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Ezor had only disembarked onto this new planet seventeen dobashes ago, and she already hated it. Calum was humid and hot, the heat pressing down until it felt like she was suffocating just from standing outside. If she could have chosen her destination before boarding the first available ship out from her last home, Calum would most definitely have been on the bottom of her list. Some place warm and arid, like a desert would have been so much more preferable, not this black market hub of trade within the Galra Empire.
She wasn’t thinking of home, of how her father was turned in to the military for speaking dissent against the Empire by her mother, refused to ponder that her mother chose loyalty to her Empire, rather than her husband who was a native of Jarre before the Empire subjugated them into submission. Ignored how her father had screamed at her to run, and how she had because she had always been closer to him than her mother.
Stowing away on cargo ships leaving Jarre was simple, especially with her abilities. Bring a few snacks on board, stay invisible in the hold area and relax until descent; easy as baking fruit tarts. And there was a stall selling fruit tarts for marked up prices, making profit after profit upon people just arriving to Calum.Jerk.Well, Ezor barely had a few credits to her name and she needed to eat to survive. She didn’t feel guilty camouflaging and snagging the hot treats from the cart when the vendor turned their back for a customer. Within a few ticks, Ezor bit down on a warm pastry, far from the hustle and bustle of the landing zone, heading discreetly as she could to the dark back streets and alleyways. What else could she do? She had run to a new planet where she knew absolutely no one, had no resources, and her half-blood Galra status was easy to tell at a first glance. No help would be given freely to a half-blood from any loyal citizen of the Galra Empire. So, she would hide and strike when she could. Opportunities were all around her and sooner or later, her luck would change, Ezor had no doubt about that. But for now, she would need to focus on finding shelter for as long as possible; with her abilities, how hard could it be? In all the holo-vids she watched, the heroes made do with even less skills than Ezor and came out on top and she would do the same. The answer? Apparently really difficult. Ezor had delved down into the dark shadows of Calum, places where the underground society thrived and the outcasts were masters of survival, having lived on the streets for deca-phoebs, if not their entire lives. Even with her camouflage giving her an advantage of staying out of sight, these people held their possessions close, their instincts sharp, and weapons ever ready to use at the slightest sound or change in wind direction. They were (rightfully) paranoid, but Ezor felt little admiration as the day drew to a close and she had no prospective place to sleep and still no supplies.She wanted to go home, wanted to go back in time where it was her and her dad foraging and hunting for food in the sand dunes near their house, where her mother would occasionally smile like she was proud of something Ezor did. Ezor moved faster, sprinting down some alley compulsively, unable to bear the thought of standing still. She had been standing still when everything went wrong and now her father was most certainly dead and her mother willingly taken to a reeducation facility to be sure her husband’s words had not swayed her from the side of the Empire. She could have gone with her mother, could have stayed the mandatory week in the re-education facility with her instead of running off; but her own mother had turned her father in because of a few words. Who knew when Ezor would be next?“Oof!” Ezor nearly fell on her face, left foot catching on something laying on the street. Her hair tail swung trying to keep her balanced until Ezor was able to stop flailing by pushing against one of the grimy walls that made up the infrastructure of the alley.“Watch where you are going!” Someone shouted at Ezor and she looked up to see a person step away from Ezor, a knife pointed in her direction with one hand, while the other held a poorly stuffed bag. She was smaller than Ezor and dirtier, some sort of grease stains lingering on her clothes. Yellow sclera framed by a blue lock of hair gave away the person’s Galra heritage, and the wariness indicated that she might have been on the streets for some time. Ezor could probably take her, or at least manage to get somethings from the bag she was grasping at desperately. Hopefully.“Hi!” Ezor put on a smile and raised her hands up. Be as disarming as you can. She remembered her father telling her. Nothing is as disarming as pretending nothing is wrong or cowering before them until the time is right to strike. “Sorry about that, I didn’t see you there.”The person she had tripped over stared intently at Ezor, her knife never wavering from Ezor’s direction. “I’ve never seen you before; you must be new to Kraghta.”“Maybe you’ve never run into me before.” Ezor countered. Kraghta must be the city name. “It’s a planet and there’s a lot of people moving in and out.”