Chapter Text
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
It’s been an excruciating two years for twelve-year-old Danadi Jade.
First, her parents were killed by pirates paid to harry Galactic Republic-aligned spacers trying to aid the war effort. And, while the pirates were neutralized by Jae Malcom and Havoc Squad swooping in and saving her, the girl was left in a Coruscanti orphanage where she stayed until fifteen months later when Coruscant was sacked by Malgus and the Imperials.
In the devastating aftermath, the child who had seen too much found allies to aid her survival. A Black Sun henchman took pity on her and gave her his protection and her first blaster. She became a mascot for the notorious gang, being called The Fury in acknowledgment of her startlingly red hair and the demonic way she fought in the myriad gang wars the Black Sun were embroiled in.
She made friends with another urchin along the way, 8-year-old Ava Jaxo. The younger girl was given Danadi’s protection and shared the profits of their pick-pocketing and panhandling for mutual survival. Their arrangement under the umbrella of the Black Sun lasted another four years…
The Holocommunicator vibrated on Danadi’s hip as the now 16-year-old crouched behind a massive storage container in the Old Galactic Market. She’d been waiting for the 12-year-old to give her the all-clear, and here it was. “I read you, kiddo. ETA is two minutes.” She held back a groan as she stood from the position she’d been in for almost half an hour.
They usually didn’t work the upper levels of the planetary city, the Old Galactic Market being a stronghold for Courascant Security; but, when none other than Senator Kayl was giving a reelection speech, they had to take advantage of the profit potential the crowd would bring. And, while this wasn’t strictly sanctioned by the underbosses, the Black Sun had heard rumors of the Senator meeting with a rival gang and had given the green light for some chaos.
Danadi knew that if she could pull this off, she’d probably be made the youngest lieutenant in Black Sun history. That kind of clout would keep her going until she was a legal adult, 17 standard years-old, and had enough saved to get her, and Ava, in a more stable position.
She made her way through the increasingly congested streets to the open market, where the Senator was speaking. As she neared, an amplified voice drowned the commotion, “We have to restore the security that the Empire took from us. We can’t provide stability to our extra-planetary constituents if we don’t provide stability at home, first. This must be the top priority for this session of the Senate, and it will not happen unless the people speak!”
“Pretty words, not that you give a kriff.” Danadi thought as she slid unnoticed towards the platform, snaking her slim hand into an occasional pocket. When she reached the stage, she looked past the senator to Jaxo, who winked conspiratorially and looked away. They circled in opposite directions trying to remain anonymous until it was time for them to strike.
The senator’s meandering false sincerity lasted another ten minutes.
As the crowd’s fervor dialed down, Danadi bobbed her head once and watched Ava disappear in the direction of the speeder that would be Kayl’s escape from the unwashed masses. The older girl waited 'til the Senator’s entourage created a path so the snooty woman wouldn’t have to touch anyone. Then, Ava stumbled from between the bodies of two guards into the cleared path.
The wailing that girl could make was impressive, if you didn’t have to listen to it every time the kid missed her family. “Mooooommmyyyy” blubbered, looking like she was much younger than she was.
That was Danadi’s cue. She rushed forward, bumping into and relieving the Senator’s robes of the credit purse that was supposed to be safe therein. She stopped in front of Ava and embraced the still-crying kid, soothing her for show and passing the day’s takings in time to feel the guard’s hands on her shoulders. As Danadi was dragged away, she mouthed “Run” to the small girl in front of her, who, to her relief, did as she was told.
The guards manhandling Danadi barely spared her a glance as they wrestled her into flexicuffs and put her onto a speeder. The burliest guard hopped on behind her and took off, holding tight to his captive and rushing toward the Senate Tower. They landed a several minutes later, the guard still handling the girl roughly. A burble of indignant anger at her mistreatment had to be suppressed or else she might not be able to weasel her way out of the trouble she was in.
The following hours were spent in an isolation cell, a bleak windowless box with nothing to do but be alone with her thoughts. The guards hadn’t even bothered to remove her cuffs, which were chafing. She’d known that this would be a possibility, nor was this her first incarceration. But, she was still kriffing angry at herself for getting caught. She should have planned better. Her agitation led to intermittent pacing, somehow the constant motion helped.
This is how her captors found her, “Detainee 515-24601, Danadi Jade, you are hereby ordered to stand before a judge and be questioned regarding the attack on Senator Kayl and theft of over 350 Republic Credits. Come with me.” The guard who spoke took her by her bindings and half-dragged her through the halls until they reached a set of double doors. Something out of Danadi’s vision was scanned and a code was punched and the doors swung open noiselessly.
