[ 01 - CHAPTER ONE ]

― born under a notable name ―

Since the year 32 BBY, the city of Coruscant has perpetually been a place of martial significance. Prior to the Clone Wars, the luminescent city was home to the Jedi and the controversial Galactic Senate. Throughout the duration of the Clone Wars, Coruscant was nothing less than a wargrounds. The feet of warriors and commanders alike enveloped the entire world, and until the war was over, there was not a single moment in which the Coruscant natives could find peace. Shockingly enough, Coruscant was the home of the dismal New Order - an order that declared all peace-making Jedi enemies of the state. Even after Supreme Chancellor Palpatine stepped into a permanent position of power, war still rang throughout the galaxy, and the siren at the center of the ringing was, predictably, Coruscant.

Given its belligerent past and present, it came as no surprise to any passersby to see a flock of stormtroopers traveling through the streets of the Galactic City. Some longtime citizens rushed out of their path and were careful not to make eye contact. Others stared straight into their tinted masks, thinking harsh and hateful things about their profession and the Imperials who commanded them. Still others of a much braver sort walked right past the group, paying no attention to their shoulders' rough connections with the troopers' uniforms.

Indirys Calrissian reacted differently than everyone else around her. Rather than stepping to the side or walking straight toward the deadly soldiers, she knew by instinct to avoid them altogether. As soon as she glimpsed the bright white uniforms and the guns that they entailed, she ducked into the nearest alleyway she could find. She had no idea where the compact passage lead, but as was true any time the dark-haired girl wanted credits, she hoped it would lead to a cantina of some sort.

When Indirys rounded a corner and saw just that, she couldn't help but smile. Cantinas, bars, and the like were some of Indirys' favorite places to be(as they allowed her twin blasters to remain strapped to her thighs), so when she saw the domed ceiling of a place she was so familiar with, she was overjoyed.

The atmosphere of the Coruscant Cantina was recognizable upon entrance. The smells of Bantha milk, Bespin Fizz, and Polanis Red flooded Indirys' nose. Conventional cantina music sounded underneath the noise of droning chatter, causing a sense of warmth to wash over her. Her entire life she'd visited places like these, whether it be with her brother or her dear close friend, and every single tavern she walked in managed to make her feel at home.

Her russet brown eyes danced across the premises, searching for an empty seat that interested her. Her gaze only stopped drifting when she caught sight of a place that suited her initial interests.

"Perfect," she breathed, the ends of her mouth pulling up into a grin.

The seat that Indirys deemed desirable was one at a nearly vacant circular table. A small, multiracial group of men surrounded it, all of them intently watching the shimmering holograms that shone in front of them. As Indirys drew closer, it became obvious that two of the men were engaged in a game of Dejarik, and the three others were simply spectating the popular holographic game.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Indirys cooed as she sidled up next to the table's rim. "Mind if I join in for the next round?"

The Pantoran man chuckled, his blue lips cracking as he said, "If you think you can keep up, sweetheart."

Indirys shrugged in a nonchalant manner, a wisp of a smirk fighting to make its way onto her face. The Pantoran and his friends had no idea what the petite girl could do with a Dejarik board and the right holo characters, and Indirys would prefer to keep it that way. The more they underestimated her, the better. If they didn't think much of her skills, they would be willing to bet more, meaning they would lose exuberant amounts of credits when the female Calrissian beat them.

"I'll try my best," she hummed just loud enough for the Pantoran to hear.

She carefully watched the game that was playing out in front of her. She quickly noticed that one of the players, presumably of the human species, was more prone to offensive tactics while the other, a Sullustan, preferred to guard his Kintan Strider as much as possible. Indirys felt a rush of excitement and anticipation when the Sullustan made a wrong move, and the excitement only increased when the Pantoran man informed the others that she wanted a turn.

The current winner grimaced, and Indirys simply raised an eyebrow in return. She'd grown accustomed to people of the male species looking down on her, especially when it came to games and gambling. One overconfident competitor wouldn't dampen her spirits.

She took a seat where the Sullustan had previously been sitting and rebooted the Dejarik game. The blue light of the holographic images leaped across her eyes in dazzling reflection, accompanying the exhilarated gleam that had already been there. She brushed her hair out of her eyes before rolling her shoulders back, bringing her gaze upwards to match that of the man in front of her.

"What's your name, little girl?" the man quipped. Indirys realized he couldn't have been more than ten years older than her, with his tousled brown hair not having a single streak of gray in it, but she decided not to make a comment about it. It was better to momentarily act timid and naive than to make him angry.

"Calrissian," she answered, certain that the gamblers around her would recognize her surname. "Indirys Calrissian."

An amused expression grew on the man's face. It was one that reminded Indirys of a Loth-cat who had just captured a mouse. "Calrissian, eh? You don't happen to be related to Lando?"

"Possibly."

