The Streets of Coruscent

by alianora

Disclaimer: not mine, go away. everybody belongs to Lucas and the SW universe

Summery: Jaina and Zekk meet for the first time. Challenge fic.

Rating: G

"Jasa! Jasa, slow down!" Eight year old Jaina ran after her brother, panting. He was hurrying down the hall away from their private quarters, anxious to get to the Holographic zoo. He had not even slowed his pace when she had tripped over her shoelace and had to stop to tie it.

"Come on Jaya. Do you want Threepio to catch us?" Jacen slowed his pace a fraction so his twin could catch up without running. They had snuck out of the Organa-Solo quarters into the main part of the Imperial Palace early this morning to make a visit to the grand opening of a new exhibit to the holographic zoo. Jacen had been begging his parents for weeks to be allowed to go, but both Han and Leia had important meetings to attend, and had been reluctant to allow the children out of the palace with only Threepio for supervision. With good reason, too. All three of the Solo children had become remarkably adept at slipping away from the protocol droid the instant his attention was diverted.

"Anakin's not gonna be happy with us for leaving him. And Mom and Dad are gonna hit the roof!" Jaina warned Jacen as they hurried down the corridor. Jaina was worried, they had never been out of the Palace without an escort before.

"Anakin's too little! Besides - he wouldn't wake up," Jacen defended himself. "Come on, Jaina," Jacen wheedled, "You owe me one. We both got in trouble when you decided to try to rewire the food processors in the Falcon, remember?"

Jaina sighed, "Yeah, I remember." That had been a disaster! Dad had been steaming mad and they had been forbidden to go anywhere for a whole month! It wasn'ther fault that the processor would only give golash after it was rewired. Dad had taken the cost of replacing it out of her allowance.

As they got closer to the exit from the Palace, the twins slowed their pace until they were inching along the wall. Peeking around a corner, they caught sight of the guards standing on either side of the door. With so many high ranking members of the New Republic living and working in the converted Imperial Palace, a careful watch was kept on who came through the doors. Hopefully, the guards did not pay quite as much attention to who left the building. Sneaking back in was going to be more of a problem, but Jaina decided she's worry about that part later. Like after they got out of the Palace.

Jacen caught her eye and indicated an older woman walking briskly towards the exit. Jaina raised an eyebrow at his choice, but nodded. Jaina and Jacen slipped out into the main corridor, falling into step behind the woman. Jaina fought the urge to glance at the guard, but managed to keep her features composed.

"I hope this works," Jacen murmured.

"Shhhh!!" Jaina hissed at her brother. If this went like it was supposed to, the guard would take her and Jacen as pages working for the woman. Almost there. Jaina held her breath as they walked by. The guard barely glanced at them.

Jaina and Jacen continued to follow the woman until they were out of eyesight of the guards. Then Jacen grinned and grabbed her hand, almost crashing into the woman in the process.

"Come on!" Laughing with relief, the children ran down the stairs into the crowded streets, dodging others as best they could. "Sorry Mister!" Jaina yelled behind them as a portly gentleman shook three of his fists at them after they had nearly rammed into him. Slowing, they fought their way out of the crush of people into a small side street.

Jaina fumbled in the pockets of her coveralls for a moment. With a grin, she pulled out her latest "toy", a rather battered looking view screen. Jaina had scrounged it from some of her dad's old junk on the Falcon, and, with a couple modifications, it was perfect. Jaina flipped a small switch at the top, and the screen came alight. For a moment anyway, then it gave an angry beep and went black. Jaina frowned and thumped the side of it against her hand. With a reluctant whine, the screen slowly came back to life, revealing a rough map of the city. Jaina smirked, looking uncannily like her father, and gave the Mapper a smug little pat.

"Alright Jacen. We're here," Jaina pointed to a glowing dot on the tiny viewscreen. "And we need to get over here," she traced a line with her finger over to another dot. "It looks a little complicated, but I don't think it'll be too hard. Let's get going."

Jacen shrugged, "Sounds good to me. Are you sure that thing is right?"

Jaina bristled, " Of course its right. Trust me."

"Oh great," her brother rolled his eyes in mock horror, "Now I know we'll never get there!"

