Anxiety over Adversity

Coruscant in the Spring. The beginning of the year. That café has so many memories for me. Burgers and shakes. Music and friends. Joy... and death.
In the first year of her Jedi training, Linny Rennis's one salvation was Paldo's Place. A cafe a few levels down, just one quick shuttle ride away from the Coruscant Temple and the university campus. It was the kind of place that seemed completely frozen in time. Linny was certain that the posters on the wall dated back to the Old Republic, and the layer of grease on top would certainly indicate so. However, they sold astonishingly tasty food that was ridiculously cheap. The baskets full of sharp, freshly-cooked fries, the heavy slabs of gorgeous burgers, the thick, gelatinous shakes... it was teen heaven. It was the one place Linny could go to and pretend she wasn't a Jedi, just for an hour or two.
And now, it was all over.
That day, Linny'd arrived to a crowd outside the place. Flashing lights, bathing the street in a cacophony and reds and blues. CorSec droids stood either side of the entrance, barriers to keep everyone out. A bunch of worried people muttering and staring, just waiting for the grisly reveal. As Linny approached, a couple of security guys pushed out a hover-trolley. It was covered up, but there were very few people who'd take up that much space beneath a blanket.
Paldo, Linny thought instantly. Her assumption was repeated by the crowd around her.
"Was that Paldo?"
"There was some shouting going on earlier-"
"-looked real worried the last time I saw him-"
"-thinking it's gang-related."
"Up this high? This isn't Level 1315, for goodness sake."
Linny zoned out a little at the thought of Paldo being dead. It didn't seem remotely possible, someone so full of life and good cheer just being completely snuffed out like that. To her shock, she felt a few tears build up that she blinked away. There was one thing that was bothering her, though. The last person she heard had been right. Gang activity on this level? Not a chance. It'd be a really brave gang to get this close to the Upper city. Braver or stupider than most. Besides, Paldo ran a greasy diner for college kids and teens, not a club. Unless he was hiding spice in his bags of Caff, there wasn't really much that should interest criminals. Protection racket? she wondered, as she felt something. A pulse of intuition. A small, gentle tug at the essence within herself.
Hm. What's this about?
She carefully disentangled herself from the crowd, following that hunch. By now, she knew that it wasn't just merely intuition. It was part of her gift, her talent, her Force sensitivity. Even if that sounded too clinical for what it felt like to her. With a single-minded push, she checked if anybody was watching before slipping past one of the singular barricades, moving into the alleyway between the diner and the building beside it.
The alleyway was fairly plain, aside from the teeming dumpster and the faint scent of damp rot filling the air. Her nose wrinkled as she tried not to think about it, focusing on that feeling. Deep within, she honed in on what was pulling her, reaching out around herself. Her eyes closed for a second; just your everyday teenager deep in though by a murder scene. As she reached out, something resonated a little further down. An echo shot back to her, shaking her from the reverie. Instantly, she stepped down there, fingers running over the slightly-dirty wall. As her fingertips smeared the dirt and grime, she felt the contours of the building. The worn-away materials. The moisture from the air-conditioners and life-supports. The crack. The crack.
There.
Linny carefully worked her fingers inside, feeling the gentle rush of importance just flowing from that crack in the wall, like a river surging down it's path.
