Imperial times- Coruscant

Water dripped from the exposed reinforcing bars, pattering softly on the crumbled duracrete below. A drop splattered down on the pointed ear of the green figure sleeping beneath the crumbling arch of the empty window frame. The green striped ear flicked by reflex, sending the drop flying.

The figure awakened, sitting up and grumbling sleepily as he rubbed his ear with a clawed hand. He absently ran his hand through the unruly mop of curly hair that reached past his shoulders, sitting still for a moment, pointed ears turning to listen to the raindrops. The dingy rain continued to patter on the streets outside his temporary housing.

He stood, his powerful muscles stretching beneath his mottled tan and green skin. His tail curled around a striped leg as he yawned, then flicked his tongue curiously. The morning air smelled funny today.

His ears swiveled around, listening, then he reached down for his staff, creeping toward the entrance to his hideout nervously. The explosion that had opened this hole in the walls had happened a few years ago, maybe someone was finally going to fix it. He sniffed the air more carefully.

The faint scents of plasteel, metal and burnt air were amplified by the heavy moisture in the air. He tensed uneasily.

People, definitely not work crews.

Fortunately, they weren't close enough to see him yet. He turned quickly, snatching up his pack and bolting out the other corner of the ruined section of the building, sliding down the pile of rubble outside the hole and down to the elevated street below. He ran across the flat open space of the walkway to the shadows of another building nearby.

Skidding to a stop under a decorative archway on the building, he flattened himself against the damp stone facade, searching the walkways above. Then he saw them, white armor glistening from the grimy rain.

Stormtroopers.

He hissed quietly, flicking his tongue again nervously. He didn�t like Stormtroopers, he�d been chased by one too many lately it seemed. He watched them walk along their rounds without noticing him. He kept his orange-gold eyes focused on them for a moment longer, then bolted for the safety of a ventilation shaft that led to the levels below. Sliding under the rail, he deftly snagged the maintenance ladder with a clawed hand as he fell. He hit the wall harder than he�d wanted to, but he was safe.

He climbed down the rusty ladder, avoiding the absent rungs with a lifetime�s worth of practice.

"There it goes again," one of the Stormtroopers said, looking over the railing of the walkway at the blur of green as it disappeared into the shadows.

"It still amazes me that he knows when we�re coming around, even when they change the patrol schedule," the other said, walking over to the rail and looking down.

"Don�t be too impressed. From what I�ve heard, that�s what he�s supposed to do," the first trooper said. The second trooper looked up at him curiously.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I�ll tell you later, let�s finish our rounds first," he said, continuing to walk down the street. The second trooper followed, glancing back at the darkened shaft half-hidden in the gloom below.

The green figure descended into the relative safety of a dim alcove inside the shaft. He didn�t need to search for these kind of places, he just knew where they were.

This was his home, he�d spent nearly his entire life as he knew it roaming the streets of the giant city-planet.

Coruscant was what they called it, at least that�s what he�d heard someone call it once. He couldn�t pronounce it, he couldn�t pronounce most of their words, they were too confusing. He could say a few words, enough to get what he needed from the few people he talked to. He preferred to remain on his own, away from other people as much as he could. Some of them didn�t like him, others, like the Stormtroopers, he just didn�t like.

He still remembered throwing rocks at the Stormtroopers when he was younger, he still did it from time to time, just to bother them.

He crouched inside the maintenance alcove, reaching up and twisting a small glow-lamp bulb into place. The dim little bulb began to glow, giving off just enough light for him to see. He sat down on a pipe, dropping his pack to the floor next to him. He could see in almost total darkness, but he preferred to keep a few of these bulbs to use in places where the receptacles had been left active. City maintenance crews had long forgotten about servicing these areas.

A tiny service droid was busy working away on a bundle of cables that had been chewed through by some unknown creature. He poked his snout into the narrow side shaft, studying the small droid curiously. It spliced and soldered the wires back together, making wisps of acrid smoke drift along the shaft toward him. He snorted, backing his nose out of the hole.

He watched it curiously for a moment, then reached down and picked up a small rock. He tossed it down the shaft, ducking out of sight behind the rim as it pinged against the droid�s metallic shell. It sent out a string of annoyed beeps and clicks, then resumed its work.

He smiled, showing his pointed teeth in a playful grin. Tormenting the maintenance droids was almost as fun as tormenting real people. He unscrewed the bulb, plunging the alcove into darkness, then shoved the bulb into his pack. He scrambled out of the alcove and down the shaft again, leaving his pack in the relative safety of the alcove.

----on to Part 2 of Chapter 1---

© 2000 Michelle Petrosky

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