"Shut up and come on," Jaina laughed. They caught hands again and stepped back into the busy streets. Jaina held her Mapper in her other hand, and called out directions to Jacen as they went. Jacen attempted to follow her instructions and avoid running into people. Which wasn't exactly an easy task, as Jacen had quickly lost his bearings, and so was depending entirely on the accuracy of Jaina'a jury-rigged Mapper to get them to the zoo.

"Take a right at this next street, Jacen!" Jaina called out. Jacen nodded absently in acknowledgment and turned the corner. And ran directly into a guard detachment.

"WHOA! I'm so sorry, really I am," Jacen blathered as he and Jaina hastily backed up. The commanding officer frowned disapprovingly down at the twins. Then his eyes widened in shocked recognition, and he opened his mouth to speak.

Before he could get a word out, Jaina hastily jumped in, "Lovely to see you, but we've really got to get going. Umm..bye. Come ON Jacen!!" The captain made a grab for Jacen, but he slid out of his grasp and took off after Jaina. They could hear the guards yelling after them, and the children rapidly dodged through the people on the streets. They were able to slip through the gaps between bodies, while the guards had to shoulder their way through.

"Here, Jaina, this way!" Jacen suddenly pivoted to race down an alleyway. Twisting and turning, choosing streets at random, the twins desperately tried to elude the guard. They did not even notice the streets getting dirtier and more deserted. Finally, they could no longer hear any sounds of pursuit. Gasping, they slid to a stop and doubled over, trying to catch their breath.

Jacen straightened with a groan, and took a good look at their surroundings. "Uh-oh," he said worriedly, "Jaina, I think we might have a problem."

Jaina looked up at this, and shoved her hair out of her face to see better. They stood in a small dingy street, empty of everything except for a jumble of crates, boxes and barrelspiled haphazardly against a wall. She and Jacen exchanged a look. She had dropped her Mapper somewhere in their mad rush. They were lost.

"Well, we can't just stand here all day," Jaina finally said, "We just have to find out way back to the Palace, that's all."

"That's all?!" Jacen looked at his sister as if she had suddenly sprouted wings and proclaimed herself ruler of the galaxy. "Are you crazy? We have no idea where we are, what are we gonna do, close our eyes and hope we go the right direction?"

"Well, no," Jaina said slowly. "But I think I can remember a lot of the map, enough to get us somewhere we recognize anyway. We certainly can't stay here." At that, Jaina turned and walked back onto the last street she remembered running down.

Jacen stood for a few seconds staring after her, then sighed. "Wait up, I'm coming."

They walked for a long time, hesitating at every turn, trying to decide if it looked familiar. Within an hour, they were even more lost than they had been. And the neighborhoods they were passing through were looking less and less friendly by the second.

"This is hopeless!" Jaina exploded in frustration. "I know we're not walking in circles, but we're not getting anywhere either!" By this time, the twins were hot and dirty and tired of walking.

Jacen wiped his face with a grubby hand and looked around for a place to sit. They had not encountered anybody on the streets for quite a while, and frankly, it was starting to make him really nervous. It was as if people were carefully avoiding going onto the streets, and Jacen wondered uneasily what would cause so many to stay concealed inside.

A burst of raucous laughter came suddenly from around the corner. Jaina and Jacen could hear the rumble of loud voices and careless footsteps of a rowdy group of people. Jaina looked around frantically, then dove behind a pile of junk beside a few trash cans.

"Jacen!!" She hissed, frantically gesturing for him to get down. He ducked down beside her, and they peered through a crack between the trash cans. From around the corner walked a nasty looking bunch. About eight street toughs, male as well as female, shoved and insulted each other as they began to strut down the dingy street. Jacen realized, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, that this was probably the reason the streets were deserted.

Watching through the crack, the twins watched the gang of toughs meander their way down the dirty street. They left their mark on everything they passed; windows were smashed, trash cans turned over, and walls were graffited.

Jacen and Jaina cowered in their meager hiding place, and cringed every time something else was smashed. Jacen's leg was beginning to cramp, and he shifted his weight slightly. Unfortunately, when he did, he knocked over a can beside him. It only made a very small noise as it rolled away, but the gang at the end of the street whirled and searched for the location of the noise. With a sick feeling in her stomach, Jaina knew they were about to be spotted.

