"What's your name, Sunshine?"
"Hadiya," she answered with suspicion gushing like a fountain—on her face and in her emotions alike.
Hadiya… Hadiya. A familiar name, but I couldn't remember where from.
"My name's Shade. Nice to meet you. May I ask what such a sweet girl is doing in a place like this?" She shrank back and looked away. "Come on—I can see you're hiding from someone."
"I… yeah. I'm hiding," she squeaked, barely audible, wrapping herself tighter in her cloak.
"There, there, calm down. Look at me. Come on—stand up." I held out a hand and took her palm. The girl hesitated, but she did get to her feet.
But just as I was about to continue and find out what the problem was, a new voice rang out.
"There she is! Get her!" A whole group of aliens burst straight into the alley.
"Oh!" Hadiya gasped, fear flooding her in an instant, but instead of running she ducked behind me. "Help!" The child's voice tore from her chest like a soul-scream, and she clung to me the way a drowning person clings to a lifesaver—with disproportionate Hope.
Only then did I notice: with one hand she was holding onto me, and with the other she'd grabbed the grip of a pistol tucked neatly behind her back. Interesting kid I'd stumbled onto… with teeth. But considering the planet, not surprising at all.
"Calm down. It's fine," I winked, patted her head, and pushed calm into her with the Force. I'd sort out the who and why later—first I had to deal with the outsiders.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the four pursuers demanded. A Twi'lek, two Zabrak, and a human stood in front of me.
"A tourist, damn it. Guys, didn't you know it's not nice to hurt kids?" I tilted my head slightly.
"I'm not a kid…" Hadiya muttered with offended indignation, and I smiled faintly.
"Buddy, you don't even know who you're messing with."
"Uh… an armed group of people?"
"I mean her!" the Twi'lek jabbed a finger at Hadiya, and she only tightened her grip on the weapon.
"Mmm." I studied those honest-honest eyes with a hidden little spark of cunning. But the resolve to stand her ground was readable even without the Force. "Here's how it's going to be. I'll deal with her myself, and I suggest you remove yourselves before you receive injuries incompatible with life."
"What?!"
"Get lost," I sighed, half-turning toward Hadiya, flicking her nose, winking, and pushing calm into her again. She's practically shaking—so much turmoil in that little soul I didn't even want to look too closely.
"Are you out of your mind?" the human frowned, leveling his pistol at me. "Get out of the way, psycho."
"Three seconds," I said, leaving the girl behind me and walking straight toward them. Strange—nothing stirred in my chest at all. It felt like a stroll.
"And what are you gonna do?"
"Three…"
"Skewer us with your sword? Ha! No—"
"Two…"
"…Funny! Get him!"
"One."
I lunged forward and drove my fist into the first one's chest, crumpling his plates like paper. With a sharp jerk, I threw the second's arm upward—his shot went into the sky, and he flew back from a kick.
I slammed the third into the wall with a Force push, forgetting to measure my strength—and ground the poor bastard into mince. I pulled the last one to me and, with my arm set to the side, struck him straight in the forehead; the Zabrak cracked the back of his head on stone too, legs flipping up as he fell. No emotions. No disgust, no joy—just irritation at the trash underfoot, and a faint sense of satisfaction.
Once I was sure the targets were neutralized, I turned to the little one—ecstatic. Truly ecstatic, like she'd seen a miracle. Standing there, smiling, blinking wide-eyed.
"All right. Let's go," I said, scooping the stunned girl up in my arms and running into the next street through back ways and nooks.
"You're a Jedaii?!" she blurted, peeking over my shoulder in amazement. Yeah—fear didn't leave a trace. The question is, who did I just find and put on my head?!
"Quiet," I hissed, setting her down right before we stepped out onto the street and pulling her hood back up. "Yes. I'm a Jedaii."
"What else can you do?"
"A lot." I stepped onto the street as if nothing had happened. "Hadiya, why weren't you scared?"
"Father often kills people who displease him," she said, like she was talking about the weather. "I'm used to it." She shrugged.
"Well, hell. And where does your father live?"
"In the clan house. It's in the next city."
"And what are you doing here?" I glanced at the little one, carefully hiding her face in her cloak from passersby.
"He brought me," she said from under the hood, with sadness and resentment. But there was something else there too. A kind of… fear and anger I couldn't place. And it definitely wasn't about her father.
