Yela pov.

"Yela, get your pathetic ass out there or you can entertain one of my guests tonight," Godoba der Hutt yelled at her.

Godoba the Hutt was not only the club owner but also her owner and despite being only fifteen he had the Togruta dress up in a revealing dancer's outfit like the older slaves. At least Yela only had to work as a waitress and not in the other roles but she still had to put up with lots of groping.

"Okay, master." She sighed and hurried to the bar, received a large plate filled with drinks, and continued into the packed main hall.

She was nearly overwhelmed by the stench of over two hundred males and female from a wide verity of species dancing to the loud music on the dance floor. Despite her best attempts to be quick, she couldn't evade the hungry hands grabbing at her flesh. Why did they have to pay attention to me? They could be staring at the dancing girls but no, they chose to annoy her.

Finally, she broke through the mass of sweating and moving bodies and was free do head to the darker and quieter corner of the club that served as a normal bar and restaurant. As she'd done hundreds of times before she went through the twenty-four tables, offering the customers drinks and declining private invitations to meet them in their rooms, not that she would have been allowed to even if wanted to.

Finally, she reached the last table that was occupied by what looked like a smuggler or bounty hunter. The guy looked only a few years older than her, maybe eighteen although it was hard to tell with humans. He was blond, quite tall and athletic and I guess handsome. "Sir, may I offer you a drink." The young man looked up and their blue eyes met.

"Pardon me?"

"Ahm do you want a drink, sir?" He still stared at her. "Sir?"

"Oh sorry. Yes please."

She smiled at him and handed him a liquor-filled glass and was just about continue on when he added.

"Want to take a seat?" She looked around nervously, no one was there. It had already been a long night and sitting down seemed like a very good idea. After another nervous look around she sank down onto the bench opposite of the smuggler.

"So, what is your name?" She asked awkwardly.

"I'm Alex, you?"

"Yela," She replied softly while asking herself why she was talking to this stranger. The number of conversations she had had with customers over the past four years that went beyond rejecting advances could be counted with zero fingers.

They sat there for a few minutes staring at each other.

"So...." he started as if realizing that he had invited her to sit with him without any real excuses, not that she minded of course.

"Yela, you are needed in the VIP lounge. Someone barfed!" One of the waitresses yelled over at her.

"Sorry, I have to go," Yela said and got to her feet. To her surprise, he grabbed her wrist.

She instinctively jerked back. "Hey sorry." he quickly apologized.

"I have to work. Do you want something?" Yela asked.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked back.

"What?" She asked slightly startled.

"I know that you are a slave. Do you want to run away? I can help you?"

She stood there, frozen in shock.

"What?"

"I can bring you away from here."

"I can't. They'll catch us and they will kill you."

The boy grinned and pulled his leather Jacket aside a bit so far that I could see a gleaming hilt. She instantly recognized it as a light-saber, every kid knew what they looked like and wanted one. Especially to a slave, those stories had a special meaning.

"You're a Jedi." Yela hissed.

"Not so loud," he hissed and looked around suddenly nervous.

"Yes, if you want I can take you far away from here. I have a ship." That last sentence shook her to her senses. This was her one and only chance and before she could consider the risks she found myself nodding.

The Jedi got up and grabbed her wrist.

"Follow me?" he pulled her through the club and she realized that he was leading me to the back door.

"There are armed guards back."

"I know, my brother shouldn't be far."

His brother? Yela tried to argue more but Alex just pulled her along. They shouldered their way past other members of the clubs personal and moved so quickly that it was unlikely that the security even noticed them pass. Finally, Alex kicked the back door opened. Two armed guards watching the back door turned around but before they could yell some invisible force knocked them back and sent them rolling down the steps.

"Follow me," Alex whispered and Yela would have given some clever answer but before she could he was already dragging her after him down the dark street.

They somehow managed to evade the now alerted militia until finally, Alex pulled her into a dark empty alleyway.

"Damn, where is he," Alex growled in frustration.

The young man dropped against a brick wall and let the night air wash over my exposed skin. Suddenly her knees buckled and she slid down to the wall and came to rest in the dirt.

