The Vertical City, Nar Shaddaa. They call it the Smuggler's Moon—an apt description based on the myriad of sentients shuffling back and forth with their illegal wares and hidden weapons. The narrow streets below criss-cross endlessly, soaring miles above the planet's surface. Exposed and uncovered, the streets offer a nearly perfect setting for someone with some skills with ranged weapons. A vantage point on the ledge of a towering structure of glass and steel offers a dizzying view of the cityscape.

Simple shops and merchants peddle both legitimate and illegitimate wares. Storefronts are just as plentiful as open-market pop-up tents, and the cantina's adapt the same lowlife air as the rest of the Smuggler's Moon. Enemies could be hidden in plain sight, whether one of the Hutts’ gangsters or mercenaries-for-hire looking to earn some credits. The streets are plagued with violent gangs and the general riff raff of the poor and destitute. They may be an ideal place for blasters, but the winding streets are difficult to disappear from. An opponent would be easily boxed in and simple to finish with a few quick slashes of a lightsaber. The moon is dangerous—even for one gifted in the Force.

She stood there, watching him. Her rescuer. It wasn't too long ago, Gui Sol had found Elyon de Neverse, freshly awakened from a cryo sleep. He provided her with answers to questions her years of slumber had created. Her world came barreling back to reality with the flutter of her eyelids, and there was Gui. A handsome young lad at that time, donning a smile and a welcoming demeanor, in a galaxy she remembered as being dark and violent. His warmth had brought comfort to her chilled bones. But now?

Now it was making her skin crawl.

She looked at him with puzzled amusement as she stood between him and an angry Duros street vendor, blathering in a language that sounded more like a radio transmission than a language. Gui had neglected to pay the man before going to town on the steaming bowl of misty mynock noodles he was briskly devouring.

"Gui…" her soft voice spoke.

Contents of the Kiffar's bowl fell to the ground and stuck to his chin as he grumbled and smacked his lips.

"Gui," she spoke again, this time slightly louder than before, her words accompanied by the clearing of her throat.

He nodded his head and slightly swayed his hips in delight as he completely ignored his companion.

"Gui!" Elyon shouted.

The Aedile straightened himself and tilted his head.

"Aren't you going to pay for that?"

"Oh!" he sheepishly smirked, "sorry, pal," he replied, tossing a few credits to the calming Duros. "It was such a long flight."

Elyon collected herself and sighed.

Gui smiled and took a step, before a large furry hand fell onto his shoulder. Worbie, his Wookiee brother, had something to say, only it was said with a series of low volume grunts directly into Sol's ear.

Elyon raised a brow.

Gui nodded and all of a sudden his mouth opened wide as he barked and bellowed causing Elyon to stiffen. Worbie just chuckled.

"You, you speak Shyriiwook?"

"Oh, yeah," Gui replied as though it was common. "Worbie has been by my side since I was a pup." He laughed. "Anywho, let me show you why I brought you here." He smiled again, eyeing Elyon's Mandalorian armor. "That stuff is sturdy, yeah?"

Elyon nodded once more. "My husband tells me it's a fine set."

Gui stopped to think for only a second. "Hm… good. Come on!"

Gui and Elyon pressed through the crowd as Worbie broke off, probably sniffing out a gambling den nearby.

"I used to live here ya know?" Gui started, taking a deep breath, "When Tython was destroyed, I brought younglings here. We laid low for a while, until Aurora reached out to me."

"I never knew that," Elyon stopped.

Gui kept walking but spun around to face her. "There's a lot you don't know about me." He laughed.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like, I used to race. I loved it, still do in fact."

Elyon looked confused.

"Wanna?"

"Do I want to what?"

"Race!" he blurted out in excitement.

"Um, well I—"

"Come on."

"Ok—"

"Great!" Gui cut her off. "We'll race to the Jek Jek Tar, it's not far from here. I'll even give you a head start. Just follow the signs."

"But what if—"

"Hurry up, it's started, you have to go."

