"I think it has to be the blue." I said as I watched Payto hold up a cobalt harness-like top.

"It certainly has that wow factor." He agreed as he tiled his head to the side and took in his reflection in the mirror.

We had just finished our shift for the day and had hurried back to our living quarters to decide what to wear tonight to the underground club. I had nervous butterflies flitting around my stomach all day, and they only intensified as it grew closer to nighttime. I took a deep breath in an effort to calm my system. I saw Payto raise an eyebrow at me.

"You know you don't have to do this." He said and swung around to face me.

"And let you have all the fun?" I replied with a casual smile, "Never."

Payto smirked in response and turned back to his reflection.

"Well in that case, it's time to decide on your wardrobe." He tossed the top onto a pile of clothes that had begun to take form on his chair. I groaned and leaned back into the bed I was sitting against.

"My wardrobe is a sad, sad thing." I muttered. I wished I had been able to visit one of the many stores the city had to offer. But that would require credits. Which I clearly am severely lacking in.

"I would have made you something new." Payto said and nudged me with his foot. He has an incredible talent for finding discarded materials and turning them into something fabulous.

"Aw thanks, Pay." I said and looked up at him with a soft smile. But we both knew there was no time left for that. Suddenly his face brightened with an idea.

"What about that dress I made for your 18th birthday?" He asked. I pursed my lips in consideration. A few years ago, Payto made me a gorgeous mini dress. He sourced the fabric from discarded Jedi robes and had created a delicate embellishment using broken droid parts. And it was one of my absolute prized possessions.

"I don't know," I started and looked up at him, "I would hate to ruin it."

"Nonsense." He replied with a definitive shake of his head. "That dress needs a life beyond the cupboard you keep it locked away in."

I chuckled softly and shrugged my shoulders in acknowledgment. He was right. If there ever was an occasion to wear a dress like that...

"You're right." I said and stood up from my seated position, "tonight is the night."

"That's my girl." Payto replied with a wink.

We spent the next hour or so perfecting our looks. Payto finalized the last details of our outfits while I carefully drew metallic accents along our eyes using a mixture of water and crushed gemstone. Finally, to complete the look, I twisted my hair into a series of intricate braids while Payto sported his usual buzzed head.

And finally, it was time to go. Payto and I stood shoulder to shoulder and took in our reflection in the mirror.

"Not too shabby." I said with a smirk and cocked my head to the side. I was impressed with our ability to throw together looks that were in line with Coruscant's high-end fashion.

"If I didn't know better," Payto said as he nudged me softly and pointed at our reflection "I'd say that those two are part of Coruscant's high society." This made me smile. 

"Alright," I said with a deep sigh, "Let's fucking do this."

Not even an hour later, Payto and I were stood in front of The Outlander Club. The neon green sign cast an eerie glow on the back alley. I had to clench my fists to stop them from shaking.

Moments earlier, Payto had confidently chatted with the bouncer and thanks to his undeniable charm, we were told to wait to be taken in through the back door. I was always in awe of how charismatic and convincing Payto could be when he wanted to.

Finally, the door we were waiting in front of opened with a screech. A gruff looking Weequay man stood inside and motioned for us to come inside.

"Here we go." I heard Payto mutter softly next to me. I just shot him an uneasy look in return.

But we had come this far, and we were desperate enough for extra credits, so we both took a deep breath and walked into the club side-by-side.

I was instantly struck with a foul odor of stale liquor, smoke and sweat. I immediately had to swerve out of the way to allow a Twi'lek woman to storm by. She was ranting about a poorly behaved patron and called out a desperate need for an outfit repair. I noticed she was holding her skirt together with her hand. The sight made my stomach flip. I watched as she disappeared into what I assumed is a dressing room.

"Alright, here's the deal." The Weequay man growled as he turned around to face us, his back up against a door which led into the main area of the club. He tossed us each a long scrap of red fabric.

"Tie this around our neck." He instructed. "Our patrons will know they can pay you with coin for your services if they see you wearing it." I looked down and gently fingered the tattered looking fabric resting in my palm. I wondered who had worn it before me.

"Remember, this is all under the table. But we are owed half at the end of the night." He continued. "And don't even try to sneak out of here without paying the club's share. You'll never make it out alive."