"Do you have any idea how unacceptable this is?"

She would have shrieked but Alex's hand covered Yela's mouth, silencing her scream before she could give them away. A dark figure melted out of the shadows. As he stepped closer she saw that the newcomer was wearing a cloak with the hood pulled down to cover his face.

"Max my little brother?" Alex greeted him sounding much too pleased for the situation. Obviously, the newcomer shared her opinion about the much too pleased thing because when he pulled back his hood with a fluent brush of his hand he was glaring at her savior.

Her breath caught.

If she had to guess I would have put him around her own age, so fifteen or sixteen. Just like her brother he towered above her and had silver-blond hair and a face seemingly carved from white marble...... Under the different circumstances, Yela might have spent all day staring at him.

"Who is this?" He demanded and nodded at me.

"This is Yela."

"Hello Yela, I am Maxwell Bay, Padawan of the Jedi Order. Alexander?"

"I brought her because...."

He studied her for a second, his gaze wandering down her scantily dressed figure. "I know exactly why you brought her."

Alexander grumbled something under his voice.

"Did you get the intel, Alexander?" Maxwell asked sharply. There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Intell? I saved this innocent citizen of the republic?"

"How romantic. How do you plan to explain this to Master Yoda?"

Alexander fell silent for a second and Yela got the distinct suspicion that her salvation hadn't been part of the original plan.  "Well..."

Max sighed. "We can't bring her back now. They will kill her! Good work!"

She faltered under Maxwell's glare. "I'll just get her out of here and find a way to finish the job." Alex insisted, suddenly sounding slightly desperate.

Max's glare faltered and was replaced by a mask of calm indifference. "You go finish the mission. I'll get her back to the ship."

A boyish grin spread over Alexander's face. "I swear you won't regret this."

"I already am. Now get going, I'll try to sort this out with our masters."

Alex turned to me. "Ahm yes. This is my little brother. He will take care of you. See you later."

Yela just stared at him blankly and after her savior as he ran down the alleyway and disappeared into the darkness, leaving her alone with the younger Jedi.

"I apologize for all this Yela," Maxwell tried and held out his hand to her. After a moment of hesitation, Yela allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"This won't work," Max muttered to himself and she realized that she was still wearing her dancer's costume... in front of a Jedi. As if on cue the young woman shivered on cue. Suddenly Maxwell pulled off his cloak and handed it to her. Under his cloak, he was wearing a light black tunic and pants, his own lightsaber hanging from her belt.

"Here, take this. We can't have them recognize you like that, I don't plan to kill anyone tonight." After a few seconds, he added, "I can't just let you freeze to death either."

Yela only gave him an unsure smile which he didn't return. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Yela mumbled as she pulled on Maxwell's robe and pulled over the hood to hide her quite distinctive Montrails.

"Now stay at my side and don't do anything stupid. Act as if you were a Jedi, try not to talk too much. In fact, it's better you stay silent, oh, and walk upright. Jedi don't slouch," He ordered in a low voice. She stayed silent and did my best to fulfill his orders.

"Don't be angry at your brother. He is a nice person."

"That's the problem. Now please be silent."

Yela did as he told him as Maxwell led him through the streets. Yela saw members of the militia running around wildly, probably looking for her. She knew how much a Togruta like her was worth. But they gave Maxwell and her a wide birth, clearly not eager to interfere with the legendary Jedi Order.. Finally after maybe twenty minutes, they left the gang-controlled part of the city.

Some part of her noted that she was leaving the city block for the first time in her life. As they reentered the more respectable part of town her guide visably relaxed.

"Where are we going?" She asked with a small voice.

"The space port." At the words Space Port her heart fluttered with excitement and she found herself drinking her surroundings in. The city was so full of life and after spending my entire life in the same city block it was hard to comprehend that these people lived lives so different from her own. Even in the dead of nights thousands of people were bustling around.

"It's beautiful," she breathed and glanced at Maxwell.