Jacen looked around desperately for a way to escape, but the only way out was back onto the street. They were running out of time! Wait..had he seen..Yes! There was a small opening in the fence that closed off the alleyway from the next street over. Jaina was watching the approaching groups of street toughs with eyes wide with apprehension.

"Jaina, I think I see a way out," Jacen whispered to his twin, keeping his voice as low as possible. Jaina looked at her twin, hope and fear warring within her. "It's small, but I think we can fit." Jacen pointed towards the jagged tear in the fence.

Jaina knew it was a long shot, but she took a deep breath and murmured back, "Alright, let's go." The twins scuttled towards the back wall as quietly as possible. The gang was getting closer. Jacen was already worming his way through the small space. Jaina hurriedly climbed over a stack of boxes in her way, almost tripping. She cringed at the small noise. The fence was not very tall, but they did not have the time to try climbing over it, the gang would spot them for sure!

Jaina began to squeeze through the rip in the fence, Jacen helping her as much as he could. She had just about gotten through when the gang rounded the corner of the alleyway.

"Hey!" Jaina heard one of the toughs yell, and without looking back, Jaina yanked herself through the rest of the opening, and the twins took off at top speed. The gang, laughing cruelly at the fleeing children, scaled the wall and were quickly in pursuit.

Jacen was concentrating on where they were going. He slid around corners, trusting that Jaina was right with him. He could hear her labored breathing several feet behind him. More worrying, he could hear the pounding feet and jeering calls behind them, rapidly gaining ground.

Jacen barreled around a corner, and found himself at an multi street intersection. Without hesitation, Jacen chose a direction and continued running.

Jaina, a little behind him, took the corner too quickly and tripped. With an pained "OOF!" Jaina hit the pavement hard and sprawled across the dirty street. "Jacen!" She called out, struggling to her feet. She looked around wildly. "Jacen!!" She moaned. There was no sign of him. She could hear the footsteps and laughter of the gang that followed her getting ever closer as they approached the corner she stood just a few feet from. Jaina could not move, eyes wide with terror, she watched the shadows around the corner grow closer and more menacing.

The street kids were still laughing and joking as they came around the corner, certain their quarry would soon be in hand.

"Hey! Where'd they go?" Puzzled and annoyed, the tough bunch glanced around the deserted street. There was no sign anyone had been there.

"C'mon, we'll catch 'em at the next cross street." One offered with a nasty smile. Chuckling, the group trooped off again, taking one of the smaller alleyways parallel to the main street.

Jaina struggled frantically against the arms that had trapped her and roughly pulled her into a dark corner of the street. Her assaulter?s hand was clapped like iron around her mouth, preventing her from screaming. She barely heard the rowdy thugs as they moved away. She sank her teeth into the hand across her mouth. With a muffled curse, she was shoved back onto the again empty street.

"Are ya crazy?! Didya want 'em to catch ya?" An angry looking boy stood looking at her, clutching his right hand tightly to his chest. Jaina blinked up at him in shock, she had been expecting someone twice her size. Instead, facing her was a slightly dirty boy only a few years older than her eight years, glaring at her with fierce green eyes.

Jaina stared at the boy in front of her with confusion. The boy was inspecting his hand for any damage, and swearing under his breath. He looked up to catch her eye. "What's the matta with ya? Don't ya know not to mess with Xan's gang? They're a nasty bunch." With that, the dark haired boy turned his back and started walking away from her.

"Wait a minute!" Jaina, alarmed, chased after him and grabbed his arm to stop him. "You can't just leave me here!"

The boy jerked his arm out of her grasp. "Why not? You ain't my responsibility. What's a kid like you doing out here anyway?"

Jaina sighed and admitted, "My brother and I got lost this morning. I don't know how to get back, and I don't know where Jacen is."

"Too bad, kid. Well, I'll be seeing ya." The boy started to walk away again. "Wait! Please, won't you help me?" Jaina asked desperately. She did not want to be left out here on her own. "Maybe you've seen my brother..."

"Sorry, kid, I've got stuff to do." The boy did not even look back at her.

