A/N: Surprised? Well, patreon is not going on currently anyways, so I had extra chapters and I thought why not treat you guys.
Enjoy the thriller suspense in upcoming chapters, and how much Ezra descends into darkness.
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"Blue-skinned Twi'lek girl. Came in earlier today, morning maybe," my voice rasped through the modulator. Always harsher than I wanted, like chewing gravel. I leaned on the counter, hand tight under my coat on the gauss pistol. "You see her?"
The café smelled like burnt caf and fried dough. Crumbs everywhere, a couple of tired customers hunched over their mugs. No sign of Vasha. My only lead slipping through my fingers.
The guy behind the register squinted at me. Middle-aged, grease-stained apron, posture that said he'd worked too many shifts. He gave me a look like I was trying to sell him junk parts.
"Uh… yeah, maybe," he said, wiping his hands on a rag. "We get a lot of people through here, you know? Faces blur after a while."
"She would've stood out," I said too quick, sharper than I meant. I tried to pull it back. "Blue skin, lekku wraps, toolbelt. Hard to miss."
He frowned, thinking. "Twi'leks ain't that rare around here. You sure you got the right place?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," I shot back. Too fast again. I forced a calmer tone. "She's not just some spacer. She… she's important."
That gave him pause. He scratched his jaw, eyes flicking toward the door like the memory might be hiding outside. "Okay, yeah. Maybe I do remember someone like that. Sat in the back booth, ordered caf. Talked to some guy. Human. Can't say I paid much attention."
I leaned in a little. "You remember anything about him? What they said?"
He shrugged. "Brown jacket. Average build. Looked local enough. Conversation was low. Could've been business, could've been catching up, I don't know."
"But you noticed them," I pressed. "Why?"
He tilted his head, studying me now. "I notice a lot of people when they sit in the back for longer than ten minutes. Part of running a place. Doesn't mean I keep tabs on their whole life. Why's this girl so important to you?"
"She's a friend," I said quickly, pulse picking up. "Haven't been able to reach her. I thought maybe you saw where she went."
His eyes narrowed, arms folding across his chest. "Friend, huh? You from around here, pal? Don't sound like it."
"Yeah, sorta," I muttered. Flat, unconvincing. He wasn't buying.
"Look, I don't know what this is, but I don't get mixed up in other people's mess. You want to find her, try the docks. Not my job."
"It's sensitive," I cut in, leaning closer. "Maybe we could talk somewhere quieter?"
That only made him lean back, suspicious now. "Quieter? Why? So you can shake me down for something? Not happening."
I clenched my teeth. "No. Just—please. I don't want to make a scene."
"Buddy, you already are," he said flatly. "If you're here stirring trouble, I'll have you out the door before you can blink."
No choice. I reached for the Force. It came rushing in, wild and shaky, but enough. I pushed at him, softening the suspicion, nudging it toward pity. Just listen. Just help me.
His shoulders eased. The scowl faded into something more tired than angry. "Alright, fine. But quick." He called a waitress to cover the counter and motioned me down the hall.
The office was small, cluttered with datapads and empty cups. A buzzing chrono sat crooked on a shelf. As soon as the door shut, I yanked off the helmet. Messy hair, wide eyes. Just a kid. Play it straight.
His eyes went wide. "You're a kid? What the—hell's going on here?"
"She's my guardian," I blurted, words spilling fast. "She left for a deal this morning and didn't come back. I thought maybe she stopped here, and you said you saw her—" My voice cracked. "Please. I just need to know she's okay."
He rubbed his face, groaning under his breath. "Damn it. You shouldn't even be running around alone. Where's your family? You can't just wander into cafés grilling people."
"I don't have anyone else," I shot back, desperation edging my voice. "It's just her and me. If something happened—" I swallowed, forcing the words down. "Please."
He sighed, guilt pulling at him. "Alright, alright. She was here. Mid-morning. Caf and a meat wrap. Talked with some guy in a brown jacket. Average-looking. Tech talk, something about a ship or parts. They left together. Out the front door. That's all I got."
I gripped the desk, pushing harder. "You're sure? Nothing else? Did she look worried? Did he?"
He shook his head. "Kid, I'm not a spy. They looked fine. Like business. That's all I can tell you."
"Please. Anything." I let my voice break, smaller this time. "We've had people after us. Gangs. That's why I hid my face. If they took her—" I let it trail off.
He winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright, enough. You're scaring yourself worse. Hang on." He cracked the door, calling out. "Mina! Need you for a sec."
The door banged open. A young woman with dark hair in a messy bun leaned in, rag in hand.