“This is the only big enough city for outcasts to survive,” She gave a small laugh. “Unless you want to be swimming in swamps and get eaten by the wildlife or you’re a native, this is the only habitable place on Calum.” Ezor scrunched her nose in disgust. “Ew, no. I hate swamps. I’m barely tolerating this heat.” There was a twinge of guilt growing in Ezor’s gut as she took a few incremental steps forward preparing to rush forward to at least make a grab at the bag; this stranger seemed nice.She let out a heavy sigh and in one motion, sheathed the knife in a crude holster on their belt. “Come on.” Ezor let her arms drop as her mark beckoned Ezor to follow before turning around. “What?” She… what just happened? From her other run ins with people living in the shadows of the glorious trade city, Ezor had figured she would be stuck in a survival of the fittest society; this stranger had turned her back to Ezor? “Come on,” She repeated, “Look, I know it’s difficult to trust someone you just met, especially on the street. But, I saw you eyeing my bag and I can at least help you out today. Just this once.”It was almost too good to be true. Part of Ezor suspected a trap but her instincts weren’t screaming that she was in any danger from the stranger, and Ezor made sure to trust her instincts. As she continued walking away Ezor came to a decision. Even if it did end up being a trap, Ezor was crafty enough to escape. But first…“Hey, what’s your name?” Ezor caught up with the stranger in a few long strides, “I’m Ezor and thanks for helping me out.”“Acxa.” She said after a pause.Acxa led Ezor through the alleys and down to a hidden corner somewhere behind some shoemaking shop. There, she sat on the ground and opened her back to pull out paper wrapped around a lump which she handed to Ezor.“We can share if you’re hungry.” Acxa offered kindly, shifting her bag behind her back to use as a support against the wall. “And since it’s your first night, I can give you some tips.”Ezor took the bundle carefully, not sure if she should be thanking Acxa or not. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re too nice to folks you just met?” Her stomach gurgled angrily; that fruit tart she had snagged was forever ago.“Often enough, usually with more suspicion than you.” With a small groan, Acxa turned to her bag and ruffled through it, pulling out a silver flask. “That’s how I figured it’s your first time on the streets; you aren’t paranoid enough yet.”“Huh,” Ezor pulled out a half eaten sandwich from the bundle and took a small bite as Acxa drank out whatever was in the flask. “Wouldn’t you think you’re the one being too open? I mean, you’re sharing your things with me and trusting that I’m not going to jump you at the earliest opportunity.”“I trust in my abilities.” Acxa said simply. She put the flask back in the bag and Ezor realized as she took another bite of the meal that despite all of Acxa’s open movements, she hadn’t yet taken her eyes fully off of Ezor.“How long have you been living in Calum for?” Ezor blurted out before she could rationalize if asking that sort of question was proper. She couldn’t hide the swell of disappointment when Acxa only smiled sadly at her instead and lay down to grab a few vargas of sleep. It was vargas before the sun rose when Ezor found herself sneaking in the shadows toward the hole in the wall behind the playground on Sincho street at Acxa’s advice.
“The best way to survive for a newcomer down here, is if you join up with a gang.” Acxa had explained. “Most aren’t fair and the leaders require that anything you pick up first goes to them and they hand down the profits if any and if they feel like it. But being in a gang will give more you security then striking out on your own, especially since you don’t know all the resources in the area yet. Your best bet is Horza; she’s mostly fair and if you ever want out she won’t be fussy about it. Just show her any valuable skills you have and you’ll be fine.”
And she had been. Horza was a tall imposing figure with sharp eyes and even sharper tongue, but she had been impressed with the fighting skills Ezor showed off.“Acxa sent you my way? Gotta thank that girl, she’s always been a good eye.” Horza laughed when Ezor had brought up the stranger - she barely knew her, but could she still be a stranger if Ezor knew her name?. “We’ve worked a few jobs together over the deca-phoebs, but I haven’t seen much of her since she got that gig at the garage and broke up with Santos.”“Santos?” Horza and her gang members, The Lifters they called themselves, were in line for one of the soup kitchen that were open that morning. Apparently the city of Kraghta had a program in place for the poor folks, which Ezor was now one of, where volunteers gave out gruel to those with no income once every few days or so. The days were random and never on a set schedule, so the people on the streets couldn’t be dependant on the assistance.“Yeah, he was the leader of the group Acxa used to run with. Still mad she ditched his ass since she’s efficient in getting shit. Wouldn’t go around telling him or his gang that you know Acxa; he likes holding a grudge.”