A round of eager chuckles escaped the lips of the people observing the exchange, and the attention surrounding the small holochess game grew when the man shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like we've got ourselves a treat! A woman of Calrissian blood has graced us with her presence tonight, and she's challenged me, your Coruscant Cantina champion, to a match of Dejarik!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Indirys muttered under her breath. When she'd been looking for a few games to try and hustle, she hadn't been expecting to come across a man with as big of an ego as this one had. She'd expected to encounter some arrogance, of course, but not on the same level of cockiness as her infamous relative.

Once her opponent was satisfied with the number of people that ventured over to watch, he swiveled back around to face Indirys. "Alright, Miss Calrissian. I'll be gracious and let you have the first move."

Indirys couldn't help but smirk. "I apologize, Mr..."

"Otto Deggory."

"Mr. Otto Deggory. Again, I really am sorry for not jumping on the opportunity to play against you, but I was under the impression that we would be placing a few bets first. You know, offer up some credits for the taking."

Otto burst into amused laughter, his head rolling back and his hands pounding the table in front of him. A few quieter laughs emerged from the crowd that surrounded the two as well, but Indirys was unmoved. She'd been in similar situations before, with dozens of expectant eyes turned upon her, and she knew how to maintain a collected appearance.

"So you really do have Calrissian blood in you!" Otto exclaimed once his laughing fit finally lost its steam. "Are you as good as Lando is at these sorts of games? Do you take home the grand prize of cities in the skies, too?"

"Hardly," the dark-skinned girl confessed. "I just thought I'd give this game a shot."

Anyone who knew the young Calrissian personally would be able to tell she was telling a white lie, but anyone who knew her would also know to keep their mouths shut. She pretended to lack the skills Lando possessed on purpose - it tended to lower her opponent's expectations and instill a sense of laziness, and that sense of laziness was what helped Indirys' wins seem that much more impressive.

Though the second part of her statement had been a lie, the first part was anything but. While Indirys did enjoy smuggling and gambling, she had no interest in expensive, intricate things or power over a city in the clouds. Rather, she preferred to spend her spare time outsmarting fools like Otto Deggory.

"I wager ten credits," she announced, igniting the chuckles around her once more.

Deggory leaned back in his seat, eyes alight with mirth. "I wager twenty."

With a simple gesture for Indirys to make the first move, the highly anticipated game began. The two players moved their characters back and forth across the circular, checkered board, their concentration fierce and unwavering. News of the holo-warfare between a Calrissian and Otto Deggory spread throughout the cantina like wildfire, and soon there was a crowd of around thirty people surrounding the competing duo. The electrified energy of the grungy multitude only strengthened the gamblers' confidence as the game started to come to a close.

Inidrys had allowed Otto to have the upper hand thus far, feigning as if she was struggling to hold her own. However, as the game neared its end, she knew she'd have to begin turning the tables.

"Oh, my," Indirys sighed. "You've really got me there, don't you?"

Otto instantly began beaming, pride practically seeping through every pore in his body. It was only when his challenger made a "tsk" noise with her mouth that he realized the oddity of her apathetic tone. Suddenly, as the underestimated female took out his Mantellian Savrip, his boastful attitude began to falter.

Within a brief whirlwind of moments, Otto found himself with only one piece left: a K'lor'lsug. The K'lor'lsug had half the health of an ordinary character, less attack power than was normal, and came with no special attacks. It was obvious to any bystander that Otto was not likely to pull through with a win.

"Any last minutes additions to the pile?" Indirys asked, waving her hand over the stack of credits her and Deggory had wagered.

Otto snarled. His eyebrows pulled together in an unattractive glower, and he made one last futile attempt to turn the game in his favor.

With one swift move of her last holomonster, Indirys defeated Otto's K'lor'lsug and solidified her win. She was surprised to hear the men around her erupt in a loud cheer, but her shock neglected to register on her face, a smug grin appearing there instead. She slapped her hand on top of the pile of credits that lay before her, earning a vicious glare from Otto.

"Beginner's luck?" she jested.

With a huff, Otto Deggory shoved his chair backward and stormed away, immediately heading for the cantina's exit. A few of his friends followed him, but other than that, the entire crowd on onlookers from before remained.

"I don't suppose he wants a rematch," Indirys commented before hoisting herself up to stand on top of her seat. She turned to face the majority of the crowd, her arms held out in a challenging manner. "Who's next?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I've never been more scared to publish a chapter than I was with this one lol. I guess I was more worried about staying accurate to literally everything in the Star Wars universe than adding an artistic aspect to this, but overall it's not quite so bad as I thought it would be. It was originally going to be much, much longer, but I ended up shortening it down to just this for multiple reasons. First of all, I don't want to bore you guys with crazy long chapters before the book's really started. Not to mention, once I started really getting into writing this chapter I realized it would probably be close to 6,000 words by the time I got done with it, and I really didn't want to do that. Not to mention, I'ma strong believer that first chapters should be focused on introducing the character and their personality, not shoving a bunch of plot points in the reader's face all at once(I say this as I consistently shove plot points in the reader's face during my first chapters).

Anyway, if you were wondering why the ending isn't as much of a cliffhanger as I usually try to do, that's why. This ending wasn't the original ending I had planned for this chapter.

All nonsense rambling aside, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and make sure to let me know what you think!