Innocence Marred

[Rekkin]

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The underlevels of Coruscant teemed with activity. Hover vehicles and ships floated up and down the different levels underneath the metropolis system’s surface. The galactic trade hubs and their adjacent skyscrapers were all but invisible down here. Foreign structures that held beings that had no sway over those in the underlevels. Crime ran rampant here, finding its purchase in all its denizens regardless of race or age. It was a place where innocence was but a delusion.
~​

Drom parked his large hoverspeeder at the curb keeping an eye out for any that would relieve him of his vehicle. The speeder only had two seats but it had enough storage to carry a dozen crates. If all went well, it would do exactly that. He consulted his datapad to ensure that he had the right coordinates that his boss had sent to him. There was a spice packing site here where he’d have the ‘pleasure’ of touring and then escorting their product back up to the surface. He detested check up jobs. He’d rather be out on the street slinging spice than assuming the role of criminal auditor. This gig was getting worse day by day and Drom let his thoughts return to notions of finding alternative opportunities.

Still this was what was keeping him fed at the moment. On top of that, he knew his boss Grax, would not take it kindly if, rather when he left his employ. That would have to be taken care of either delicately or with a show of force. Neither of which he was prepared to do at the moment. He sighed away his frustration and set his mind on the task. Whoever was supposed to meet him should have spotted him now. They were notified that Drom would be arriving and the sight of hover vehicles were not a common one this deep in the underlevels. Before hopping out, he activated the anti-theft measures installed into the speeder and stood out in the open, waiting to be greeted.

His eyes surfed along the waves of passerbys. Humans, Twilieks, Bith, Rodians, Trandoshans the list went on. The system held probably the most diverse population in the galaxy. Hell there were definitely species that Drom could not even recognize. A Zabrak couple chatted away in Iridonian, catching Drom’s attention. They were people from his homeworld, their accent and dialect unmistakable. He let his thoughts wander of home for a few moments before shaking his head with disgust. There was nothing for him there. He had vowed to never return and had no intention of going back on his word.

A sudden nudge on his elbow caught him by surprise. He had almost reached for his blaster until he realized who had interrupted his thoughts . It was a child, a Zeltron girl, pink skin and blue hair akin to their species. She could have been no older than 8 or 9 years old.

“Are you Drom?” she asked cautiously. Her voice was not frail but rather worn. As if he had recently lost it.

“Yeah, what do you want?” He asked looking down at her and noticing the squalid state of her clothing. This was not the time to be entertaining a street urchin.

“Passa said I should come get you” she replied and without waiting to see if Drom would follow she began walking down a nearby alley.

“Wha- wait” Drom muttered reaching for her shoulder a fraction too late. He had no choice to follow, after all Passa was who he was here to see. With one last glance at his speeder, he followed the Zeltron girl into the alley.

@Trinidhak

 

[Trinidhak]

The hour was late in the underbelly of Coruscant, and the nightlife was well underway. Oria, though born in a place similar to this, still could never get use to the constant stream of people from all corners of the galaxy. The noise alone could drive her sensitive ears crazy, but she pushed past it and focused on the job at hand.

She had recently caught wind of Spice manufacturing in the area, and rumor had it that a large shipment was about to leave the plant soon. Oria wasn't the only one to hear these rumors either. A few old friends from the Jedi Academy had also taken notice to this area and managed to dig up a few interesting details on the upcoming transaction. However, with a war going on, these now Jedi Knights didn't have the time to find the Spice plant and deal with it. Instead they gave the information over to Oria to take care of it.

The information gathered hadn't been much, but did give a definite time and place for the shipment. So, dawning her dark gray cloak, Oria set out in wait for the courier across the street. She almost laughed as she heard the large and loud, at least to her, speeder hover over to the meeting spot. It wouldn't take a genius with her information to put two and two together and realize that was the courier.

The Zabrak male piloting the speeder didn't notice Oria cloaked across the street and didn't even notice the young child walking up to him, but Oria did. She felt a twinge of pain in her stomach as the small girl lead the Zabrak down an alleyway. The knowledge that the Spicers were now using children to do their dirty work now drove her on more than the initial intent of stopping the shipment.

Pulling her hood down past her nose, Oria followed the two down into the alleyway. The Force helping coat her in the shadows.


