"Equality is a lie. A myth to appease the masses. Simply look around and you will see the lie for what it is! There are those with power, those with the strength and will to lead. And there are those meant to follow – those incapable of anything but servitude and a meager, worthless existence."

-Darth Bane

//System Location: Rorak 5 Space Station, Rorak System, Within Hutt Controlled Space

//System Date: 10 BrS(Before Great Resynchronization), Unknown.

The echoing sounds of footsteps alerted the Neimodian that the time had come. Yunuva Mum'Varey had awaited this moment for the last two years, and patience was thin after no less than twenty minutes waiting in the stale aired metal waiting room that stank of old desperation and the faint reekings of blood and blasters. It did not help that the body armor they wore beneath formal robes was tight and uncomfortable, a mark of Yunuva's growing age and lack of action in recent years, particularly around the belly. Something to be proud of for most neimodians, but not Yunuva. To Yunuva, it was an unattractive reminder.

The tapping of their foot only stopped as the whir of motors raised the door across the room, the four Droideka within the corners of the room turning to face the newcomer from their passive scanning to active alertness as a trio of vibrantly skinned humanoids entered. It took a moment for Yunuva to place the species name, but the bald heads and similar appearances despite wildly different colors of skin, Jade, blue, and bronze, gave it away after a moment. Sakiyans. Yunuva's posture relaxed after a moment, when they brought in a large round floating pod, and a briefcase to match Yunuva's own and set the later on a table.

"Greetings Veraksh and company, I take it you have indeed found what I required?" Yunuva gave a slight inclination of the head, eyes staring into their own, reading their faces. In Hutt space it never paid to be careless.

The look of neutrality turned to a frown on their faces, the bronze skinned slaver, Veraksh answered in turn "Its a matter of pride that we keep our word, Yunuva. Why you needed a child of such specifications, I will not pry. But we will have to renegotiate the contracted sum."

"I promised you a sum of fifty thousand credits for this requistion-" Yunuva started, but the slaver interrupted with a raised hand.

"We had to intercept no less than five Jedi to acquire what you wanted, as well as countless rumors and months of wasted time chasing down trails that had already gone long cold. The amount of damages caused to our organization means we no longer have the ability to work within the mid rim border for at least a year and will need to relocate and retrain numerous personel."

"My sources told me you acquired the child from a member of the Service Core. Hardly a threat." Yunuva countered, and got a tsk from Veraskh.

"That still doesn't include the two Jedi Knights, and two more members of the service core we had to silence." The jade skinned member of the trio responded back, "Or the countless amount of work we did investigating rumors of 'Strange Children' and Midiclorians across thirty five systems."

Yunuva clicked their tongue, eyes furrowing as their gaze swapped from Vera, "What do you ask for?"

"Half a Million Credits." Veraksh stated.

"The children you gained will recoup quite a bit of those losses as slaves in the trade. Especially if they bear the same traits Jedi are looking for." Yunuva countered their hands coming to rest beneath the table, "Seventy Five Thousand credits."

Yunuva noted Veraksh's companions hands wandered to their belts, as the leader of the slavers responded, "Children take time to train, and become useful. Until then they are a resource sink for credits, time, and resources. Four hundred and fifty thousand."

"And the last auction for a force sensitive warrior slave ran the bid at auction for a hundred and fifty thousand credits. Let alone if you find one capable of navigating unstable hyperlanes with the force. Even if you do not do it personaly, the price I offered falls within the same bracket for people looking for such children at forty thousand each alone." Yunuva bartered, rising onto their feet, face wrinkling further, as they gauged the intent of the three before them, "Do not think I will be bullied by Ion grenades and clubs, One hundred And twenty thousand Credits, No higher."

"That's already more than twice what we were going to get boss..." The blue skinned member of their species quietly interjected, only to be glared down by the other Sakiyan at Veraksh's shoulder.

"Two hundred thousand and we add in the additional paperwork screening to make your Slave appear 'Legal' to the republic eye as an adoption." The Slaver knew what they were about, even if they took a sharp breath after their comrade seemed to sabotage their interest with that comment.

Yunuva's head tilted, their hands in their sleeves, "Include a STD Implant and related homing beacon with a code settable by me and I'll consider One hundred seventy."

"One Eighty." 

"Very well, but before I pay." The Neimodian made a show of placing their hand on their briefcase, "I want to inspect the child. Should they be in good health, you will have your credits. If they are injured, deformed, or crippled, the price goes down."

The three slavers breathed a sigh of relief, the later two 'guards' relaxing their stance and causing the Droideka to slowly lower their own blaster arms, as the atmosphere of rising tension seemed to bleed from the room as quickly as it started.

Yunuva noted Veraskh's vambraces as they stood, and brought the pod forward, for they contained the tell tale sign of knives attached on the underside, their gloved hands were marked with the bites of a small creature, "We captured her on a minor trade lane in the galactic eastern midrim by sabotaging a Jedi shuttle before they departed to transporting her back towards Coruscant. After several months of hunting, we learned to follow the tell tale sign of jedi and managed to splice into a few of the service related comms to find talk about the goings on within the local system; and we did learn that droids are quite able to fool their senses more often than one of us can; so long as the droid doesn't understand what task we are giving it."

Jedi could sense hostile intent in the force, but a work around? Perhaps on the weaker of will, or less attuned to the force. Yunuva doubted that would work on a knight or master, but a Service core member? Perhaps, "As much as I appreciate the tale, what of the child specifically?"

