Career Advancement

[Alaisia]

Elora watched as the doors to the shuttle opened, showing her the grand palace that belonged to Borga. As far as Hutt palaces went, this was definitely the most grand she had ever seen, but it still didn't make a difference. She had no plans to work here. She refused to go on any longer as a slave. She was tired of being sold, fought over, and bought by different creatures. Each one had their own plans for her and most were not very pleasant.

Her plan was to run as the doors had opened but, seeing the many guards placed outside, she had decided that she would rather speak with Borga. He had seemed to be (did she dare say it?) nice... for a Hutt. Perhaps he could be reasoned with and would allow her to work for him. Not as a slave or servant, but more along the lines of a Bounty Hunter.

 

[Just Matt Now]

The slaves had been brought in through a back entrance. Unchained, though guarded by a team of Dashade men with blasters and led by the Chevin majodormo that had been awaiting them. Wor would bring them through the posterior hals of the main palace that Borga had taken every expense to create. Even coming in through the rear, it's lavishness and elegant decor had impressed many of the slaves, if not all. For the most part, their lack of chains confused them, though when glancing around and meeting the eye of one of the armed Dashade, their confusion subsided. Any attempt of escaping would be met with punishment.

The large Chevin halted just before a pair of large doors that undoubtedly led into the throne room where Borga had awaited. Clearing his throat, Wor addressed the slaves in an orientation like matter. It was clear that he had done this many times before, as it all seemed routine.

"This will be your first meeting with your new master. You are to bow to him once you enter, a full bow kneeling on the ground until he asks you to stand. You are to address him formally with 'your grace', 'your liege', 'your highness', or any other deviation akin to these. You are to speak, only when spoken to. And by no means are you to move out of line. Your master is gracious, and sometimes forgiving, though I am not. You are expected to follow these instructions to the letter." The Chevin nodded then turned to face the doors.

Opening them fully to reveal the massive room filled with more decadent fixtures and grand paintings. Filled with many guards whose armor matched the palace's nobility, and with those most loyal to Borga. Sitting atop a platform was the Hutt himself, enthralled in the music that was playing across the room, which seemed to have beckoned the slaves to enter once the doors had opened. The harmonious melody was soothing to the ear, and would fill any with great pleasure. Wor led the slaves in front of the Hutt, on the platform below, where the crowned Borga inspected them as they entered. Once lined up straight, the slaves did as Wor commanded, kneeling down and placing their heads on the ground waiting for the Hutt to respond to their presence.

"Rise..." The booming voice came from atop the steps, unmistakable.

"You are now under my command. This means that you will no longer be treated harshly, ad you will receive some payment for your services. Now, tell me your names."

Wor nudged the first slave to begin and continue down the line. One by one the slaves spoke their names until it was Elora's turn.

 

[Alaisia]

"Elora, your grace," she said as it became her time. She tried to take all the venom out of calling the Hutt 'your grace', but she failed. She expected retaliation. She learned from her past owners that it could come now, or perhaps when she got to wherever they kept the slaves here..., but she wasn't sure. This Hutt was so different from the rest. Perhaps he truly could be reasoned with. As the silence stretched on and still no action had been taken against her, the rest of the slaves rattled off their names. Then she had her chance.

Slightly fearing punishment from the guards for speaking when not spoken to, Elora did the one thing that she could think of to catch the Hutt's attention yet again. She raised her hand high above her head and waved.

 

[Just Matt Now]

Borga listened to all of their names as they spoke aloud to the Hutt. Though to be honest, Borga would only remember a few of their names, and especially not within the first two weeks of their 'employment'. Borga knew almost all the names of his current slaves, which was more than any other Hutt he knew. most wouldnt even care, or give then names or numbers to refer to them as. While many viewed Borga as a tyrant, he was actually more moral than most Hutt's in the Cartel.

As the slaves finished calling their names, and Elora rose her hand waving it sporadically, Wor rushed over to her and nearly tackled her to the ground had it not been for the Hutt's thunderous voice telling him to halt. Having never seen a display as such, most slaves were too frightened to even breathe too heavy, yet this girl, her name having already escaped Borga's mind, had showed brashness and courage. Something not found in slaves.