"I'll..." Jaina racked her brain for ideas. "I'll pay you!"

The boy stopped abruptly and turned to face her, green eyes aglow with curiosity and greed. "Oh yeah? How much?"

Jaina searched her pockets hastily, but only found a few credits. Her face falling with disappointment, she said, "Well, I don't have any money on me, but..I have this ring my daddy gave me for my birthday" She figured the small silver ring on her right hand and swallowed hard. Jaina did not wear much jewelry, but this was one of the few remaining pieces of jewelry made on Alderaan, which made it doubly special to her.

The boy looked at her ring with an appraising eye. "I don't know.." He said doubtfully. "Its pretty recognizable. Buyers would probably think it was stolen." He shook his head, nearly black hair falling in his face, "I don't think it's be a good idea. Sorry." He said with a shrug.

"But, but.." To her horror, Jaina felt tears stinging her eyes. She sniffed mightily, and tried not to break down in front of this strange boy, but it was no use. A tear escaped down her dirty face. She covered her face with her hands and cried, her shoulders shaking.

"Hey! What...? Oh no, don't cry. Please? Ok, look, I'll take your ring, I'll help you, just please stop crying!" The boy pleaded, looking very disturbed by this turn of events. He searched his pockets, and pulled out a dingy rag which he handed to her.

With a tearful smile and a strangled "thank you," Jaina took the rag, and looked hopefully up at him. "You...you will?"

The boy looked at the tear streaked face watching him with such hope and sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I guess. Come on, kid. Let's go find your brother."

"My name's not kid, it's Jaina. And my brother is Jacen." Jaina waited a moment, but the boy only grunted in response. "What's your name?" She prompted.

The dark haired boy studied her out of the corner of his eyes for a second, as if debating if he could trust her with his name. "Zekk."

"Zekk, what?"

"Just Zekk."

Zekk and Jaina had been walking for a while when Jaina pleaded for a rest stop. Her earlier experiences and her slightly shorter legs put her at a disadvantage while walking with the older boy.

He had made a face, but had halted in another small alley. Jaina was beginning to think that all alleys look alike. Dark, dingy, and slightly gross. Zekk was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Jaina studied him from her perch on an upturned crate.

His clothes were ragged, and his dark, almost black hair was pulled mostly back out of his face. His face was dirty, but Jaina could read intelligence there. Her ring was shoved onto his pinkie finger. A scuffed pair of old spacer's boots completed his outfit. Jaina was wondering where the boy had come from, and where his parents were, when his eyes snapped open to meet hers. His green eyes had a wary, cynical look in them. He studied her for a moment as well. Then he straitened, pushing off the wall with one hand.

"C'mon, we gotta get going. It'll be dark pretty soon."

"It will?" Jaina had not been aware that much time had passed. "My parents are going to kill me," she moaned. "And we haven't even found Jacen yet!"

"Speak of the devil." Zekk was peering around the corner into a busy street. "Ain't that him? Looks like we might be a bit too late though."

"What?? Excited, Jaina followed Zekk's lead and flattened herself against the wall as best she could. Peeking around, she caught site of her brother, looking even more miserable and lost than she felt.

"Jacen!" Jaina ducked out of the alley and began to run towards her brother. Zekk jumped, startled at her sudden movement, and made a grab for her arm, bringing her up short.

"Are ya crazy? Look who else is with your brother." Zekk motioned with his head towards the Republic guard transports, and Jaina finally noticed the five guards surrounding Jacen, marching him towards one of the transports.

"Oh no! Now what do we do?" Jaina gave Zekk a dismayed look.

"What do ya mean 'we'?"

"What?" Jaina turned to look at Zekk, shocked at this turn of events. "I thought you were going to help me!"

"I did. That's your brother right there. Go up to the guards, and get them to take ya home."

Jaina was still staring at the older boy in amazement when a sudden shout attracted their attention. Neither had been aware of their surroundings, and so had not known they were in clear site of the guards. And Zekk was still holding tightly to Jaina's arm. Things did not look good.

Zekk spat out an oath and dropped Jaina's arm. He took off like a shot, anxiously trying to avoid the approaching guards. he had only gotten about ten feet before being jerked off his feet by a hand on the back of his collar.

