He was in over his head. Not even Anakin Skywalker himself, prodigy of the Jedi Order, was too proud to admit that stowing aboard a smugglers ship with no reinforcements, no plan b, and no means of escape, was not his brightest idea to date.

But he couldn't let it go. He wasn't even sure if the ship was slave trading, his entire suspicion had been fuelled by a glimpse, but he couldn't turn his back. A childhood forged in sun and scars ensured he would never allow others to suffer as he had. Not if he could help it. But Anakin now realised he wasn't going to be able to save anyone if his own recklessness killed him first.

The steady groaning of unoiled machinery worked both for and against him, in the sense that he would be harder to detect but it would also be harder for him to detect anyone else. It also meant that the ship was unlikely to pass a health and safety inspection from even the most lenient of inspectors. The ship's rumbling reminded Anakin of a ravenous beast and he couldn't help but feel like he was its next meal.

Keeping close to the walls, attempting to ignore the grime and other substances he didn't wish to identify, he moved along the dimly lit corridors in search of the slaves he suspected were here. If they were trafficking people, then he would shut them down faster than the second sun rises. Perhaps kill them, if he felt like it. And if he was wrong... well they were still smugglers, so he could use that excuse to shield his pride.

The ship was colder than he had expected, his breath crystalised into frost the moment it left his lips, and in hindsight, he wished he had donned his full Jedi apparel after concluding his mission on the planet's surface rather than blindly strolling into a smuggler den. But his agenda was, as usual, half thought-out to the degree of being considered a wish list rather than an actual plan. But then again, history has proven he works best under duress.

Ahead of him, the small corridor opened into a large hanger, occupied by small transport shuttles, and cargo — likely stolen from every corner of this sector — stacked against the walls. He'd admit, for smugglers, they were organised. But no slaves. They could be elsewhere, he thought, perhaps there were holding cells in the bowels of the vessel. He knew he was being uncharacteristically thorough, but this was not something he could allow to go unpunished.

It had been ten years since he had escaped Tatooine, but the memories had never faded. They lingered around him, like a predator lying in wait, striking when his back was turned. It happened in instances when the sun shone a little too brightly and stung his eyes, when a voice sounded like the crack of a whip, or when the orange glow of a Coruscant sunset cast dune-like shapes on his bedroom walls. For a moment, he was thrust back into his nightmares. For a moment, he was a scared boy in a slaver's camp again. And no one was coming for him this time.

He sighed and began walking back towards the corridor when a trio of Trandoshans emerged from the other direction. In the large, empty hanger there was nowhere to hide. They saw him instantly. Two drew their weapons and the third sprinted back whilst emitting a shrill clucking sound, likely signalling the rest of the crew. Anakin cursed and took three steps back, into the centre of the room. He drew his lightsaber hilt and held it in the ready position. Moments later, three dozen Trandoshans, more than he thought were on the ship to begin with, filed into the room and formed a large semi-circle in front of him. His only reprieve was that the majority of them seemed too rushed to gather any weaponry.

"I don't suppose we can talk about this?" He asked, while scanning the smugglers gathered in front of him, trying to form either a plan of attack or a daring escape. But from the looks of it, escape wasn't going to be possible and his fighting odds were long, at best. Nicely done Anakin, the voice sounded so much like Obi-wan, he almost told it to shut up.

One smuggler stepped forward, and for a moment he thought there might be a civil conclusion to the matter. Then the Trandoshan let out a roar that was unmistakably a battle cry and the horde charged.

"Guess not." He activated his lightsaber, the plasmatic blue glow legendary enough to make his closest opponents hesitate. Their hesitation was all he needed. Vaulting into action, he swung his lightsaber in a wide arc, cutting down the first few assailants. He turned and caught the next two Trandoshans on his blade and threw them to the side. A pulse through the Force alerted him to a blaster bolt from his rear, which he turned and redirected back towards its shooter.

Six down, thirty-something to go.

Suddenly, the bay doors groaned open and a modified transport shuttle, the kind the Republic used to move clone battalions, landed in the hangar. Anakin and the Trandoshans paused to examine the new arrival. Judging by the looks on the smuggler's faces, this arrival hadn't just surprised him.

"Are we expecting company?" He smirked, when all of a sudden, a dozen lifeforms erupted from the shuttle and joined the fight against the smugglers. Anakin couldn't decide whether he was being saved or if he was in even bigger trouble. He noted that two remained by the shuttle, watching over the skirmish like generals presiding over their troops.

A shout to his left had him abandoning his thoughts in favour of his blade.

Despite the smuggler's new foes, they still saw him as the greatest threat and converged. No matter how many he cut down, like the heads of the mythical hydra, two more seemed to spring up in their fallen brethren's place. One managed to land a blow that sent him tumbling to the ground, his lightsaber clattering away. Quick to recover, Anakin threw up his arms to combat the barrage of blows coming at him from three enemies.

Suddenly, a fourth set of fists entered the fray. A girl, no older than he was, scaled the back of one Trandoshans and threw her weight backwards, sending the lizard flying face-first into the metal floor. He was out instantly. She landed in a crouch, her head tilted up. Their eyes met as an explosion sounded, and her answering smile promised violence.