“He sounds stupid.” Ezor muttered before smiling brightly at the volunteer dumping a heap of what they called oatmeal in the plastic cup in held in her hands, receiving an uninterested grunt in return.Movements passed, maybe even phoebs. It was hard to keep track of the days when she didn’t have a calendar to look at anytime she wished. Slowly, Ezor grew used to the humid climate, although she still loathed it. Life with the Lifters was, in a word, mundane. In return for jobs to get credits, whether it be pickpocketing, which Ezor had an advantage for, or performances or even looking for work, Ezor got a relatively safe place to sleep for the night, a small portion of her credits earned for the day, and usually a meal or even two a day. She had told no one of her camouflage skills, to keep as an ace in the hole in case things went badly, but otherwise, Ezor was... comfortable. It would never be home, but Ezor wasn’t in any more danger than the other citizens of the streets and Horza kept her on the easy jobs so getting credits for the group was never a problem.A few times, Ezor would pass by Acxa and would try to greet her or even thank her for the tips that first night she arrived, but Acxa would always smile in her general direction and vanish, her stuffed bag always held close to her side. This wasn’t unusual, every one who managed to get their hands on a bag kept it close to them at all times; it was just unwritten rule of the streets. Ezor herself and managed to snag a small bag that wrapped around her waist where she kept any sharp weapons she could find and extra bits of food in. Her larger knives were tied carefully in easy to reach places hidden by her clothes and on her waist hung a small harmonica that she could use for performances if necessary. This was her life now and while she wouldn’t say she was thriving, she was surviving and no longer felt the need to think about the past as she kept reassuring Horza, who was one of those individuals who believed in talking about things to grow closer as a group. If her thoughts ever strayed to her mother and the bitter hope that she was suffering without her family, well, there weren’t any telepaths to call Ezor out on her lie.It was another damp and humid morning as Ezor was slinking down to the Central Market to get in a few hours work of pickpocketing that her usual routine was altered. Turning down Abvor St and through the nonamed side street a few feet away would cut through the major alleyways used by the other homeless crowd on their way to the main target hub of Kraghta and Ezor usually walked this way so she could arrive earlier than her other competition. The best business Ezor had found, was early in the day when the people off the first transport ship were still half asleep from a lack of sleep.Today though, today Ezor nearly jumped as a crash echoed down the alleyway and shouts deafened the usual silent morning air. Pulling out a knife from the holster around her leg, she let her whole body camouflage into her surroundings, something she had only done a few times since arriving on Calum. Horza wouldn’t be terribly put off if Ezor wasn’t as productive today because some hooligans decided to start a fight close to her territory.“Stupid qarlak!” a deep sounding voice shouted as Ezor rounded the corner, her back against the wall, invisible to all. Twelve Galra and mixed Galra alike crowded the alleyway, about half of them sporting fresh bruises and cuts and breathing deeply through their mouths as their noses were clearly broken. The other half of the group crowded around a single small figure, individual weapons out and primed to attack.“I told Santos my answer already, you filthy ahmugh.” Looking only slightly windswept, Acxa was the shortest in the group by far, looking even shorter by her defensive crouch and her back against the wall further down from where Ezor was hiding, two blades held tightly in her hands. Well, Ezor hoped the rest of her looked fine; from her position she could only partially see Acxa, everything else was blocked by the broad shoulders of what were apparently Santos’ minions.“Your answer wasn’t to Santos’ satisfaction,” a nasally voice came from one of the thugs closest to Acxa. “So we’re here ‘til you change your mind. Or give us what’s in that bag and we’ll call it payment.”“That’s not going to happen; you are all just wasting your time and every single one of you knows it.” They laughed, the noise grating in Ezor’s ears. It was an ugly sound, filled with overconfidence and just a tang underlying of fear; their target had already hit out half of their group from out Ezor could see, if they weren’t the slightest bit wary, no one in the group would have survived for long on the streets. What Ezor should do, was turn around and walk away, leave the fighting on the streets and go to her site for business. Getting involved would be the stupidest thing she could do.Whatever. She had run to the streets of a different planet to survive, not cower in fear and let others intimidate those smaller than they were. Fingering her pouch, Ezor smiled and got to work.Within half a tick, Ezor pulled out one of her throwing blades and lobbed it at one of the ring leader’s knee; her aim was accurate and the sharpened blade sunk deep enough in the back of the kneecap that the thug let out a cry and fell over in pain. Within the next tick, everything erupted into chaos as Santos’ minions began swinging indiscriminately, blades and fists hitting anyone unfortunate enough who forgot how to dodge. It was one of the rules of the street: no one could be trusted, not even fellow gang members. Anyone could be bought out with the right price; which meant when free-for-alls like this happened, the best bet to survive was to be sure everyone else was down. Harsh, but effective, especially for Ezor who only needed to linger in the shadows and strike from a distance without being seen.Acxa, Ezor was proud to see, had taken advantage of the messy situation the tick Thug 1 hit the ground and following Ezor’s first hit, was accurately hitting ligaments in the back of the knees of those thugs who were still standing. Cripple their stance and base, and the fight was mostly won. Ezor slunk through battlefield, tossing more knives when she had the opportunity, slowly gaining more ground to where Acxa fought.It would be over soon, Ezor thought to herself, as she snuck by a Galra who’s skull looked half dented in. Most of the thugs were either unconscious or dead or had run away, disappearing into the distance.A cry from Acxa brought Ezor back into focus and she watched as one of the thugs who had fallen from a torn knee joint stood up deceptively quickly and grabbed Acxa by her bag as she darted pass.