So named because it is located one thousand, three hundred, and thirteen levels from the core of Coruscant, Level 1313 is distanced from the politics of the upper levels. Overlooking the chasm burrowing further into Coruscant’s core, one can watch freighters transporting their illicit cargo between levels. One misstep would send the careless careening into the bottomless pit, or aid the local gangs in staging “accidents.”

Weathered duracrete forms the retainer along the chasm wall, built in concentric rings that descend down an untold height. Strengthened with solid durasteel braces, maintenance has not been needed this far into Coruscant for a long time. Nevertheless, droids pre-programmed to fill in the cracks and crevices that might form in the walls float on repulsorlifts without drawing attention from the criminal gangs. The gangs themselves are focused on their next smuggling operation or struggle for control over Coruscant’s scum-filled underbelly.

Zuza Lottson pulled the trigger.

The shot, almost entirely silent bar the faintest click of the trigger, slid out of the Whispershot barrel and cast brief red light across the woman’s face. It illuminated the dark and dirty decking that she was laid upon, rifle wedged into a firing position between the broken off gaps in a safety barrier.

The shot continued along, first passing over the dangerous hole in the catwalks before dipping under and through it, straight between the two intact sections fifteen feet apart. The bolt of energy continued across the busy loading bay, half a dozen of the kidnappers bustling around and loading the cargo-speeder in the centre of their encampment.

It struck their lookout, sat in a tower-like structure bolted haphazardly onto the side of the warehouse. It briefly illuminated his face as well, before he had time to realise he was dead. Then it drilled a burning hole through his forehead, dropping his body to the ground.

Unfortunately for the Blood Star gang, by the time the man had hit the decking three more of their exterior loading team were dead.

One of the men, for this gang was all human dregs of the underbelly of the urban world, finally noticed. “Body! Dan is dead!” He’d died before saying anything else, but the call was heard as another handful of men burst out of the building and took firing positions. Yet another, hole in his heart, died before making it to the cover of the barricades set near the places entrance.

Zuza grimaced as returning fire began hitting near her cover. Being silent was only so good when you couldn’t reposition. She checked the zipline above her, covertly set up an hour before and connecting to the side of their building, razor thin and coated in a substance that made it near impossible to see. She glanced at the the scavenged zip-handles by her. They hadn’t worked out where she was yet, but they were close…

Little did she know, behind the low-ranking chaff, their leader stood just inside the building. The small human child, only five years old and the son of a politician back on Yavin IV, sniffled as the shorter red armoured figure of an Ewok stood behind him, slugthrower pressed to their back. The mercenary Ewok Mamere grinned menacingly behind her faceplate. “It’s about time Zuza made her appearance. C’mon kid, let’s go say hi.”

Mamere would claim the bounty on this human. She’d promised as much to her contractor, and she was big on big cash.

Mamere spotted Zuza ziplining above. The Human moved quickly, almost unnaturally so as she swept across into the building. Or at least from what Mamere could assume from the fact there hadn’t been the splat of the woman hitting the ground. Zuza had one disadvantage here, not knowing the area and being a soft idiot. The sniffling whelp squealed as he was grabbed around the shoulders, the red armour digging into him as he was dragged further into the building.

Her guess was right. Standing in the middle of the room and pressing a gun to the kid’s head led to, moments later, Zuza dropping down from wherever the Arconan had hidden amongst the roof work.

Zuza frowned. Work’t knew this Ewok, would she really kill a kid?

“Mamere, I can give you credits. However much this job was offerin’ you, I can get to you. Just let him go, okay? He’s just a kid.” She spoke Ewokese, unsure if Mamere would speak Basic. It was a reach out with hope that maybe it’d soothe her opponent.

“I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” Mamere shoved the child backward, out of the way of the imminent blaster fire. Pulling her twin pistols from their holsters, she fired with each and Zuza reacting a moment. Her concern for the child made her falter, stumbling backwards under the impact of the attack. It ruined her flight suit again but she’d be able to keep going.

Time to play defensively.

Despite that decision, Zuza swung in with her Twin Vibro-Arbir blades, the pair conjoined for now as she twisted them, aiming to disarm Mamere but the Ewok moved faster than expected. A growl echoed from faintly from within her helmet. Zuza moved, avoiding another round of blaster fire and diving in again. This time the blade struck, clashing against the heavy armour with the screeching scrape of metal on metal. It wouldn’t pierce yet but any strike would slow her opponent down.

Zuza leapt back, avoiding another blast. It was a game of tag with deadly consequences.

Mamere growled in her helmet. “Weak.” She looked at her armour. The blade had nearly bit into the joint and sliced a smoking cut into the armour. Weak, but skilled. Very skilled…

Mamere stepped back, watching as Zuza spun, briefly dipping behind a hover car. She raised her pistols, blasting another set of slugs into the side. Then Zuza leaped, throwing herself over the gang and slicing her blades through the neck of one gang member, throwing the pair out and dropping another two. She moved inhumanly quickly out of the leap, rolling and tearing her blades out of the chests of the two men she’d just downed. She went to leap forward again, only to realised Mamere had tracked her faster than she’d expected. Both pistols were levelled at her.