"Wait Wor. I'd like to see what she has to say. Step up girl, and speak freely." The Hutt's guards tensed up, awaiting an explosive to be strapped to her body. Though they knew it was impossible, they were still weary of her distance to their master.

 

[Alaisia]

"Sir," Elora started, unable to catch her breath as it had been knocked from her as she hit the ground. "I would like to express now that you will find my talents wasted on slave or servant labor. I have served many Masters. Many of them Hutt..." She took a moment to finish catching her breath, giving the guard who had tackled her a glare.

"I am not an ordinary human as most people seem to believe," Elora says, now watching the guard to make sure he was not advancing. If he tried to tackle her again, she'd be ready. "I am not human, really. I'm a Helian. And I have abilities that you might find more useful elsewhere." She paused, giving the Hutt a chance to see if he was curious to find out more or not. She was sure he already knew about her eyes, as she was now permitted to wear her goggles unchallenged. But that was just one of the few talents she had as her birthright.

 

[Just Matt Now]

Wor Niedra stood next to Elora, waiting for the second his master told him to shut her up. He did not trust her and he would certainly enjoy punishing her once this little conversation concluded. Although on top of the throne, things seemed quite different. The crowned Hutt was feeling somewhat generous and quite interested to see what this slave had to say. His curiosity of her goggles were somewhat satisfied with her specie being named. Though he had never heard of Helians before, and he was more than curious to see what else she had to say.

All of the other slaves could not believe in her boldness, and they certainly could not believe in the Hutt's interest. Still inspecting her, the guards did not stand down, nor did their employer command them to.

"MY guards dont seem to trust you. What other skills are you referring to? And why should I trust you? This sounds like an elaborate ploy to simply be free. I assure you...Elora, working for me will not be as bad as you might think."

 

[Alaisia]

Elora grinned. So the Hutt was curious. With another glance at the guards, she went on to explain her abilities.

"Oh I would still work for you, my Liege. I am just saying that as a slave, my talents are wasted. As a Helian, I can see in near darkness. Where others would be blind, my eyes refract that small light and make it seem like daylight. The only drawback is bright light, like what we have in this room, could blind me without my goggles. Secondly, my race has advanced senses. Hearing... smell... If you were to take away my goggles, I would still be able to know what is happening in the room using my other senses."

Elora closed her eyes, her grin widening, and slipped off her goggles. She placed them on the ground at her feet and then stood back up. To the Hutt, she spoke again. "If you would like an example, please have one of your guards approach me."

 

[Just Matt Now]

At that moment, Icarus stepped up with intent to kill or maim, though an imposing hand jutted out to top him. Borga looked up, the seriousness in his eye able to stop the massive gladiator in his tracks. And his nod, able to put him back in his place. He did not want this slave to die prematurely, which was more than certain if Icarus were to stand up and fight her. Instead, Borga gave the approving nod to his friend, Wor Niedra, the very one who had contemplated attacking her to begin with.

Now, Wor was no enemy of combat. In fact, he was quite the skilled melee artist. Nodding back to the hutt, making sure not to say a peep so the Helian could hear. The large Chevin raised his hand as he slowly approached the slave. Balling up his fist, he brought it down hard to contact with the back of Elora's head. The Chevin wanted to knock her out cold, and that could be seen by the force of the hammerfisted punch.

Borga did not shy away, as gruesome as it could have been. He wanted to see just how well this slave could do for herself. And stopping Wor would be the perfect start.

 

[Alaisia]

The silent attack surprised Elora as she felt a fist make contact with the back of her skull. She let out a hiss of anger, but managed to compose herself as she spun around to face her attacker. Eyes still closed, she searched with her other senses for the guard. He was quiet. Very quiet. So instead she focused on her sense of smell. The creature, though she wasn't sure exactly what he was, had a very distinctive scent. She could smell it as he drew closer to her. She heard his boots against the floor as he came closer.

"Come on," Elora said, becoming a little impatient as the guard took his time attacking again. But still she listened, and stayed sharp. She would be ready for his next attack.