"I don—"

"Go!" As if Gui's words were a starting pistol, Elyon stutter-stepped and began bolting down the street. She shifted between pedestrians, leaving them standing, shaking their fists in her wake. The first sign flashed for the cantina, it was to the east of her current location so she shifted her weight to take the turn but stumbled slightly when she heard a loud "Woooohoooo!" sound off from above her. Like a streak of brown, Gui leapt from the awning of the building next to her and rolled, reentering a sprint as he made it back to his feet.

He laughed maniacally as his legs appeared to be moving in a synchronized rhythm. "I forgot to mention," he shouted back to his competition, "I don't play fair."

Elyon ducked beneath a fast moving speeder and her jaw dropped as she saw the Kiffar wave his hand, sending a crate sliding into the street to block her path. She groaned inwardly and felt the Force flow into her legs as she launched herself over it. She landed gracefully on the other side and her face transformed to one of determination. "So, it's that kind of a race, is it?"

She bound forward and flashed a little smirk of her own. Her hand clawed out at something but it wasn't immediately obvious until Gui seemingly tripped over his own feet and slammed into a group of Aqualish.

Elyon laughed a bit as she finally took the lead, leaving Gui to deal with the anger welling up in an often angry species.

"Easy, guys. I didn't mea—" his words were cut off as one of the Aqualish brandished a sporting blaster. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Gui quickly back-pedaled, jogging in reverse as he tugged what appeared to be a cylindrical part from his belt. The Aqualish barked and squeezed off two shots, but that cylinder in Gui's left hand hissed and produced a short blue blade that deflected each shot before slipping back into the hilt.

"I'd love to stay and finish this conversation," Gui smiled, "But I gotta go!" he immediately bolted back down the street, his dreads bouncing behind him as he entered a full sprint.

In the meantime, Elyon took the lead. Using the Force, she either diverted objects from the path or strengthened her legs as she made great leaps over the speeders and other vehicles parked on the street. People did not notice her sprint, it was normal for them, so they paid no attention to it. This meant that the young Jedi had to change direction quickly to avoid a collision when another pedestrian stepped into her path.

The girl noticed another sign in the form of blue arrows branching off the main street down to the lower level of this part of the city. She kept looking to see if she could make out a blurred dot behind her that was supposed to be Gui, but she saw no one in sight.

The Aqualishs could not hold him off that long. When it comes to droids, or as I now know, any kind of race, Gui can be very persistent, Elyon said to herself, for she did not even sense him approaching her through the Force. And that was very strange... perhaps he was using a shortcut and was already ahead of her. The young girl decided to push her body to the limit and run faster. She quickly crosses two more small streets, still looking at the signs that show her the way.

Another marker on the circuit led her to the busier part near one of the canteens known on Nar Shaddaa. Here Elyon had to slow down again, because the street was full of staggering, dancing people, droids and a few creatures she could not recognise or name at first glance.

Elyon decided to walk along the houses where concentration was not so high, when at the last moment the Force alerted her to an approaching creature. Gui, she thought, looking out of the corner of her eye, but he must be out of range. At that moment, a Wookiee ran out of his house. The young Jedi frowned, for she did not have much time to react, but she did not want to stop running, so she strengthened her legs and leapt into the air, somersaulting in midair. She fell back down slightly and kept running.

"That was not bad ... I see your skills have improved a lot since you woke up." Kiffar called out to her, standing on the balcony of the house opposite. He jumped down to the street and took the lead.

"How did you get there?" Elyon called out to him in amazement.

"Like I told you, I do not play fair. Besides, it's more fun for me," Gui called to her with a grin.

Wait, if you do not play fair, I'll show you that it does not pay to cheat, the young Jedi told herself, focusing on the numerical codes above the racing signs. To the average person, these are just numbers indicating the order of the signs, but it was much more complicated than that.

She was not sure how much Gui perceived these signs and whether he was looking for secret messages. Elyon had learned since the Clone Wars to look everywhere for possible messages in numerical codes, because droids used binary series to send messages between sections and move on to the next step.

Even in this case, the message numbers were encrypted. The young Jedi stubbornly held their opponent until finally another tag and a secret twist arrived. Elyon needed to divert attention from her change of direction, so she reached for the Force and entangled Gui in the droid's path. Gui concentrated on dodging the droid so that it did not notice her change direction.