"I believe you." After walking for what had to be at least an hour her legs began to feel as if they were made of lead. Finally they reached what had to be the Spaceport. Despite being cold and tired, she couldn't stop staring at the world that until now I didn't really believe existed. She wanted to ask so many questions but didn't have the courage to ask.

Maxwell led her straight through the security check points without being stopped. After hitching a ride on a small speeder down endless rows of ship's they reached a parking slot with a large red vessel with a wide front. "This is the Defender-class diplomatic Cruiser. My brother nicked named her Betsy for some reason."

Only when they walked up the gangway did a small spread across her lips as the fact that she was leaving her old life behind began to sink in.

"Come on. I'd rather not have you recognized." Maxwell ushered her up the ramp and into the ship's interior. The first thing she noticed was climate on board was quite frigid.  She followed Maxwell to the bridge where he sat me her in one of the chairs. Then the Jedi took his place in the pilot's seat.

Yela used the better light to discreetly study the young man sitting next to her.

Over the past few years, she had learned to read people quite well and despite being younger than Alexa, Maxwell's face was harder. He looked more like what she expected a Jedi to be like, a warrior.

Like his brother, he was handsome and athletic but his movements had something catlike and with his silver blond hair and gray eyes, he looked unapproachable. His features would have been enough to make any angel blush.

In summery Alex looked a lot friendlier, a person you would want to hang out with. Maxwell was like....how one would imagine a winter on Hoth. Cold, deadly, and quiet.

"When is Alex coming back?" She asked after a long moment of silence. Despite having only known him for a few minutes she found herself considering him to be something like a friend, perhaps the only one she had. What Maxwell and she were....

"I apologize for my lack of manners. I'll get you something more appropriate to wear and then find you something to eat. Wait here...."

He got up and walked to the back of the bridge, froze, and turned around. "Please don't touch anything."

Then he was gone and she found herself staring out of the windshield at the hangar wall until Maxwell returned with a large black pullover.

"Here pull this on before you die of Hypothermia. I know another Togruta and she is always complaining about the cold. I'll get you something to eat."

He handed her the garment and Yela quickly noticed that it had Alexander's scent. She quickly pulled it over and allowed herself to enjoy the warmth that it provided. A few minutes later Maxwell returned, holding a plate filled with the kind of meal she often served but never got to eat.

Then he reclaimed his seat and closed his eyes and grew motionless. Deciding that she needed no further encouragement she dug in.

---------Line breaker-------

Yela felt a tad bit guilty that Maxwell had ended up getting her a second and even third helping but despite being very reserved she got the feeling that he didn't mind.

"I'm back!" Alex's voice wrang through the ship.

"A pity. It was so pleasantly quiet." Max muttered under his breath.

Alex stepped onto the bridge and winked at her.

"Did you guys miss me?"

Maxwell didn't answer.

"So did you get our Intel?" the younger brother asked.

"Not a chance! Their locked down."

Maxwell sighed. "Okay let's get going. There is no reason to stay here any longer."

Maxwell pressed a few buttons on the dashboard and suddenly the engines started rumbling and they lifted off and thundered off into the night.

She tasted the carpet before her other senses reported in and managed to push myself back upright. Maxwell was still sitting like he remember it, his face perfectly calm.

"How long have I been out?" She asked slightly miffed. Although Maxwell didn't betray any emotion he was quite sure he had found her pathetic position to be more than amusing.

"About twenty-five minutes. Did it work?"

Ahsoka nodded still working through the fresh memories. I hadn't thought about that night in a while but it was true, that strongest and important set of memories she had. It was the foundation of everything else, the night she stated living.

"It was so real," Yela  whispered. Then she gathered myself and grinned at him.

"I forgot how uptight you used to be. Did I ever thank you for taking care of me in that first night, you did a lot more than you had too."

"My brother made the right bad choices." She couldn't help but smile softly. "Yeah, he's strange like that."

Maxwell's smile suddenly disappeared and his face morphed into a mask of perfectly controlled emotion.

"This is enough for today."

When her face fell he added.

"Your husband will be leaving later. Spend the time with him. We will continue tomorrow. I believe you have quite a lot to think about."

Winter Wolf & Lengendary95 over and out.