"Explain."
"He made a deal with another clan. The condition is that I must marry the clan leader's son. In a year," she explained briefly, taking my hand. There was so much doom in those words I wanted to howl—because I was feeling her honest emotions as if they were my own.
That sudden mood swing dragged her into an abyss of despair—and infected me too, barriers or no barriers. Sometimes feeling others isn't the best gift.
"This one?" I pointed at the clan fortress visible behind us at the end of the street. The Shi clan house stood among the streets like the center of a web, towering over the buildings like a giant.
"Mm-hmm."
"So where are you going now?"
"Nowhere," she lied brazenly to my face. "I don't know where to go." Strange. And here—there wasn't a gram of lies. "I barely managed to escape, but I have no friends here, no acquaintances. The whole city is looking for me, and I don't even have a penny in my pocket. Where am I supposed to go?!" She looked at me with hope, resentment, and indignation all at once. Hm… verdict: she's not telling everything. All right.
"First, calm down. This isn't the end of the world—getting married isn't the same as ending up in a flint lizard's jaws."
"In whose?"
"In a monster's belly!"
"I'd prefer a monster's belly. You just don't know everything."
"I'll take your word for it. But if you think about it—where can you go? Home?"
"No." Thoughtful Hadiya shook her head as we stopped in another alley. "Dad can't help. We need to deal with Clan Shi. They… gave Father a set of ultimatum demands he simply can't refuse. Clan Shi is stronger than us. Much stronger."
"Got it. All right, wait…"
I pulled out my comlink and punched in an alphanumeric sequence. Please let him answer.
"What?" Irbis's voice came through—sharp and irritated.
"Master, I need to ask."
"What exactly?" Less harsh now.
"It's private." Silence hung for a second.
"Hold." Voices and movement sounded on his end, and a minute later he was back. "What happened?"
"Have you found out why things got so heated here?"
"Since when did you get so polite?"
"Since I stopped confusing work with personal dislike. So?" He exhaled deeply, but answered. "Sigh… yes, I found out. Two clans formed an alliance. A serious one. But… I'd call it one-sided." I glanced at Hadiya, listening closely. "If it goes through, Clan Shi gets a significant influx of influence and pushes Clan Ryo off the pedestal. The other clans aren't exactly thrilled either. But that's not all—one of the clan leader's sons' wives ran off from the clan we're visiting. Without her, the alliance will be… shaky. If it happens at all."
"Understood."
"And you—did you find something?"
At those words I felt Hadiya tense. And… it seemed like she'd already admitted defeat, eyes dropping to the ground. She didn't know what to do, and pushing against a Jedaii? That's not even funny. But judging by her emotions, if she had the chance, she'd shoot me in the head right now.
"No. Just talked to locals. End transmission."
"Sha—" I caught his call, but the comlink went dark, cutting him off.
"Huh?" Hadiya blinked at me in surprise.
"What?"
"You… you won't take me back?"
"No." I rolled the comlink in my hand, staring at the miracle and weighing what I was doing.
"But why?! They'll pay a lot for me."
"So what?"
"Uh…"
Looking into those stunned eyes, I gave a humorless grin. I think I broke her.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I don't understand. Why are you helping me?"
"Because I want to."
"Someone hired you?" the little one narrowed her eyes.
"No."
"You want to pressure my clan?"
"No."
"Then why?" She pinned me with such a demanding stare, expecting a catch, that I physically couldn't resist ruining that cuteness.
"Because I like you, kid—that's why!" I flicked her nose. "Not everything in this world has rotted yet. Imagine that."
"Not… everything?" Hadiya mumbled in a dazed tone, rubbing her nose with her wrist.
"Yeah."
"And I thought… that all Jedaii are arrogant, self-satisfied beasts drunk on power."
"Khe—who told you that?!"
"Dad. And… a lot of people from Clan Ryo became Jedaii."