The girl followed the marks to one of the corridors under the houses that led under through the city. These corridors intersected and led through abandoned warehouses or into courtyards. She followed the signs that led her through this maze of corridors. She had no idea where Gui was in the meantime, but she believed she had a chance to overtake him and set a trap for him.

It was not long before the signs led her back to the street. She reached into the Force and sensed Kiffar approaching. Elyon ran again, following the markings. Another marker indicated another turn and the young Jedi believed her opponent would use it to get a bigger lead.

Then we will see what we can find for you there, she said to herself and quickly ran into the next set of corridors. This time she was led into an abandoned warehouse with a pile of crates and junk. Elyon noticed a tangle of rubber wires lying there and a great fit for her idea. She will set a trap for him. Right upper to the entrance to the warehouse was a crossbar that ended in a closed hook.

This is just what I need, Elyon said and set to work. At one end she created an eye for Gui to catch him, the way animals catch on Naboo. She covered the eye and the wire so that they could not be seen at first glance. She swung the other end with a hook and jumped onto the crossbar that ended in an auxiliary bridge that served to supply the upper levels. Using the Force, Elyon picked up the box to which she tied the other end of the wire. And to make the trap work, she pushed the box to the edge of the bridge.

According to the girl, Gui runs into the warehouse and catches an eye. The eye at the touch and twitch, he pulls back. Then the crate sways jerkily and falls, but Gui is pulled into the air. Therefore, he should hang upside down like a bat. Elyon liked the idea very much, hoping that it would punish him for cheating.

So the trap is ready, now all Gui has to do is go in, the young Jedi thought, and hid in a hiding place next to the door, which she must use to disappear after she will be sure that it worked.

Gui approached the door that he saw Elyon slip into and paused. Something tingled the back of his neck as he got closer. While he wasn't sure why the Force was metaphorically tapping him on the shoulder, he had his suspicions. What are you up to?

Gui knew Nar Shaddaa like the back of his hand, nearly every nook and cranny had been mapped out in the framework that was his mind. She didn't even need to go this way, if she followed the signs, they wouldn't have pointed her in this direction.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at every possible angle of the building but found nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, if it weren't for the analytical droid flashing its scanner over the exterior of the doorway, he may have fallen for it.

Those narrowed emerald eyes of resplendent beauty shifted from the mystery of the building and in lieu of wasting more time, Gui reached out. As usual, the Force was quick to reply as he felt the connective circuitry of all things both living and inanimate. While droids could not feel or even call upon the Force for aid, they were as much a part of the universe as any organic lifeforms. The eyes of the machine flickered twice before it halted its procedure. It turned to face Gui and then its body swivelled towards the door. It's two clunky legs pushed it into the unknown and as it crossed the threshold, it was swept from its feet and sucked upwards.

Gui immediately jumped with a guttural "whoa!"

"Here I thought I didn't play fair…" He chuckled before proceeding with caution.

Elyon swiftly slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead as her anticipation became frustration. The only thing she had caught in her trap was a very confused droid frantically whistling and chirping a distress signal.

Silently traversing the shadows, Elyon slipped to the edge and looked down as Gui peeked inside. A head full of dreadlocks was all that could be seen of the Sentinel, he looked foolish, standing there just looking around. But Elyon knew that he was far from foolish.

Gui's head quickly dipped back outside and his leg shot in but was pulled right back out. Elyon tried not to giggle but the next thing to fly through the door was a large piece of junk that clamored to the floor, making her perk up.

"Ahhhhhh!!" came a shout as streaking through, behind it, was the Kiffar throwing caution to the wind in favor of a more courageous approach.

Maybe this will slow him down Elyon thought as she ignited her saber which made Gui respond in kind, more out of instinct than anything. In his world, a saber being ignited meant battle was nigh, or an eager friend was just looking for a sparring match. Sapphire trails of light sliced through the dimly lit arena as Elyon leapt down. Her eyes studied Gui's new hilt, a saber-staff with glowing orange beams, pulsating with vibrant energy that made an eerie howling sound.

With a flourish she readied her weapon and charged, there was still a race to win. But where Gui expected a strike, she bolted past him and spun, weaving her blade into a shape that would have cleaved through Gui's longer hilt had he not fanned in response.