"Boss, if you're dodging the lunch rush again, I swear—oh." Her eyes landed on me, then the oversized coat and helmet. A grin spread across her face. "Whoa. Who's the little guy? This some kind of holo-drama shoot?"
Kozlo let out a long, tired sigh. "Mina, for kriff's sake. Just get in here."
She didn't need more than that. She zipped across the tiny office, sneakers squeaking against the scuffed floor panels. My instincts screamed to step back, but there wasn't space to move. She leaned down way too close, studying me like I was some exhibit.
"Okay, so what's the story?" she asked, eyes flicking over me like a scanner, though her words were aimed at Kozlo. "Did you catch a mini bounty hunter sneaking around? Or is he, like, off-world royalty in hiding? He's got that tragic-orphan-core going on. Big eyes, messy hair, oversized coat—oh, stars, it's killing me."
Before I could react, her hand shot out and pinched my cheek. "Look at this. Soft cheeks, pouty frown, lashes that should be illegal. Is that eyeliner? Please tell me that's genetic, because if you're wearing makeup under that helmet, I'm gonna scream."
I froze, let it happen. Better to look helpless than blow the cover. My brain was already fried.
"I'm ten," I muttered, voice cracking a little higher. "And I can't help my face."
"Tragic," she said with a solemn nod, before immediately brightening again. Her eyes flicked to the helmet on the desk. "So, what's with the outfit? Are you in some underground Jawa opera? Oh! No, wait—one of those gritty drama holos where kids stumble into an ancient weapon and overthrow the evil mega-corp? You'd nail the casting."
"Not a drama, Mina," Kozlo cut in, his voice flat as a durasteel plate. "Focus. You were on table nine this morning. The Twi'lek."
Mina blinked, then snapped her fingers like she'd just remembered dessert in the oven. "Right! The blue one. Yeah, she was sweet. Tipped, too. Unlike most of the dock rats who think 'thanks' counts as payment." She pointed the rag at me like it was an accusing finger. "So you're with her? What's the deal? Long-lost kid? Sidekick? You give off 'oops, I got sealed in a cargo crate' energy."
"She's my guardian," I said quickly, letting my panic slip through, pushing that desperate edge. "She had a meeting this morning. She told me to stay home, but she hasn't come back. She's not answering her comms. She always answers. Always." My throat tightened. "Please. Anything you saw. Anything."
The Force stirred, tendrils of raw panic bleeding into the room. I didn't even push—it just slipped out. Mina's grin faltered into concern, her shoulders softening.
"Oh, stars, kid…" She flopped into the spare chair, rag still in hand, looking suddenly like she'd adopted me on the spot. "That's rough. Okay, let me think." She tapped the rag against her chin, words tumbling faster than my brain could keep up. "Yeah, she came in. Mid-morning. Sat at table nine—you know, the one with the busted heater module Jarn keeps promising to fix but never does because apparently wiring is hard? Anyway. She didn't sit alone. Human guy was waiting at the door for her. Brown jacket. Bad haircut. Like, real bad. DIY bad. Probably the kind of guy who thinks a five-credit trimmer and a mirror is all you need."
I tried to picture it. Uselessly bland.
"She looked tense when she walked in," Mina went on, twirling the rag now like she was conducting. "Not terrified, not running-for-her-life tense, more like—ugh, do-I-really-have-to-be-here tense. You know the look. Like she'd already regretted the meeting before it started. But she sat down. Ordered caf. Black. No sweetener." Mina shuddered so dramatically she almost fell out of the chair. "Monster behavior. Honestly, I should've cut him off right there."
I blinked at her, trying to sift through the flood for anything useful, but she just kept going.
"And then—oh wait, this part's not important, but she had this little habit? She kept tugging at her lekku wraps, like adjusting them every thirty seconds. Nervous tic, maybe? I notice these things. I notice everything. I should've been a detective. I'd crush it as a detective. Anyway, the guy leaned in all secretive, like they were talking about contraband or debts or whatever people think is subtle, but really just makes them look obvious. Couldn't hear the words, though. I was juggling three trays because table four ordered extra sauce like animals."
Mina leaned forward conspiratorially. "They talked for a while. I wasn't trying to hover, but the place was pretty dead, so I was just wiping down the empty tables nearby. He was doing all the talking, mostly. She just kept looking around, like she was scanning for exits. I thought maybe it was a bad date, or a really awkward job interview. You know that vibe, when someone is trying to explain something technical to a guy who has the personality of unbuttered toast? It was exactly that."
My hand, hidden under the coat, tightened on the pistol grip. "Did you hear what they said?"