The courtroom was created to openly display the wealth of the Courascanti elite. The vaulted ceiling, spacious layout, and sunlight filtering through high windows spoke of privilege and excess to her sensibilities. She stepped forward down a long row of benches that held a smattering of observers up to a bench with a soberly dressed Mon Calamari male flanked by two humans, a Cathar male, and a Twi’lek female, all in senatorial robes. One of the humans was Senator Kayl.
“Danadi Jade, you are hereby charged with the assault on the honorable Senator Kayl and personal theft of over 350 Republic Credits. How do you plead?” Each of the senators gave the girl hard looks as she looked back defiantly. She didn’t have the benefit of Ava’s dramatics, but she didn’t need them.
“I’m not seventeem, yet, your honor. The law requires you to provide me an advocate if I’m to be charged.” This was technically true, she was only a week away from the cutoff to still be a legal minor. A burble broke out in the gallery until a deep, commanding voice spoke from the entrance. “I will advocate for the child.”
A tall, heavily scarred man that Danadi had last seen leaving her at the orphanage stepped into the room, hushing the last of the noise. Colonel Jace Malcom approached the bench with the swagger of an elite soldier. The girl gaped at him as he addressed the assembled court, “Your honor, I have attempted to keep tabs on this girl since I rescued her as the lone survivor of a brutal, Imperially funded, pirate attack during the war. While I believe justice must be sought, penalizing a child because of her circumstances and who she was required to rely on would not be justice. I propose temporary imprisonment until her sixteenth birthday, then enrollment in the Republic Academy. If she doesn’t complete her education, she can be officially tried as an adult. However, if she finishes, she is required to serve her sentence in service to the Republic. Does this seem fair to you?”
A recess was called for the court to debate the unusual request. Colonel Malcom stayed by Danadi’s side as they deliberated. “You hungry, kid? There’s a cantina just under the memorial park that has passable grub, I’m sure there won’t be a problem if I accompany you.” The teen couldn’t seem to make her vocal cords work, but the Hero of Alderaan seemed to understand. He ushered her out of the Senate Tower and down a flight of steps, “You don’t owe me anything, kid. I kinda feel like I let you down. I didn’t realize that you were missing until well after The Sacking. Then I was sent to Alderaan for their civil war and none of my contacts could find you. I finally got the warring nobles secure enough to get some leave and I caught wind of your arrest. Gutsy, taking on a heavily guarded senator.”
They sat at a corner table and Colonel Malcom flagged a barkeep while Danadi demurred, “I had help.” It seemed like she couldn’t get her usual arrogance back. She mentally kicked herself for being so childish. Malcolm ordered an array of snack foods and sat back. “Regardless, you show promise. Did you plan to rob the Senator all along?”
Danadi felt like an insect as the Colonel’s eyes seemed to bore into her. She tried to imagine lying to someone she’d looked up to for so long and told herself to stop being stupid, “Y-yes, sir.” she managed to stammer after a few dry swallows. Jace let out a gruff, but good-natured laugh, “See? Strategy and the ability to execute multiple arms of an operation. Hell, do well enough at the Academy and I’ll personally recommend you for a Havoc badge.”
They stopped talking once the food arrived. Danadi, who was used to ration bars, if she was lucky, dug in with the gusto of someone who had hardly been full since arriving on this kriffing planet. Malcolm hardly touched a thing himself but studied the teenager closely. As she finished her third plate of deviled orobird nuggets, his comm chimed bringing him out of his thoughts. “The Senators and Judge will be back in a few minutes, let’s head out.” He paid and escorted her back to the Senate Tower.
Court was being called into session as they stepped back into the grand room. They approached the bench and the Mon Calamari judge read aloud from a scripted response. “Danadi Jade, you are hereby sentenced to detention until you come of age, then you will be remanded to the Academy until graduation and serve in the Republic Army until your full sentence of eight years has been served in the Republic Army. Your detainment is to be served immediately and in the custody of Colonel Jace Malcom.” The smug look on the judge’s frog-eyed face brought a flush that complimented the ginger-headed teen. “His actions as your advocate, obvious interest in your well-being, and the short duration of your proposed detainment should not be a burden unless he gets recalled. Is this an acceptable arrangement?”
Danadi swallowed her nervousness and nodded, looking up at the big man. He tried to look reassuring, in turn. They left the senate tower, each wondering what they’d gotten themelves into.