I couldn't help but gulp as I took in the man's deadly serious expression. I felt Payto shift nervously next to me, a crack in his confident façade. The man turned around sharply began to push open the double doors. Music and vivacious conversation flooded through. I looked over at Payto who was tying the fabric around his neck and staring straight forward. I decided to follow suit.

"And word of advice," the man said as he turned to look at us over his shoulder. "Stick together."

And just like that, we were thrust into the belly of the beast. I stumbled forward and if it weren't for Payto's steady hold on my elbow, I would have eaten shit. I shot him a grateful look and he nodded in response. I quickly gathered my bearings and scanned the room. It was packed with species from all across the galaxy. I tried not to take notice of all the blasters and other weapons  being carried in obvious view.

In a far corner I noticed booths raised above the rest of the club. They were packed with gambling patrons and periodically, arguments would erupt, only adding to the noisy ambiance. In the center of the room there was an elevated platform where dancers were sensually swaying their hips while drunk onlookers called out to them. It was a lot to take in.

I followed as Payto guided us towards the bar. We weaved our way through the crowd and I did my best to not to acknowledge anyone despite feeling multiple eyes on us. We saddled up to the bar and I turned to face the crowd with my back to the counter while Payto ordered drinks. I wasn't sure what exactly he had ordered, but I was grateful when he pressed a glass with clear liquid into my hand.

"Thanks!" I shouted above the noise. He nodded in response and held up his drink with a soft smirk. I returned his smiled, raised my glass to cheers him and then brought it down to my lips. It burned as it went down my throat and I couldn't help but squirm as I felt heat throughout my body. I heard Payto let out a laugh next to me.

"Figured it made the most economic sense to just get the strongest drink on the menu." He shouted as he bent down to get closer to my ear.

"Fair enough." I yelled back with a shrug and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Alright, let's work the room." He said and cast his gaze into the crowd. I watched as his eyes settled on a man in dark robes staring back at us from a table across the room. I noticed Payto's lip curl up into a sultry expression. The man lifted his hand and beckoned us over. I heard Payto mumble something about this being 'too easy' as he pushed off from the counter and made his way towards the man.

I took another swig of my drink and quickly fell in step behind Payto. We made our way through the crowd and Payto didn't break eye contact with the man. As we got closer, I noticed he had slightly graying hair and was pulled back into a sleek knot. His face set into a cold, lethal expression. One of his eyes was clearly mechanic as he watched us approaching. I couldn't help but feel like we were prey walking towards a predator.

"Well, hello." Payto said in a low voice once we reached this man's table. He looked up at Payto and slowly took him in, a smirk growing as his eyes roved over Payto's sculpted chest and angular features. Payto shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with this slow examination.

"What's your name?" Payto asked the man. He just scoffed in response.

"We don't do names here." He finally replied in a sharp voice.

"Well then," Payto said, matching the man's tone and leaned down to press his hands onto the table, "What do we do here?"

The man let out a low laugh. He reached forward and quickly hooked his finger onto the red fabric around Payto's neck, jerking him closer. I flinched and had to fight the urge to reach out and pull Payto away. This caught the man's attention as his eyes swiveled over to me.

"You two are new." He said, releasing Payto from his grip as he gave me the same once-over he gave Payto just moments earlier.

Payto shot me a look that begged me to relax. I bit my lip and forced myself to stand a little taller, anything to fake a show of confidence and experience. This was answer enough for the man.

"It's okay," he said with a cocked eyebrow, "I like new."

I forced my face into a flirtatious expression despite the nerves shooting through my skeleton. Taking a step forward, I swung an arm lazily around Payto's shoulders.

"How can we be of service?" I asked the man.

"Why don't you two join me in a back room?" He suggested with a smirk. I felt my face drop.

Before I could protest, I heard Payto say "show us the way."

The man chuckled and paused to give us both a hard look again before slowly rising to his feet. He motioned for us to follow.

"Payto, what the hell?" I quipped aggressively and took a step towards him once the man's back was turned to us.

"Relax, Kels." He replied confidently and brought his mouth closer to my ear, "It's just dancing. And plus, I like the odds of two versus one instead of taking on this entire table if things go sideways."

"That does not make me feel better." I grumbled in response.

"I won't let anything happen to you, promise. Just think about the credits." He said and gently placed his hand on my shoulder. He gave me a pleading look. I felt my shoulders drop in defeat and nodded my head.