"Bits and pieces," she said, tapping her chin. "He kept talking about getting some droids 'pre diagnosed.' She shot him down at first, something like 'that's against our policy' or 'we do our own diagnostics.' Real firm. But he kept pushing. Real smooth, real casual. Stuff like, 'my director needs a full cost map,' and 'it'll mess up our budget model if there are surprises,' all that boring corporate talk that sounds important but means nothing."
"And she agreed?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"Yeah, eventually. She let out this big sigh, you know, the one that says 'I'm only agreeing to this so you'll shut up,' and went 'Alright, fine.' Looked super annoyed about it."
I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. Vasha. You and your professional pride. We didn't need this job. You could have just walked away. You could have sent me one message.
Breathe. Just breathe. Focus.
"Where did they go after that?" I asked, forcing my eyes open.
"They left together," Mina said, brow furrowed as she tried to piece it together. "He paid the bill. I was wiping the next table when they got up, and I heard him mention his warehouse. He told her it was close. I'm almost sure he said Luminara Street. Yeah. Old shipping depots. That's where they went."
Warehouse. Luminara Street.
The words slammed into me like raw energy, cutting through the haze. A location. Finally, a real lead.
My chest filled with shaky relief. "Thank you. Both of you."
I snatched the helmet from the desk, ready to bolt, but Kozlo moved into my path.
"Kid, hold up," he said firmly, face drawn into a worried frown. "You can't charge into some warehouse alone. This is for sector security. A patrol. Adults."
I froze, helmet under my arm. My face stayed bare for them, wide-eyed and scared, voice low and trembling. "We already tried that. Last time a gang came after us, we reported it. Filed everything. Weeks passed. The file disappeared. The men who cornered us? I saw them laughing with a stormtrooper at a checkpoint. They'd paid him."
Kozlo's jaw tightened. He had seen it himself, no doubt. The Empire's quiet rot was an open secret here.
Mina wrinkled her nose. "Jax was saying one of the sergeants on South Street got promoted right after a bunch of contraband complaints against his squad vanished. Whole thing stank."
"Exactly." My voice carried a steady urgency. "If they're mixed in with this, if I draw attention, she's lost. Please. Don't mention this to anyone. I just need to watch from the outside. Just need to know she's there."
Silence pressed on the room. Kozlo's concern lingered. Mina's sympathy wavered between her babbling instincts and a deeper unease.
I reached inward, the Force answering fast and sharp. Their emotions lit up around me like threads. Concern, worry, hesitation. I pushed past the surface, deeper than I ever had before, past the fleeting waves of pity and suspicion into the foundation beneath. My perception spread through them, unraveling the weave of who they were in the Force, and I set my will into it.
Caution. A permanent wariness that would flare whenever the Empire was near. Distrust, seeded into the marrow of their instincts. And for me, pity that lingered, sympathy that would not fade tomorrow with a shift in mood. I shaped it carefully, firm but not jagged, pressing until it held fast in them.
Everyone should be cautious of the Empire. Everyone should see the truth. That's all this was. Just making sure they stayed safe, and that they let me keep moving.
I felt it settle. Kozlo's shoulders stiffened, his eyes narrowing at ghosts of old memories. Mina bit her lip, frown tugging at her face, her earlier curiosity now dimmed into a quiet protectiveness.
It would last.
I slid the helmet over my head. The seals locked with a hiss, the visor tinting the world back into the armor of shadows.
"Thanks again," the modulator rasped, cold and even, stripped of the boy they had just seen.
I turned and slipped out the back door before they could speak.
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Currently situation with patreon is uncertain, and most likely they are gonna terminate the current page, and for opening a new one, they will keep me banned for 2 months.
I had looked into alternative platforms, subscribestar being one of them.The page is under review and I don't know long they gonna take to process that, but as soon as they do, I can start posting advanced chapters there atleast.
(There is one Unifans.io too who allow opening page quite instantly but I couldn't find out how authetic they are.)
When patreons allow me to open page, I will reinstate it as for many its far easier to access content on there rather than other platforms. If subscribestar gets up, people who are comfortable with it, It would be better for me and you both to access content from there, without risk of page getting suddenly deactivated.
Well, all are thoughts for future. Enjoy the chapter today as well as the one which would be updated tomorrow.
Don't forget to vote!
Also, join the discord for images and extra contents. These days I have taken in to create a lot of character images, both in-story SFW nature as well as NSFW nature. (the latter outweight the former by a lot through lol)
In future, any advanced R18+ chapters would also be accessible from there.
[Link to Discord]
Image - [Greatness that was taken from us]
(I have included the link in the synopsis too, so if my comments are removed, you can see it there)