 

[Just Matt Now]

Making no more attempts to be silent, the Chevin mojodormo attacked Elora full on. He would make her pay for her insolence if he could, and after the slave yelled out, Wor came charging in with a knee that would reach her stomach. The Chevin would then attack with two uppercuts aimed at her chin, and again with a right hook serving as a haymaker that would hopefully knock her out cold if connected.

Wor made little attempt to cover himself up after each shot, figuring that he was at the advantage of sight and speed. Elora would have to us all of her senses if she wanted to counter any of his attacks, as they were precise and coordinated. Wor wanted to show Borga that this slaves words were nonsense, and that even the thought of making her any thing more than what she was was ridiculous.

The Hutt and the rest of his council watched on carefully. Loving the bout and hoping that the slave wasnt completely full of herself as they wanted to see something interesting come of this fight.

 

[Alaisia]

Elora's first hint that an attack was coming was the guard's breathing. She heard him come up in front of her, and from the sound of one boot sliding on the floor she knew he was going to knee her. She leaped back a little to dodge the attack, careful to land silently so that she would not loose track of the guard.

An uppercut on her chin took Elora by surprise and she spat blood after the blow connected, but managed to dodge the following attack. As the wind faded from the attack, Elora roared and balled her fist, driving it hard into the middle of the scent bubble that she knew was the guard. She knew that the speed her race were born with was better than average but she wasn't sure if it would be enough. She had all her strength put into the blow. Granted, it wasn't much but it would at least push the guard back and hopefully end the match. She didn't see a longer bout with this guard going very well. He definitely seemed out to punish her.

 

[Just Matt Now]

Wor was surprised the slave was even able to dodge one of his attacks let alone multiple. Though he persisted despite this realization. Yet Elora was too fast, and her shot connected and nearly sent the shocked Chavin to his ass. Though it didnt. Regrouping Wor was about to charge and tackle her with all of his might, intention of death in his eye, he made his first step.

"Stop, enough. I have seen all that I need to."

The small crowd in the room of slaves and guards and associates were all in shock from the fight. Not expecting this blinded slave to even come close to matching Wor's ability. Yet she shocked them all, gaining respect of all of the slaves that had come in with her. Borga allowed her to put her goggles back on before speaking to her directly.

"So what you say is true..." He continued in Huttese. "You do have some unique talents, though fared well against a trained foe. I will be risking a slave and money if I invested in you n this way. I have a simple test for you. This will either end your life, or solidify you as my bounty hunter."

"Wor, fetch the collar would you?" He said after turning to his Chevin mojordormo. The Chevin, still pissed from the fight, would not disgrace himself further by ignoring his master and friend. Leaving the room momentarily, he reemerged with a collar in his hands, walking next to Elora he would like nothing more than to out this on her...or just simply beat her. And with an approving nod by his master, Wor strapped the collar around her neck and locked it tight enough for it to not be removed without setting it off.

"I will send you on a task. Without any of my hlp or resources. You are to make your way to the planet of Ruusan and capture a Kell Dragon and bring it back to me. This will show me that you are worth my time and credits. Oh and one more thing. That collar is set to explode in three days, this is the time you are given."

 

[Alaisia]

Slipping her goggles back over her face so that she could look at the Hutt properly, Elora listened as he gave her a mission. Her first mission as something other than a slave. To Ruusan to capture a Kell Dragon and bring it back... She had never been to Ruusan, and had very little idea what a Kell Dragon might be... but if this would give her a chance to prove herself truly to the Hutt, then she would do it.

"Thank you, my Liege," Elora says, with true sincerity in her voice. She licked at the blood still trickling from the cut on her lip, grinning at the guard. Wor, the Hutt had called him. He was strong, and she saw a possible rivalry there. Perhaps if she survived the dragon.

 

[Alaisia]

Elora left the Hutt's palace, managing to secure a ride to Ruusan on a merchant ship that was heading that way anyway. She would have to find a way to pay him later, but she wasn't worried about it right now.

On Ruusan, it was harder to get around. The landscape was not what she preferred. Plains and rocky slopes... She would be able to see the dragon, but it would easily see her as well. She spent a little too much time trying to find out exactly what a Kell Dragon was, and by the time she managed to convince a young man to help her capture one it was nightfall.

