"Which way?" On the street level of Level 1313, Aayla looped her arm through Max's and looked up at him.
"This way, I guess." Max pointed in a random direction—neon and glittering lights, looking comparatively more "prosperous." "Ow!"
Aayla raised her arm and drove an elbow into her good student. Her brows shot up and her lekku bristled as she snapped, "What, the Force guided you here to go sightseeing in the red-light district?!"
"A-ha-ha…" Max scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, you know… who can ever say for sure what the Force really wants?"
"That direction better have something actually waiting for you." The Jedi flower lifted her fist. "Move."
"Move, move, move…" Max strode ahead.
From the Level 1313 vertical-rail station toward the red-light district, everything they saw along the way was completely different from the traveler's old impressions.
Unlike the rundown, bleak Level 1313 that young Ahsoka would walk through more than a decade later, Level 1313 at this moment was bustling, loud, and full of life. In sheer prosperity, it didn't lose to the commercial pedestrian streets of a top-tier metropolis back where Max came from before he arrived in this galaxy.
("Well, it's an interstellar civilization with absurdly high productivity.") Max sighed inwardly as he walked. ("Looks like before the Clone Wars broke out—and before the Senate slapped on those repeated 'Confederacy levies'—life for Coruscant's lower-level folks was still pretty decent.")
Max's constant glancing around and his thoughtful look caught Aayla's attention. She nudged him lightly with her elbow.
"Hey. You really have seen this place in a Force vision, haven't you?"
Lying to your mentor wasn't great. Max answered honestly: "I have seen street scenes like this. A lot of times."
"This one." Max pointed at a sign not far away that read "Alluring Charm." "Let's go to that one."
A corny name—yet wildly loud, feral, and energetic. Very Level 1313.
"You…" Aayla lifted her index finger, then lowered it again. "What's guiding you is definitely the dark side."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because that's a strip club."
…
"Good evening, sir. Admission ticket—ten credits each." The security at the door politely stopped the two of them. "With the ticket, you can claim one drink at the bar."
"Here." Max flicked three coins over. "Not cheap."
"Thank you!" The guard looked delighted at the tip. As he printed the tickets, he explained, "It's not cheap, yeah. We're the highest-spending place on all of Level 1313—quality's the best too. The girls—uh, compared to your lady here, they're not much worse."
"Really? I don't believe you." Max took the tickets, slid an arm around Aayla as they went in, and tossed a teasing eyebrow back over his shoulder.
After showing their tickets at the bar, Max said, "One glass of Abrak brandy, on the rocks." Then he looked to Aayla. "What about you?"
"One more. No ice."
"Spice?" the bartender asked. "We have—"
Max waved a hand. "No spice."
"Mine neither."
"Alright—two Abrak brandies."
Have a few iced drinks in the bar. When he got hungry, head out and find street food. After eating, take the vertical rail back up to the upper levels. On the way back, start complaining that his stomach hurt, ask Aayla to take him to the medical center.
And then: two or three shamelessly comfortable days in a VIP suite with pretty nurse girls.
That was Max's plan. But plans never survive contact with reality—things didn't develop exactly the way he expected.
"Kyber crystal." Aayla looked for seats while tipping her chin toward the dance floor. "Is that who you're looking for?"
Max followed her gaze and instantly went blank.
Hell of a thing—talk about Crazy Horse and Crazy Horse shows up. In the center of the dance floor, a human hottie with a nine-head-tall figure, wearing nothing but a necklace, really did look like Karl-Anthony Towns.
"Come on, come on—let's sit closer and get a good look." Aayla grabbed Max and dragged him toward the edge of the dance floor.
When the master and student locked onto the human dancer, someone else locked onto them. Not long after they sat down, a bartender walked over and said with deep respect:
"Good evening, sir. Our boss would like to invite you and your companion to a private room for a chat. We hope you'll honor us."
"Your boss?" Max's curiosity spiked. "Who?"
"If you come, you'll know. This way, please."
Max tilted his head toward Aayla. "Go or not?"
"Sure." Aayla stood first, hooking her arm around his again.
…
("That is… a lot… of mass.") The moment the private-room door opened, the sheer visual impact made Max pause for half a beat. "Good evening, Lord Ziro."
"Oh!" Ziro the Hutt raised his glass in greeting. "You know who I am? Even better. Kid—sell me your Twi'lek companion."
"Uh… Lord Ziro, I'm afraid that won't work."
"Mmm." Ziro took a sip and gestured with one thick finger. "Sit, sit."
"Lord Ziro," Max said as he pulled Aayla down with him, "that really won't work."
"Kid." Ziro raised one finger, and the presence of a crime boss poured out of him. "Don't say 'won't' too fast. I'll name a price you can't refuse."
Max and Aayla exchanged a grin. Now they were interested.
"Please." Max dipped his head, all ears.
"Lissa." Ziro pointed out through the window to the dance floor. "That human dancer you were staring at—she's yours."
"And." Ziro lifted his eyelids slightly. A scantily dressed woman stepped up to Max and offered a card with both hands. "Two million Republic credits."
"Lord Ziro," Aayla let go of Max's hand, rose, and glided to Ziro's side with practiced elegance. "I'm yours."
"Hey—"
Max actually did want some level of connection with Ziro and the Black Sun. He didn't want Aayla Secura to go too far and offend the Hutt beyond repair.
"Hey what, you 'hey' what?!" Ziro flipped instantly. "Take your money. Take that human slut outside. Get out of my club!"
"Alright, alright." Max pocketed the card, raised both hands in surrender. "I'm going."
…
PS: Ahsoka and Master Shaak Ti are the same species. They are not Twi'leks—they are Togruta. Togruta have horn-like head structures similar to Twi'lek lekku, called montrals. Montrals have hollow chambers inside, and Togruta can use them to sense the movement of nearby objects.
PPS: Ziro the Hutt, full name Ziro Desilijic Tiure, is the Master of the Hutt Clan and the founder of the famous crime syndicate Black Sun in the Star Wars universe. He is also the well-known Hutt Jabba's paternal uncle.
Worth noting: Ziro is one of the few Hutts who can speak fluent Galactic Basic (most Hutts consider speaking any language other than Huttese beneath them).
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