We followed the man as he led us towards a section of the club that was roped off. I watched as he muttered something to the droid on guard and jerked his head towards us. The droid nodded and stood to the side, unclipping the rope to allow up to pass.

I reached for Payto's hand. He gave me a reassuring squeeze as we made our way past the guard. We walked past curtained-off alcoves and I kept my eyes forward, trying to ignore the undeniable noises of pleasure and depravity as we passed by.

Finally, we reached an empty room, and the man stood to the side as we entered. He towered above both of us as he closed and secured the curtain behind us. The noise of the club became more muffled as I zeroed in on his steel-toed footsteps approaching closer. He stopped right next to me, and I could smell the liquor on his breath. He lifted his hand and gently dragged a finger down my bare arm. My entire body broke out into chills as I twisted away from him.

"Just dancing." I found myself saying in a panicked tone before I could think.

"Of course." He said in a sickly-sweet voice. I felt Payto take a protective step towards me.

"Sit down." He ordered the man and glanced towards the velvet booth lining the inside of the small room. Thankfully, the man obliged, clearly enjoying Payto's attempt at dominance.

"Show me what you've got." The man drawled and rested his arms on the backrest of the booth.

Just as Payto took a step towards the man I heard the curtain being thrown open behind us. I noticed a sinister look creep onto the man's face.

Before I could register what was happening, I felt a pair of arms grab me from behind and drag me from the room. Dread immediately flooded through me.

"Kels! Get off her!" Payto's voice rang out and I saw him lunge towards me before another man rushed in from behind and tackled him to the ground.

"Payto!" I screamed as the curtain was snapped close again, cutting off my view of him.

I was panicking. I flung my arms out and kicked my legs violently.

"Let go of me!" I yelled in a shrill voice. The arms only squeezed tighter, causing the air to rush from my diaphragm.

I was thrown onto the floor of the empty room next door. I scrambled to my feet and spun to face a rough looking man. I recognized him as one of the table-mates of the man we followed in here. Another man filed into the room behind him and stood before the curtain. They both wore an evil expression.

I took a few steps back, trying to put as much distance between me and these men as I could. I felt the back of my legs come up against the velvet booth seating. There was nowhere else to go. I couldn't believe we had been so stupid. Of course, this is how these things always go.

"Payto!" I called out frantically, desperately hoping to communicate with my friend next door. My blood went cold when I heard nothing in response. I bit back tears as I watched the man who trapped me in here approach slowly.

"Don't cry beautiful," He said in a mocking tone, "you're going to enjoy this."

I felt like I was going to be sick. I quickly glanced around the room to see if there was any escape, anything I could use to defend myself. I came up with nothing.

The man continued to stalk towards me. His sickening smile revealed yellowing teeth and his blotchy skin suggested he was in the midst of a bender. I cringed at the sight of him and darted to the side to avoid his approach. I felt my hands ball into fists, readying myself for whatever comes next. He noticed and let out a cackle as he finally cornered me. I had to do something.

"Don't even bother putting up a fi—" he began and before he could finish, I swung my fist up and made contact with the side of his face. He quickly clutched his face and let out a growl, I took this as an opportunity to run. But I barely made it two steps before I felt his hand enclose around my upper arm and slam me down onto the booth.

"Get the fuck off me!" I yelled and attempted to swing my hand up to hit him again. But he quickly pinned my arms down.

"I tried to do this the easy way." He grunted, causing me to thrash even harder to get him off me. And suddenly out of the corner of my eyes, I saw him raise his fist. Before I could react, he brought it down hard against my face. Pain cracked through my head as my vision started to go fuzzy.

No, no, I can't pass out. I could feel a warm liquid pouring down my face and willed myself to stay conscious. I clung onto my senses and tried to focus on the noises around me.

That's when I heard an all too familiar noise. The sound of a lightsaber. I almost thought I was imagining it until I saw the blue glow.

Before I knew it, the man's body was flung off of me and thrown across the room. He slammed against a wall, and I heard a sickening crunch as he tumbled to the floor. I swiveled my head to the side and watched as a figure nudged the man with their foot. I was still fighting to keep my vision from blurring. The figure then approached and knelt down.

"You shouldn't be here." I heard a voice say, and slowly Anakin Skywalker's face swam into focus.