The two were now in mid stride, fighting on the move as they made their way to the finish line. Elyon was in the lead, but only slightly as Gui was hot on her heels, periodically poking straight ahead to break her concentration. Luckily for the Soresu practitioner, she was able to flick her blade back to deflect Gui's probing strikes.

The Kiffar growled, his legs filling with the Force as his feet pounded the pavement. He was clearly the faster of the two and determined. Afterall he did have a reputation to maintain.

"Gui, look out!"

HAH! not falling for that trick! he probably should have as a Sullustan pulled up in a speeder and clipped him. Able to avoid serious injury by going into a spin, the momentum twisted him like a top.

Elyon sighed in relief, while it was true she didn't want to see anyone get hurt, she was also relieved that it temporarily froze his momentum.

She bound forward with the speed of a vornskr on the hunt. She leapt obstacles and pulled herself around street poles that held the flashing neon distractions which were her guides through the maze of bustling chaos. A smile slid across her face as she saw the Cantina at the end of the alley.

Composing himself, Gui bolted towards Elyon. She was getting close, too close. It was time.

"Worbie!" Gui shouted into his comm-link. There was no answer. "Worbie!!"

At that moment growls and an argument in the Wookiee tongue could be heard over the receiver. "Worbie, now, now!" Gui had a plan from the very beginning. His brief conversation with his companion was to ensure victory. But like all best laid plans, everything needed to actually, well, go as planned.

At this point, Gui had closed the gap and the two Jedi were neck and neck. It was anyone's race.

"Worbieee!" Gui squealed in desperation. At that moment, the door to the Cantina slid open and a frightened droid raced out, chased by a snarling and very angry Wookiee. But it was too late, as victory was in sight, his fur covered friend was now an obstacle as Elyon and Gui both reached out to be the first.

"Nooo!" Gui's legs locked up and he slid as Worbie crossed his path and stopped, realizing that his distraction may have cost his hairless brother the race as he turned to face Gui. "Lookou–" Gui shouted, then a resounding thump

Like smacking into a brick wall, Gui slammed into the solid mass of muscle standing between him and victory. Worbie didn't budge.

"Yes!" Gui sighed and closed his eyes as his head dropped straight back to the ground. "I did it!" He heard the Consular say.

The Kiffar huffed and puffed as he tried to catch his breath and opened his eyes to look up at Elyon as she looked down at him.

"Now, what did I say about cheaters never prospering?" Elyon chuckled, tapping her chin with a mocking tone.

Gui sighed and sprawled out flat in exhaustion as Worbie and Elyon both laughed. The deck was stacked against her and she still came out on top. Maybe, Gui thought, she'll want a rematch

Elyon didn't have to wait for him long. Gui rushed to the abandoned warehouse and then suddenly stopped. It's not possible he could sense the trap in front of him. Elyon thought, watching Kiffar search the entire warehouse.

"I know you're here, Elyon. You can't hide before me. Tarvizt and I had felt you even in that carbonite when your presence wasn't so obvious. Now your presence in the Force is strong, especially for me."

"Damn," the young Jedi cursed softly because she didn't think about it.

"Get out from your hiding place, El. Let us continue the race. Or do you want to attack me? That's not your style ... you're a healer and you're not going to fight me." Gui said calmly, sure of his truth.

And he was right; Elyon took the race as a game the same as he did. And he knows that she would never attack a friend. "You're confusing me with the Sith," Elyon said with amusement in her voice as she climbed out of hiding and straightened to her full size. Now opponents are facing each other on their side of the warehouse.

Elyon frantically wondered how to lure her friend, but she couldn't think of anything. The silence fell between them, filling the space between them. "So what's next, Elyon?" Kiffar spoke, who seemed a little bored and excited because he didn't like the break, but at the same time looked forward to continuing the race.

"I was ahead, so if you'll excuse me ..." Elyon began, but Gui cut her off.

"Just for a moment but now there is nothing to make you a winner." Her opponent remarked with a triumphant look.

"The race hasn't finished yet, and I think you were a little right about the attack, because I don't see any other way to decide who gets the lead," the young Jedi said, unbuckling her lightsaber from her belt.