"Well, well, what have we here?" The guard looked sternly down at the ragged boy kicking and swearing from his grasp. "A street rat laying hands on the Chief of State's daughter? Her daddy is not going to be happy."

"Who's daughter?" Zekk choked out, stunned. He craned his neck around, searching for Jaina. He caught sight of her being dragged to the same transport as her brother. She was fighting with the guards, screaming her head off. She caught Zekk's eye for a moment and redoubled her efforts at getting loose. With a start, Zekk realized she was trying to get to him. With a final shove, the guards forced the shrieking, struggling girl into the transport. Zekk watched the transport speed off. He glared at the guard holding him, and spat.

The guard laughed at this puny show of defiance and began to haul the boy towards another of the transports. "Come on boy, the Chief of State and General Solo will decide what they want to do with you." Still swearing, Zekk was thrown into the back of the transport.

As soon as Jaina and Jacen stepped out of the transport, their father swept them up and held onto them hard. Holding the grimy twins away from him, he looked them over anxiously with a worried frown on his face. Leia was standing beside him looking distressed.

"We're fine, Mom, Dad," Jacen said. "Really. We're OK."

"General Solo, sir?"

Han turned, his children still in his arms, to face the guard that had spoken."Yes?" He said, a bit impatiently.

"The boy we found with your daughter is being brought in now." The guard looked at his data pad and reported, "He already has a criminal record, sir."

Han Solo had a grim look on his face. The punk better not have laid a finger on his kid, or else. "Go on inside," he said as he handed the children to Leia. "I'll handle this."

The transport arrived, and Zekk was yanked out of the back. He aimed a kick at the guard that held him, and glared at everyone else present.

"We found this on him, sir." One of the guards handed over the silver ring that Jaina normally wore. Han's expression darkened even further.

He glared down at the boy, who looked sullen and angry. "What do you have to say for yourself, boy? You were found molesting my daughter, and now I've found you?ve stolen from her as well?"

"Zekk!" Jaina squirmed out of her mother's tight embrace and bolted outside, her brown hair streaming behind her as she rushed back down the stairs. "Daddy, wait!"

"Jaina, go back inside. This kid is just a street punk, I'll take care of him." Han still had not taken his eyes off of Zekk, who was starting to look panicked.

As Jaina reached the bottom step, she grabbed at Han, and, in doing so, knocked the ring out of his hand. "Daddy, please! You don't understand. Zekk has been trying to help me all day! It's not his fault we got lost. He's wonderful!"

Han was shocked, to say the least. He looked up and met Leia's startled eyes, and shrugged. "Well, are you sure he didn't hurt you?"

"Absolutely! He was very nice to me. Please let him go Daddy! Please?" Jaina's pleading brown eyes searched upwards into his own.

Han sighed, and gave in. "I guess you can let the boy go then, Captain."

Jaina squealed with happiness and threw her arms around Zekk. The guard was so surprised, he released his hold on the boy, and Zekk stumbled backwards against the outside of the transport, his arms full with Jaina.

Jaina stood still in the confused boy's rough embrace as she raised her face to his and kissed him right on the mouth. Zekk's eyes went wide with shock. She abruptly released him to throw herself at her father in the same manner. "Oh, Daddy, thank you!!" Everybody was staring at her in amazement.

Han looked confusedly at his little girl, then turned back to officially release the boy his daughter had just kissed. Jaina turned around too.

Zekk was nowhere to be seen.

The guards milled around for a few minutes, but then Han shook his head, and ordered them to their posts. He began to walk back inside, Jaina?s small hand held firmly in his strong one.

From his hiding place behind a trash bin, Zekk watched them walk up the stairs. He saw Jaina turn around once more, her eyes searching the street. Disappointed, she obediently followed her father inside.

Zekk stayed put for another moment, thinking. Then he grinned, fished out a length of string from one of his pockets, and threaded Jaina?s silver ring onto it. Pulling it over his head, he tucked it under his shirt where it could not be seen. Taking one last look towards the Palace stairs where Jaina had disappeared, he gave the ring around his neck a satisfied pat, then vanished into the crowd.

END