#nycis

It was those eight words, spoken by a young togruta girl in the back of a dimly lit lower level Coruscanti diner that set Duja on her path. As Senator Amidala’s aide and trusted confidant, it was her responsibility to not only protect her mistress from threats but also actively seek out weaknesses in the political landscape. The recent addition to the Galactic Senate, rising political star from Tatooine and new protege of the Chancellor, Senator Anakin Skywalker, appeared to be a man without weakness. So naturally Duja jumped at the chance for any dirt on the freshman politician. 

When he had first sauntered onto Coruscant’s politician scene with his immaculate features and honeyed voice, most had dismissed him, Duja included; an inexperienced speaker from a backwater desert planet. Since, he proved himself to be an recurring obstacle for Padmé and her allies on the senate floor, rallying support for Palpatine from across a bloc of long written off outer rim seats. But the charming senator kepting gaining influence, neither criticism nor scandals sticking to his teflon smile and the HoloNet was lapping it up. Before long, Skywalker was somehow both the champion of the outer rim and darling of the public. 

That made him more than an obstacle, that made him a threat. 

Especially since Duja was sure Palpatine was pulling the strings. She just didn’t know how. So when an anonymous source had offered to meet, Duja jumped on the chance. Her contact was secretive, but that was hardly unusual, offering only those few words of warning and an address to an industrial complex in The Works, not far away. Even with a veil on, the togruta seemed at least vaguely familiar, a staffer in Skywalker’s offer perhaps. She would have to check the office’s records later, for the moment, Duja had a lead. The responsible thing to do would be to investigate in the morning, or at least let Padmé know where she was going, but if this was some kind of trap then Duja needed to keep her senator as insulated from it as possible. Besides the address was only half an hour away by airspeeder.

Coruscant was never dark, not completely. It was impossible, layers upon layers of homes, shops and streets created a neon ambiance that permeated every nook and cranny of the city planet. But among the looming smoke stacks and disused warehouses, it was as dark as any place could be. The moment Duja set foot in the complex, every fibre of her being would tell her to leave, to run. But she didn’t.

Just as he expected.

She was brave, dedicated too. Some part of him admired that, not that it mattered. He watched from the shadows as Duja crept forward slowly, peering into the darkness, only a small light in her outstretched hand illuminating the way.

He could smell the fear.

Yet she crept forward still. Senator Amidala had good taste in aides obviously, most snivelling sycophants that worked for senators in hopes of a taste of power would have turned tail and ran by now. Duja was diligent, verging on fanatical and that’s why she was here. She would have found something eventually, some small thread to tug on until the whole tapestry he had spent the last two years weaving frayed and came apart. She represented a problem, one that would have to be dealt eventually.

Taking once last moment to revel in the fear, he pounced.

“What have you done?” A deep, snarling voice cut through the darkness of her groggy mind. Duja blinked a few times, trying to focus her blurring vision. She could make out a dark figure, back turned towards her, their silhouette illuminated by the faint blue light of a hologram.

“Nothing to worry about.” The figure said, a certain smugness evident in their voice, “Just dealing with a minor inconvenience.”

“Again?” The hologram’s voice snarled with irritance. “Make it quick, we have work to do, my apprentice.”

The figure chuckled and gave a shallow bow to the hologram, “Yes, master.”

The blue light evaporated, leaving only a few dim bulbs to cloak the room in a dark orange hue. Duja groaned slightly as feeling started to return to her limbs, only for her to find them bound. A panic rose in her chest as the figure turned towards her and into the light. In the orange glow Anakin Skywalker’s signature smile suddenly morphed into the menacing grin of a barghest on a hunt. Something about his movement seemed off, his usual carefree posture was suddenly tensed, coiled like a tight spring. But that wasn’t the worst thing.

His eyes.

Yellow eyes, gleaming with malice through the darkness and boring into Duja’s very own. The closer he moved to her, the harder her heart tried to escape her chest. 

“Ahsoka.” He said calmly, eyes still focused on Duja, “We’ll need a vehicle, untraceable”

She tried to close her eyes but they remained transfixed. She tried to scream but the noise died in her throat. She felt like a prisoner in her own mind.

The sound of a lightsaber echoed against the dirty metal walls, not the subtle, familiar sound of a Jedi’s weapon, it was almost closer to a screech of protest. Even as she was bathed in red light, Duja couldn’t break eye contact. With a sick smile, he twirled the blade in his hand, making a final proclamation to her.