"Yeah… what a planet." I shook my head, giving that fourteen-year-old-looking miracle a skeptical once-over.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Let me think." I crossed my arms and tapped my fingers, studying Hadiya. I can't leave her—she'll disappear. I'd bet she's being hunted not only by "hers," but by others too, just to gain leverage on the clans. Since she ran recently, maybe word hasn't spread yet that such a piece is running around the city without guards—but when it does… I don't even want to imagine the stampede. And from there it's not far to war…
Estimating what kind of mess could boil up here, I smirked to myself. Yeah. Took a walk through the city, damn it. On the other hand, no wonder Hadiya hid in that same bar—it's closest to the clan house, and going far when everyone's looking for you… the girl herself doesn't know what to do.
But on the third hand, something doesn't add up. She grew up here. Politics, intrigue, all that. She should know what a political marriage is better than I do, and her clan is getting huge perks from contact with a stronger rival. So why did she run? She's not stupid. Definitely not—her eyes show it, even if she's little.
Damn it. So what do I do? Who do I go to? You can't go to other clans—they can pressure Hadiya's clan and also stick spokes into Clan Shi's wheels… if they don't just sell the kid out for preferences. You can't go to hers either—they're pinned hard. Master won't help either… and not just him—here and now everything depends on my decision.
I didn't even notice I'd put my hand on the little one's head and started soothingly stroking the nervous, shifting, paper-crumpling girl. Though… considering this girl can put a shot through your skull, I'm starting to worry about my mental state and this astonishing calm. Maybe it's the light side affecting me? Hm…
But something has to be done. This conflict needs to be resolved… otherwise it will only get worse. All right—if my thoughts won't go that way, we'll go from the other side. Clan Shi. What do I know about it? Nothing, except that it's trying to strengthen its position and push an opponent aside. Since this clan became the stumbling block for a peaceful settlement of local disputes, it's Clan Shi that needs dealing with. But how?
First, I should defuse the situation between them and Hadiya's clan—by the way, what's her clan called? Ah, I'll figure it out.
"Shade, do you… really want to help?"
"No, damn it—I'm going to hand you over right now."
"But won't you get in trouble for… freelance heroics?" the little one showed concern.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Don't know."
"And you say that so calmly? That's your Order, your Clan!"
"We have very different relationships than you do, Hadiya. So don't confuse an Order with a clan."
"Oooh. And you're willing to risk yourself for me?"
"Consider it that I just want to resolve the con—" She suddenly hugged me. With all the strength she had. "—flict. And what are you doing?"
"Thank you."
"Too early to thank me. I haven't decided anything yet."
"Haven't you?" She lifted her eyes.
"Ahem. Fine—let's skip that."
"Mm-hmm." She rubbed her cheek against me happily. Then she pulled away, looked around, and reached into an inner pocket.
"What are you doing?"
"I… I didn't tell you the whole problem."
"Hm?"
"Why I ran. The head of Clan Shi—right after you leave—wants to kill my father, put me on drugs, then kill me. That way my whole clan will legally, without resistance, pass entirely to Clan Shi. That's why I ran. I have some jewelry," she showed me several ornaments pulled from her pocket, "that can be sold to buy tickets. I planned to buy a ticket and reach Father."
"And why didn't you say that immediately?" I raised a brow. Yeah… she wasn't lying, but she definitely held back. Note to self for the future.
"I… I'm afraid. I'm very afraid. On Shikaakwa it's always been hard with trust. But you… for some reason I trust you. And if you wanted to hurt me, you wouldn't have bothered with ceremony."
"And can you prove your words somehow?"
"Mmm…" Hadiya hesitated, chewing her lower lip in nerves. Like standing before a jump into an abyss. But the scale tipped in my favor, so: "Yes. Here." She pulled a comlink from another pocket. "I recorded the conversation. Want to listen?"
"Hadiya…" I sighed and shook my head. She visibly shrank into her shoulders at my displeasure. "Why are we still standing here?!"
"Huh?"
"Come on—let's go. We're about to do good and inflict justice!"
"B-b-but…" What "but"?
"But you promised that we…"
"Calm down. You just gave me an idea how to turn this in your favor. Trust me—everything will be fine." I held out my hand and smiled, carefully nudging her with the Force. "Just trust me. I'll talk to everyone myself, and this little thing can sit in my pocket for now."
"Okay."
Hand in hand, we turned and walked back toward the clan house.
"Don't be afraid." I caught her by the shoulders and hugged her. "Don't be afraid of anything. While I'm рядом, nobody will lay a finger on you. I promise."
"Th-thank you."
We walked in silence. I could feel her drilling me with her gaze.
