Chapter Text
“Kashvi, wait up!” Naili cried, laughing as her sister ran off towards the lake. “Mother says we must stick together!”
“Then you better keep up!” Kashvi turned around for a moment before running faster than before, her Lekku moving in the wind. Naili rolled her eyes, deciding not to scold her further. Besides, they weren’t going far from their home. The worst that could happen was them accidentally straying into their grumpy neighbor’s garden. By the time she arrived at the lake, Kashvi was already knee-deep in the water.
“By the stars, sister, you’re starting to get faster than me!”
“That’s why father says I’ll be a good hunter one day,” she stuck her tongue out at Naili, giggling as she dodged a playful hit.
“You may be a good hunter, but I’m gonna travel the galaxy someday. I’ll be the first Twi’lek to be a famous explorer!”
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Naili awoke with a start, sweat glistening on her purple skin. Her hazel eyes were shining with tears and her throat was just barely containing a sob. Every night she was plagued by her happiest memories, and every night she was tricked into thinking she was back home. She looked around at the poor excuse for a room she resided in and sighed. She certainly had travelled the galaxy, but not in the way she wanted to.
Ever since the raid on her home, her life had been a living hell. Her home was ripped apart by slavers, her parents were struck down by blaster fire, and she was separated from her sister. To make matters worse, she was sold to the Zygerrians, who forced her to work in the mines. She didn’t even know what they were mining for. All she knew was that these scum believed themselves to be a superior species.
The queen was worse, however, as she required a new slave almost every month due to suicides. It seems it was Naili’s turn to work in the palace, as she was to be transferred there sometime today. “Naili!” A voice whispered to her. Naili looked down at her bunkmate, Aksha, a young Togruta woman that had become a friend to her. “Did you have another nightmare?”
“No, just another memory,” she sighed, willing the tears away. “I would rather not talk about it.”
“That’s alright, I was just about to warn you that it’s almost time to get up anyway. I can hear the guards outside the barracks,” Aksha tilted her head to listen for any noises outside.
“Thank you, I wouldn’t wanna sleep in again. I would rather not get another scar,” she joked. Aksha glared at her, not enjoying the Twi’lek’s sense of humor. Just then, one of the guards came in, activating his whip to remind everyone that it was time to get up. Just the sound of it turning on was enough to get them out of bed.
“Alright you skugs, the queen has guests arriving today, so work will double,” he smirked. His gaze then fell on Naili, who immediately turned her head down as a sign of respect. “You! The queen wants you as her personal slave, so you’re coming with me.” He then firmly grabbed her arm to lead her out of the barracks, not even letting her say goodbye to her friend.
Everyone knew working in the palace was basically a death sentence. Most of the slaves there committed suicide because the queen was so harsh. Naili wasn’t expecting her story to end any differently, but she would try to survive as long as she could. As the guard led her upstairs and outside, she kept her head down. One wrong move and she would be punished. She learned that the hard way at a young age.
The journey to the palace was a fairly long one, but once she stepped into its walls, the sense of dread she had been feeling all night skyrocketed. This was to be her prison for who knows how long. Its long hallways and lavish decorations meant nothing to her. No matter how beautiful it looked, it was still a prison. She hated it already. She hated the Zygerrians, she hated her life, and she especially hated the war.
“Your majesty,” the guard kneeled, also pushing Naili down so that she would kneel. “Your new slave, as you requested,” he gestured to the Twi’lek.
“Perfect timing,” the queen smiled as she waved away a droid carrying a plate of fruit. Naili risked a small glance at the throne, surprised to see a hologram of Jabba the Hutt sitting next to her.
“Atai, you know Jabba,” the queen began.
“It is an honor,” Atai bowed his head. Jabba growled something back, but Naili couldn’t understand him. Her masters had only taught her Basic after she was captured.
“It turns out, Jabba needs a new dancer for his collection, and I happened to acquire a new slave this morning,” the queen glared at Naili, making her skin crawl.
“Am I to assume you want to sell this slave, Your Majesty?” Atai smirked.
“Yes. In fact, all the arrangements have been made. A ship is on its way here now to pick this one up. I want you to get her cleaned up before their arrival.”
"Yes, my queen,” Atai bowed and forced Naili to follow him. Various thoughts began to flood her mind at this news. Working for the queen was one thing, but working for Jabba? He was worse than her by far. Dancers in Jabba’s palace were known to perform disgusting acts for the perverted monster. She certainly did not want to go to Tatooine.
Who knows what she would be doing there? She supposed she was going to be put in a skimpy outfit that barely covered anything. She didn’t even know how to dance! Tears welled up in her eyes again at the thought of Jabba drooling over her. This morning, all she wanted to do was leave Zygerria. Now, she wanted nothing more than to stay.
The process of getting her clean wasn’t gentle, to say the least. She was grateful women were doing the job, but she knew that was only due to the fact she was about to be presented to Jabba himself. They didn’t want anything to go missed. Next, she was dressed in a two-piece outfit that showed off her body very well. Whenever she walked, the gold hanging off of her hips would jingle, suggesting that she may have to do some belly dancing.
Once she was dressed and cleaned, Atai looked her over, not hiding the way he licked his lips at the sight of her. In response, Naili crossed her arms over her stomach, only for him to pull them from their position. “This will do,” was all he said before leading her over to the docks. “It’s a pity the queen sold you. You would’ve made a good skug to play with,” he chuckled, reaching around to place a hand on the small of her back. Before he could go lower, the ship that would take her away landed on the dock.
She silently thanked the stars that he didn’t advance any further. All she wanted to do was get away from him. She expected there to be some formal hand off, but no. All she did was get pushed onto the ship, where a handful of other people were standing, all of them in cuffs. She was escorted to the far wall of the ship and chained to the others. She looked at her surroundings, noticing she was chained to a Rhodian and another Twi’lek.
Before she knew it, the ship was taking off, leaving the world of Zygerria behind. As they entered hyperspace, Naili wondered how her life had turned upside down so quickly. She worried about her little sister, who was either lost in the galaxy somewhere, or dead. She mourned her parents, who were taken from her so easily. Now she was being taken to Tatooine as a slave to be ogled at by Jabba and his sick allies. Naili furrowed her brow, realizing that she couldn’t just stand by and be toyed with anymore. She was going to do something about her treatment. She was going to escape.