“You ain’t givin’ us the bag willingly, I’ll just tear it right off with your shoulders attached!” They yanked Acxa with the straps, throwing her into the alley wall with a terrible sounding crash. Ezor could see parts of the wall crumbling from the hit.Ouch. Acxa was still breathing, Ezor could see that easily from the way her shoulders were twitching and her chest heaving from having the wind knocked out of her. But she wasn’t moving and there was a furious halfing with major anger issues who didn’t care if Acxa survived through their ‘message giving errand’ for their current employer.Big, bad, and ugly only had a chance to raise their fists in air - ready to smash it down with terrible momentum - before Ezor’s thighs slipped through their arms and wrapped around their neck, her hips twisting sharply to the right to snap the halfling's neck with a sharp crack. Just like her father had taught her, Ezor fell forward with her victim, gravity helping her flip over their shoulders, while her legs winched together hard enough to slam Angry into the ground. They didn’t get back up.“Well, hope all that fur isn’t shock absorbant or something.” Ezor muttered as she stumbled on her feet. It had been a while since she had been free to fully practice the acrobatic combat style she had learned from her parents; her knees had forgotten how harsh landings could be.Ezor turned to Acxa, who was sitting wide-eyed and breathing heavily, bits of concrete and dirt crumbling into dust on her skin.“Need a hand?” She offered her right hand out to Acxa, smiling as Acxa only hesitated a few ticks before reaching up, her fingers grasping hers tightly as Ezor gently pulled her off the ground and to her feet. “We make a good team, don’t we?” (Art by fanfreakwithapencil) “I guess we do,” Acxa bowed her head stiffly, pulling her hand away to brush off as much evidence of the fight as possible. “Thank you for your help and I’m sorry about the trouble. Although you -”“No, shut it, it was fun.” Ezor didn’t want to hear any criticisms; sure she shouldn’t have taken the time to save someone who wouldn’t dare call themselves her friend, but if she hadn’t than Acxa would have died. “In fact, we should join forces, make our own gang to lead instead of working with others!”Acxa blinked, still wiping down her clothes, fluttering by any open cuts. “Aren’t you working with Horza? You looked pretty comfortable whenever I saw you running jobs.”“Well, yeah. But I want something better. And you’d be the best to partner with to stay on top.” And she was, Ezor had been on the streets now for long enough to pick up which of the rats had potential and who were a waste of space. Acxa may usually work alone, especially with her respectable garage job bringing in a stability no one else could have, but Ezor had watched how Acxa always seemed to check up on people, walking close enough to make sure they were alive and functioning, but from a distance where it was easy to vanish without saying a word. Acxa was good at keeping a group alive and in one piece, most notably unlike Santos who wasted a dozen of his minions just to go after one person.“Ah, well,” Acxa wouldn’t refuse, Ezor knew. No one living on the streets said no to an opportunity. “Let me think about it. I’ll get back to you after work today.”Just as Ezor predicted, Acxa found her, hiding a limp from the morning’s activity, but still walking tall, and accepted her offer to work together. She would still work in the garage until things took off, but now when she went down to the Market to pick up the new poor strays, just as Ezor once had been, she took them to Ezor to train and keep busy.Through a mixture of Acxa’s determination and leadership and Ezor’s intimidation, the other gangs soon followed their lead, starting off a wave of cooperation among the street rats that had never before been seen on Calum. Because there was less cutthroat competition between the gangs, efficiency levels rose and within a deca-phoeb, Ezor and Acxa had managed to threaten the governing body of the city into putting aside buildings for the people stranded on the streets to live in. People were safer with the amount of people wrangled together, there was more money and food to bring in for everyone, and finally there was a definite roof over their heads even if people were crammed together. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t the best, but it was better than before, which is all that mattered.And when the long lost Prince of the Galra Empire came to town, hiding under a hooded cloak and behind two tall half-Galras he called his Generals, looking for help, Ezor didn’t hesitate to drag Acxa with her into Prince Lotor’s service. Because if they were able to become Generals in the Galra Empire, despite their halfing status, Ezor would be safer than she had ever been. She didn’t really need anything else in life except that guarantee.