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Geraza?" Veraskh waved her forward, as the other guard moved to stand against the far wall, Geraza, now identified as the blue member of the group, strode forward, clicking a few buttons on the pod they had brought in, "She's a member of the Lepus Carnivorous, subspecies Kimijitian." Without any of the others interrupting her, Geraza continued after a breath, "It is a relatively small population in comparison to the main line species who are overall shorter if one doesn't include the ears. But if you do, they tend to have larger ears, albeit weighed down by their weight in later years."

"Inspiring." Yunuva deadpanned.

"You'll be more impressed as they grow older, the species has a knack for climbing and night hunting, with thicker fur to match that can dampen some impacts if allowed to grow. Just... here." Geraza finished typing in the lengthly code sequence she had no doubt put on the pod, and after a moment it whirred open.

Black Fur was a surprise, but not unwelcome. as Yunuva took a step closer around the table to study their prize. a moist pink triangular nose, white whiskers, and the pink flashes of... pads? Along the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet. The child was dressed loosely in the robe of a padawan learner, likely given to them by the jedi service core member. A destiny that was now averted.

The child breathed deeply in their sleep.

"We tuckered her out before bringing her here, for all of our sanity." Veraksh explained, "Full of energy that one."

"And full of Midichlorians too?" Yunuva took the unsaid warning lightly, speaking only with a slightly hushed tone, as they studied the childs body.

"Those speak for themselves." Geraza replied back, as Veraksh opened a briefcase and showed them a dataslate from within.

Yunuva's expression paused and blinked twice as they read the report. It took the neimodian a second to slide the pod close, before they asked louder, "If these numbers are correct, you will be getting an additional forty thousand credits for keeping silent about this matter. If you are lying to me..." They let the threat hang there, and the leader snorted.

"Honor on it. Or may my gang shoot me in the head themselves, she's as unique as a Neimodian having yellow eyes I imagine. The last few brats were barely within the six to ten range."

The pointed glare that came with it caused the Sakiyan to raise their hands in peace, "Am only noting your appearance as someone curious and intrigued by such a sight."

"I am not helpless, and I have a Lucerhulk tied to my command additionally." Yunuva hissed, "Keep your appraisals of my worth off of your tongue or lose it."

The third nameless grunt spoke up kicking off the wall, as they strode forward, "That is no way to speak to my-" Whatever words they had coming was drawn short as they started to gag.

Both Sakiyan's turned, alarmed as their third fellow was dragged into the air as if by an invisible force, Geraza screaming out, "Tenanc!" Giving rise to the muscles identity as they clutched at their throat.

"Jedi tricks?" Veraksh asked, alarmed, but stoically taking a step back from both the choking, kicking guard and the Neimodian.

"You've done your research, but missed the mark." Yunuva responded, "Take this as a more blunt warning... Other organizations than a dead sith empire or Jedi Peacekeepers exist, try your best not to piss them, or me, off." 

"Killing my men will add to the final cost." Veraksh reminded, which got the Neimodian to scoff and release Tenanc from his force choke.

The Tenanc gulped air like a dying fish on the ground, Geraza moving over to him calling his name repeatedly as she tended to him. Tenanc for his part slowly raised his gaze to their leader like they were going to have words about the events later. For Yunuva's part? The Neimodian smiled, enjoying what they sensed. Drinking from that anger they sensed like a fine wine as his attention swiveled back to the leader. The Droidekas had sensed danger, and their shields had spun to life after the sudden use of the force by their master. Now it was Veraksh's turn to swallow nervously, "The deal?"

"Is kept." The neimodian growled, "I have no time to deal with a hutt cartel's bounty hunters, so consider yourself lucky that those comments remain with tongue attached.They opened their briefcase and pulled out several rows of credit chits, each marked with 5000 on it in pen as the slaver quickly emptied their own case of related goods and documents, both had come prepared for this meeting.

When the goods had finally fully been transfered, Veraksh added, "Good doing buisness with you sir. Call us again if you need a replacement."

"Perhaps." Yunuva huffed, with a slight eyeroll, "No need to oversee the medical procedures, I know these... Implants. Well enough." Yunuva took the command remote from the pod, and ordered it to follow, "Pray we do not need to meet again." 

With that, the deal was settled. A devils bargain sealed, and one fluffy rabbit girl acquired to be raised in Neimodian hands. No one save Geraza heard Tenanc's swearing coarse oaths for vengence as the Neimodian left with their retinue.

After several minutes, Veraksh added, "What what a Bastard. Eh, Tenanc?"

The middle finger he got from his friend was well deserved but it was Geraza who made the reply, "I don't know Veraksh, I have a bad feeling about offering a force senstive child to that man. You know what they say about Neimodians raising their own, right?"

"Shes no grub, Geraza. I'm sure he will have it well and handled. He'd be an idiot not to. Besides its not our problem anymore." Veraksh snorted, unrepently.

Her worries unappeased, and a frown deep on her face, she shook her head, "No ones ready for kids their first time around. No matter what we tell ourselves."

"Speaking from experience are we?" That got Veraksh a punch to the groin, who for his part tolerated it as Geraza brought back her hand in pain having hit his hidden codpiece, and continued on as if nothing happened as Geraza swore in pain, "Relax, worst case she causes a bit of a tizzy among the merchant federations, or whatever they're called these days. Best case? We never hear from her again."

"I certainly hope you're right." Geraza bit her lip, as she finished shaking her hand, and went back to tending to Tenanc.

Unknown to any of them, the future got a bit darker that day.