felicia Harlow could be at that very moment—stadium side seats or a luxurious penthouse on Coruscant—she chose to frequent the Reeky Rek.
The malodorous cantina floated high above the city, circling the Hutt Ball Stadium below, but it wasn't the view from its balconies that had drawn the Echani, nor was it the gambling. After all, why gamble your own credits when you could just take someone else's?
This was the biggest sporting event of the year, drawing in thousands upon thousands of viewers from across the galaxy, each of them just itching to make a quick, easy credit. Someone would be strolling out of the Reeky Rek later today, their bank account the richer thanks to a handful of misplaced, drunken bets. Felicia would make sure to collect those winnings, later tonight—when the short-lived winner was passed out in their hotel room or lying face down in an alleyway behind another sleazy cantina.
There was nothing glamorous about this particular brand of thievery, but it was easy. Even cat burglars had to relax every now and then.
Dressed all in black, the Echani strode through the entrance of the Reeky Rek, silver eyes instantly scanning the crowd. Felicia was late, but better to arrive late than early and ugly.
"