"What?"
"Did you really decide to help?"
"I did."
"It's… hard to believe."
"Then don't believe. What's the problem?"
"I can't not believe. I always felt the people I spoke to. You… you're different." She looked me over, lingering on my lack of shoes. "Completely different."
"Is that a compliment?"
"An observation. And you're strange. Really, really strange. I can't read you. I can't understand why you're doing this. Are you insane?"
"Heh. Maybe. Just accept that there's a half-blood Tythonian Togruta who decided to help."
"Kindness and mercy are weakness."
"And who told you that? Dad?"
"Yes."
"Well congratulations—then I'm a weakling, because I have both."
"You don't look like a weakling. I saw how you killed those mercenaries. There was no mercy or pity."
"I honestly asked them to leave."
"And then you killed them."
"More like crippled them."
"People don't survive those injuries. You struck to kill."
"Fine, fine—you're right. But objectively, a Jedaii sometimes has to heal worse." I remembered training. "Brrr."
"Have you had to kill before?"
"No."
"And you're so calm?"
"Yes."
"You're so, so, so weird!"
"I'm not arguing. But if it makes it easier for you… you understand… my mother is an assassin, and I was taught like an assassin. You must not feel pity for the one you're going to kill. You must be ready to lower the raised sword. And never pity the enemy—because that's how you save a friend."
"And you talk to me about kindness?" She raised a brow, and I couldn't help laughing.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha… yes. I talk to you about kindness."
Then Hadiya's stomach growled, interrupting us.
"You want to eat?"
"Mm-hmm," she said, eyes down.
Looking around for a café, a restaurant, or at least a greasy spoon, I found something like a café with stairs down into a basement.
"Come on. Let's grab a bite."
"And is it okay that everyone's looking for me?"
"Don't care. War is war, but lunch is on schedule. Besides, I already 'found' you." I snorted. "So there won't be any problems. And if there are, they definitely won't be ours."
"You're too confident."
"Maybe. But it doesn't stop me from living. Come on, Sunshine."
I slipped an arm around the girl and lightly flicked her nose, drawing a smile.
"See? Whole different look. Smile more often—it suits you."
"I'm smiling at you. I'm not going to smile at everyone."
"Why not? To your own—joy. To strangers—spite. You know how infuriating the smile of someone you hate is?"
"I kno-o-ow," the little thing stretched her lips even wider, face full of understanding.
"There you go."
"I'll remember."
We stepped into the café and took one of the tables near the edge. I ordered a couple dishes. Hadiya kept her hood up, head lowered.
"Relax already. We're going back anyway—what's the difference if someone sees you now or later?"
She lifted her head and studied me thoughtfully, nodded at something, and took off her hood. Sadly, relaxing didn't work—but it was something.
To my surprise, while we stayed in the café, nobody even approached us. Apparently the thought that the most wanted girl in the city would be casually sitting in a café near the fortress-house she'd run from never crossed anyone's mind.
"Listen, how did it work out so perfectly that you escaped right before our arrival?" I asked, stirring sweet powder into a cup of some herbal infusion.
"I knew Clan Shi called for Jedaii support, so I prepared. Правда, I didn't manage to get far—I only made it to the bar and waited out the first noise. I'm actually surprised you arrived so late, but it's even better."
"Then why did Clan Shi call us if you'd only just run?"
"To cover themselves from others. Like—'the Jedaii were here, everyone saw, everyone confirmed it was honest and by mutual consent.' And I couldn't refuse—they'd force me. I know how to force people properly. I've seen it. I planned to run right after you landed. Because while you're here, they won't dare attack my father—because you were also supposed to hear his words. And then I was counting on warning him, passing him the recording, and exposing Clan Shi in front of the others, because it's too big an audacity even for us."
"That's a mess. Listen—are you sure you're eight?"
"Nope. I'm nine! Why?"
"Your brain works way above your age."
"Here it has to," she said, carefully lifting her chin and looking at the street visible through the window. "And besides—Dad trained me so that one day I'd take his place."
"Even that…"
I reached for my comlink, deciding to adjust the idea forming.
"What is it?" Hadiya worried.
"You just gave me something to think about."
"Hm?"
I dialed and listened to the faint hiss until Irbis's dissatisfied voice came through.