She pulled a pair of swords out of two sheaths on her back; one was longer and while the other was shorter with an intricate hilt, both made out of shimmering steel. She positioned them in front of her in much the same way Jedi trained in the Jar'Kai discipline did... like Ahsoka did. He held his arm out and his lightsaber flew into his open hand. His eyes narrowed as he waited for the inevitable slaughter to unfold, reading himself to jump back in should the girl require help.

Recognition followed by fear flashed across the Trandoshans' faces. It seemed like they knew who this girl was. Simultaneously, they drew their own swords. They had deemed the girl a threat that warranted weapons, unlike him —a Jedi Knight — apparently.

There was silence, even the ship's mechanical clanking held its breath, as the two Trandoshans watched the girl, each silently daring the other to make the first move. But from the girl's tell-tale smirk and the red glow reflecting in her eyes like fire on water, he knew she was toying with them.

Finally, one worked up the courage and charged her, his sword in the air as he aimed to bring it down on her head. And he would have, had she still been there, of course. Faster than he could process, she had moved. In true blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion, she had spun to his other side and slashed her blade towards his exposed back. The Trandoshan, very much caught off guard, moved just quickly enough to avoid death. The other smuggler joined his comrade and the clashing of blades, metal rather than the plasma Anakin was accustomed to, ensued.

The girl was clearly an experienced swordswoman, she used the weapons like extensions of her arms as she weaved and spun through her opponents as easily as a bird might flit between trees. Despite the battle raging around them, Anakin found himself studying her as though she were an enigmatic puzzle, deducing how he himself would best combat her — should she turn out to be an enemy rather than an ally.

She must have seen an opening. Quick as a viper and twice as deadly, she kicked one Trandoshan to the ground and spun around to lock her own swords around the hilt of the other's blade and twisted, freeing the weapon from his grasp and sending it skidding across the hangar floor. She threw her long blade up, caught it facing the opposite direction and stabbed the now weapon-less smuggler through the chest.

She jerked her blade loose and blew a stray strand of brown hair out of her eyes — the movement so casual Anakin thought perhaps she was bored. Turning around, she sauntered towards her last victim, who had yet to recover, and lifted her blade. The adrenaline now coursing through him at the prospect of death must have fuelled his agility — the Trandoshan turned and smashed his sword hilt across the girl's cheek. Her head snapped to the side as a dull crack echoed through the air, but she did not falter. Slowly, she turned back to the now trembling Trandoshan with the face of death incarnate and simply stared at him. Anakin watched as a cut welled up just below her eye and a trail of blood dripped down to the corner of her mouth. As her teeth stained red the girl only grinned in a way that said she liked the taste.

Her eyes taunted him. Come on, hit me again, see if you can. This silent challenge terrified the Trandoshan more than any display of swordsmanship could have. Anakin was almost impressed.

Like a predator finding their prey to be a more resistant, but not unwelcome, challenge, she began circling him. The smuggler pulled himself together long enough to raise his own weapon in a defensive position. For the first time, she seemed to sober up. Her eyes narrowed and a single puff of frosted air left her bloodied lips before she surged forward, one blade raised and one at her side. When she was almost upon him, the Trandoshan ready to push back against her strike, she changed tactics. The smuggler watched, transfixed, as she threw one blade in the air to pass over his head while she slid through his legs and came to a crouched halt. She snatched her airborne blade and in one fluid motion, pierced the Trandoshan back with both blades. His body crumpled to the ground. She rose.

With a sigh, she wiped the bloodied blades clean on her black coat and sheathed them. She turned to face Anakin, her eyes studying him like she was deciding whether he was going to thank or duel her — the agitation in her fingers indicated that the last bount hadn't sated her, and she was more than ready for another fight. She seemed to decide he was no threat and came to stand in front of him. She offered a gloved hand and he accepted it, letting her pull him to his feet. Standing once more, he realised the girl was taller than her featherlight movements would suggest. She reached his shoulders, but her confident stance commanded more space than she herself occupied. Her swordsmanship earned her that pride, he would admit.

"Thanks for the rescue." He said, which seemed like the safest course of interaction, as the rest of the fighting came to a stop around them. She cocked her head to the side like he had said something she didn't understand. Perhaps she doesn't understand Galactic Basic, he thought, but her answering laugh indicated she did. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for a reply.

"Rescue? Sorry, love, but I'm not that kind of girl." Compared to the ruthless nature of her blade work, her voice was, in a word, jarring. High and light, like sunlight on still water. Anakin found himself so caught off guard by the paradoxical nature of the girl and the beast that he couldn't comprehend her words before a sharp pain at the base of his neck made the world go dark.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

off to a great start, right!

okay so I promise the chapters do get longer, but this is a short and sweet introduction to the general tone of Act 1 (various people getting their asses kicked, and Val and Anakin being hot with swords). in the next chapter, Val and Anakin will be properly introduced to each other and we'll also meet Rolfe 😈 

anyway, if you have thoughts please let me know! chapter 2 will arrive... at some point in the near future... idk, I'll keep you updated