"Take it, like training, old man," Elyon said with a wandering expression, believing that this would get Gui into her trap.

"Who do you call an old man?" Kiffar turned on her and frowned a little, knowing that Elyon didn't just tease him for fun.

She has to plan something, Gui told himself, and decided to follow her example and also unbuckled his lightsaber from his belt.

The young Jedi ignited the sapphire blade of her lightsaber against him with the usual crackling hiss and stood in the basic position of her primary lightsaber form. There was an amazing sight of her at that moment. Gui remembered her beginnings, which were not easy for her, but now an experienced, and fighting woman stood before him.

Elyon felt a little embarrassed because it was strange when Gui lit his amber blade standing proudly against her. I hope it works out and I'll provoke him to take those few extra steps and trap him, the young Jedi agreed to herself as she slowly parted toward Kiffar, still holding the blade in its basic position.

However, Gui was as cunning as a fox and knew that Elyon was up to something, so he surprised her with a flip jump that got to her and out of reach of the trap.The young Jedi showed no surprise or outrage that her plan had failed. On the contrary, she covered his attack on the armed hand with an ease and grace that any brawler or little apprentice could envy. Elyon knew she had to push Gui back into the trap.It must have been her who would have to attack as hard as she could to get her opponent to a point from which she would no longer escape.

It went slowly. Kiffar was an experienced warrior and had mastered his primary lightsaber form. His attacks were strong and certain. At one point, Elyon almost didn't cover up his attack, as between the pace of this attack, Gui changed to a reversal of possession. It was a dangerous technique. However, the young Jedi controlled their defensive form well, so this change did not upset her and further pushed her opponent into her trap.

The attack was followed by another attack. The cover was followed by the cover. Step by step, both opponents approached the hidden snare. Gui had just made a strong impact on Elyon's neck, but the young Jedi managed to avoid the attack. So Gui continued to move the kinetic energy into a strong kick. Elyon threw the kick out of balance, so she staggered. Kiffar, who was sure of his success, had eased his caution to date; but Elyon took advantage of this, and, with the help of the Force, threw her opponent exactly into the trap. With a slight movement of her hand, she pulled the eye of the trap over the instep of Kiffar's right foot, then pulled hard in the Force. The trap fell down …

For a few moments, Gui hung upside down, staring blankly at Elyon.

"What ... that ... means," he said, surprised.

"Maybe that'll teach you to play honestly and not cheat next time." The young Jedi said proudly, bending for Gui's lightsaber, which now lay beneath him as he dropped it.

"Let me down now," Kiffar told her, because he didn't like the position or the situation at all.

"Unfortunately, I can't. You'll have to get down alone and without the lightsaber," Elyon replied, running away. She was gone in a few moments.

It didn't take long for Elyon to finish the race. She sat down behind the imaginary finish line, sat in a crossed seat, and immersed herself in meditation. She decided to remain in this state until her opponent appeared.

Kiffar showed up after a while. He was lame and didn't look very happy. "I'll never race with you again," he swore when he reached her.

"You can, if you play fair," Elyon replied, her eyes still closed. "If you hadn't started cheating, I wouldn't have set a trap for you, but was that how I felt the need to punish you a little." she added.

Kiffar fell to the ground beside her and was silent. "How did you get out of there?" The young Jedi asked with interest in her voice, handing him his lightsaber.

"Well ... it took me a while to find the right way, but in the end I solved it with the help of the Force. I pulled a long bar, which was resting in the corner of the warehouse, into my hand. I rested the bar on the service bridge and then straightened up. The next was a toy, to break the eye of the trap and go down the pole." Kiffar finished his conversation.

"And your leg," Elyon asked, regretting in her voice this time, because she didn't want to hurt him.

"The cable was strong enough, and when I tried to straighten it, it bruised my ankle a lot," Gui replied, pausing again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt," Elyon said, placing her right hand on his injured leg. She reached into the Force and began healing the wound and repairing the cells in it.

After a short time, Gui's foot was fine. Elyon opened her eyes and said, "So now you're healthy again. I'm sorry again."

"It's okay, Elyon. It was my fault. We should go home," Gui said, placing a hand on her shoulder as proof of their enduring friendship.