“Better. The guild said you’d be an interesting mark.”

Zuza’s eyebrows hit her forehead. The kid wasn’t the mark!

“I’m flattered.” She raised her blades toward the Ewok, body ready to spring and dodge. Mamere unloaded, and Zuza leapt at the tightening of her finger on the trigger. Despite the Force enhancing the jump one pellet grazed her hip, cutting through the armour and sending crimson blood spraying out from the shallow slice.

Using the debris of the base’s courtyard Zuza sprinted rapidly, coming round on Mamere, jumping up onto the car the Ewok was stood by. She jumped, intending to cut this off at the source, get on top of the Ewok. She barely twisted her body out the way in time as Mamere lit her Lightsaber, nearly cutting Zuza in the air. As it was, the blade swung and smashed out the back of her left vibroblade, plasma coating cutting out. Zuza jumped back, making a bit of space as the Ewok charged forward.

She drew her own Lightsaber, lighting it with a snap of neon-aquamarine energy to contrast the blood-red of the Ewok’s. “Cute, I have one of those too!” She swung in, her raw talent with the Lightsaber and agility usually enough to end any fight. She swung in a tight coil, following the tenants of the Way of the Mynock. She noted the same defensive stance as Mamere rebounded the blow.

“Copying my form?” She said, watching for a gap in the stance.

“Die.” Mamere growled, swinging forward with a probing attack. Zuza felt her hands jolt again. Mamere wasn’t as fast as her, but the reach of the Lightsabers negated a lot of that. And with both her hip bleeding and the Ewok not slowing down at all, not to mention the fact the creature swung with the strength of a Rancor… She swung up a kick as she parried again, firing her boot into the Ewok’s faceplate. The shortling staggered back, blinded as her faceplate covered in black and growling loudly. Zuza swung, aiming to cut her arm off only to watch as just before the blow hit something change on the armour.

Mamere had activated a magnetic field! The blow glanced off, the Ewok stepping back before screaming, arms snapping back. Zuza took a brief step back without thinking. It sounded purely animalistic. She watched as Mamere snapped back forward, using her arm as if the plate hadn’t just been scorched and part melted on top of her flesh to swing her saber forward. The strikes landed chaotically, unrelentingly. She was faster than she had been, and Zuza’s sense of her in the Force swelled. She was enraged!?

It was a trap. Zuza swore, looking toward the gang members but they were manhandling the kid still. Some were engaged in the fight but… this was for Mamere. The gang had no interest in her just as Mamere had no true interest in the boy. Mamere charged forward, Zuza barely twisting out of the way and managing to swipe at the Ewok’s back, slicing into the lower gap that gave her movement around the waist but Mamere didn’t even hesitate.

Zuza took a breath. Mamere was enraged and the Force was blaring. Operation Run-the-kark-away was a go, kriffing stars! The Arconan leapt, managing to clear the Ewok’s head and crossing the way toward the group of gang members. A few of them backed away, not wanting to get involved but the one holding the boy raised a blaster. Zuza slid instead once she got closer, kicking up dust and pebbles from the ground on the gang member. He flinched, raising an arm to cover his eyes. Zuza sliced the man, ignoring the way the child screamed at the show of violence and scooping him, clicking on her jet pack boots.

It was wobbly, Zuza struggling to keep hold of him but he was clinging onto her.It was enough to sweep over the heads of the gang and the roaring Mamere who was on their heel moments before, the force blaring in warning in her mind. The pistols fired again and if she hadn’t already been expecting blaster fire at her back, she might have not had time. Yet, she did, the scent of burnt hair following the pair out of the building. There had been speeders before, it was a way out.

“I’ll catch ya round lady!” Zuza cried out in Ewokese, unable to help but make the comment. It was a bad idea, thundering footsteps following.

Once close enough, she dropped the kid into the back seat and clicked off the boots, scrambling into the front seat. Mamere’s yells of frustration drew closer once more, the blare of a lightsaber igniting forcing Zuza to simply hit the gas. She wouldn’t be doing tricks but they just had to go.

Zuza managed to use her lightning reflexes to avoid any vital hits on the speeder’s vital components from the gangers but she didn’t expect the clang of Mamere jumping onto the back of the damned thing. She swung around.

“Duck!”

The boy screamed but did as told as Zuza fired on the rampaging Ewok. Injured or not, there was only so much to see out of a visor lit up with plasma. When Zuza twisted around a corner, Mamere didn’t have her grip set, flailing from the back of the speeder and hitting the ground hard. Not that she took it so badly.

A growl ripped from the Ewok’s throat, watching the speeder rush into the distance. The bounty was still up. Zuza Lottson wouldn’t be able to run forever.