@DromRekkin

 

[Rekkin]

“What’s your name hun?” Drom asked looking at the Zeltron once he caught up. No one had told him that there were children involved. This business was no place for children. Yet he was not as appalled as most would probably be. When he was a child he witnessed his friends try their hand in illicit activities. They would supplement their family’s meager incomess with credits they earned helping local gangs as couriers or messengers. Then he looked at his peers with wonder, thinking that they were extremely impressive for being able to work with grown ups. Now he knew better.

“Dia” she replied without taking her eyes off the path of the alleyway. They were weary, they had probably seen more than one of her age should have. She shared that feature with all the children that called the under levels their home. Again Drom was conflicted. Of course he believed that this was no place for a child, yet what was the other option? Who would help them and their families escape their poverty? On top of that, as bitter as he felt when he thought it, living on the street had its advantages. Sure they were not going to be educated in the proper fashion, but they would definitely pick up the skills to survive in this unforgiving galaxy. Whether it was worth it, Drom could not say.

“Dia” he repeated “You work for Passa?”

“Yeah”

His heart twinged, “Does he treat you alright?” Drom asked cautiously, fearing the worst.

“It’s ok, sometimes when we mess up, like Grog did today, he yells and doesn’t pay us. But I never mess up” Dia replied nonchalantly.

Her answer didn’t put Drom at ease. Passa was one of Grax’s largest supplier’s but he didn’t know that it was all run by the hands of children. He did not know how he would react once they got to wherever they were going.

As if reading his mind, Dia said, “We’re here”

In front of them stood a small two story building with boarded up windows. The exterior of the building was rusted and stained as many old building in this area were. A top of it a stack of some vapor rose into the air. Drom took a deep breath and entered the site alongside his new friend.

@Trinidhak

 

[Trinidhak]

The alley was cold, wet, and dark like most places at this level on Coruscant. Oria would have much prefered to be in a place where you could see the stars above you, but no Spice makers would dream of setting up shop in a place that the sun's light could touch them. Places so high up on Coruscant were only for the wealthy and elite, and it broke Oria’s heart knowing that most of those wealthy and elite people would do whatever they could to keep the "scum" of the lower levels hidden down and away from the sky above them. Though it broke her heart, it also seemed to make this mission all that much more important to her, because if she could stop this Spice Den, maybe the little girl leading the Zabrak courier to his next score would be able to escape these slums.

As Oria followed only a few meters behind the Zabrak and Zeltron, she managed to listen in on the conversation between the two. Though it seemed at first like normal chit chat, it honestly surprised her when the Zabrak asked if the little girl was being treated alright, so much so that she stop walking for a few seconds. A small smile crept across Oria’s face a she thought to herself, “Maybe there’s some hope for this one”.

It wasn’t long after this thought that the two ahead of her entered a small building down at the end of the alley. The building was nothing to be impressed by at all and wouldn’t the much to break into, but that’s not quite what Oria had in mind. Sneaking up to the door, she pulled her hood back and pressed her ear against it. Her blind eyes still closed under the cloth wrap, as if it would help her focus on the sounds from the other side of the door.

@DromRekkin

 

[Rekkin]

The sight in front of him left him speechless. Drom had just walked into the spice den with Dia leading the way. After a short walk through a corridor which was nearly pitch black, the two of them found themselves facing a room that many in the universe would never have thought, or would want to believe, existed. There were more rows than Drom could count in a glance. Each row consisted of 4 tables lined up side by side with faint fluorescent lights above. Two children were put to work measuring and packaging spice at each table. They were of various species but they all shared the same sunken dull faces. Drom had seen children in the lowest levels of poverty, but even those children found a way to keep their innocence intact. They knew that they had no idea where their next meal would be arriving from if at all, yet babbles of their laughter could still be heard as they played in the streets. These children seemed as they have forgotten how to play.

Dia left Drom standing at the entrance off to a table that had an empty space. Drom tried to say her name, but he couldn't utter a syllable. He was paralyzed. After a few moments, a protocol droid looking as ragged as the children flanked by two combat droids approached him.

"Master Rekkin, Passa is waiting for you in his office upstairs, follow me please"

The combat droids began their scanning protocols. Drom's eyes were still fixed on the numerous children working the den, so he barely flinched when the droids spoke.

"He is only holding a blaster, we will need to hold on to that during your visit Master Rekkin."

Drom silently unholstered his blaster and handed it to the combat droid that magnetically attached the firearm to its chassis.

"Please follow the protocol droid"

Drom numbly began towards the office with his droid escort. He thought he may have heard something behind him, But his rising loathing for Passa, a person he had never met, had begun to take over all senses.

@Trinidhak