Day two dragged on as the young man led the way to what he said was a Kell Dragon breeding ground. He led Elora to a valley, which looked to her like ruins. She didn't question it, though, as she saw huge quadroped lizards. They had rough skin and three rows of spikes running down their backs. Yellow eyes glinted above rows of teeth that stuck out of their mouths even as their maws were shut.

The descent into the valley was quick, and Elora decided to take a young Kell Dragon back. It was smaller, the size of a dog. Getting close enough to capture it was the hard part. She ran after the young dragon and, as it squalled, she was nearly surrounded by the larger dragons. The young boy was little help. He managed to distract them long enough for Elora to capture the young dragon, but he was caught by a dragon and eaten before she could go to return the favor.

She raced away, the young dragon's spikes digging into her arm. She had to keep its maw away from her face as it turned and tried to snap at her as she ran. She only barely made it away from the valley to escape the dragons. She could hear them roaring after her still as she reached the town again. Everyone stayed far away from her, fearing that she'd drop the dragon and it would be after them, but she held it tight. It's spikes had now torn through her clothing and she was bleeding heavily from her stomach and chest, but she kept going. Only by managing to steal a cage from an untended storeroom did she finally get to put the young Kell Dragon down.

Elora went back to the merchant who had brought her to Ruusan, asking for passage back to the Hutt's palace, but he was too busy to help her. 'You don't have the money, girl' he told her.

With less than a day left, Elora did the one thing that she could think of to get the merchant to take her back. She caught him in his bed, with a knife to his throat. In return for his life, the merchant agreed to take her back to the Hutt. Elora took from him his blaster pistol, just to make sure.

She had only two hours left as she strode back into the palace, crated Kell Dragon in hand. Her wounds had barely healed, but she did not care. The stabs and scratches on her stomach and chest would show her devotion to bring back the young dragon. The cuts and scrapes and slashes on her arms and legs would show just how far she went to get the dragon. And hopefully this would be enough to convince the Hutt that she was worth more than just a slave.

(OOC: Let me know if I need to add anything to this plz. It's just a quick summary. I didn't go much into detail with her fight 'cause I wanted to get it done with and posted. Thanks)

 

[Just Matt Now]

Watching as the slave was escorted back into his throne room by a few guards. He was surprised to see how damaged she was, though it did prove her dedication and loyalty. Not that she had much of a choice. If she didnt do what she had to, her time in this world would soon be cut short. Although, that did not happen. Borga ordered his men to take the baby kell dragon away from her, as it was surely still snapping and biting her.

"Get her some bacta patches...and remove that collar." He ordered his slaves and they jumped at his word. Coming from side passages with medical treatments, two slaves worked on Elora's wounds while a third removed the detonation collar from her neck.

"Ahh, a baby kell dragon. That was a smart idea. Easier than bringing back a full grown beast. And I will be able to tame it to my liking. Very well Elora. It seems I may have underestimated you a bit. And it seems you were right. You may be of more use to me than just a slave girl. I will let you go, but you will not be free. At least not your loyalty. I must know that you will remain loyal to me and my kajidic. You have proven it thus far, but I want you to remain in my servitude. So, whatever job you complete for me...you will be paid handsomely."

The slaves continued to work on her wounds. The scratches and scrapes were covered with patches and treated with medicine. Her collar was fully removed and the third slave carted it away. Not moments later she returned with a glass of what could only be water.

"Isnt this what you wanted?"

 

[Alaisia]

"Yes, my Liege," Elora says, watching the slaves tend to her wounds. She raised her arm to let one put a patch over her side. Soon they were finished and she stood, the Bacta already starting to work. It had already started to take away a little of the pain.

"I will still work for you, my Liege," she says again. "It is what I wanted. I have heard that bounty hunters who work for the Hutt Cartel are rewarded for their hard work. I would like to be one of those lucky few."

 

[Just Matt Now]

"Yes they are awarded with many credits and fame if they reach high enough levels. Though it is no easy path, many have died and ben killed on these bounties. Tread carefully, for I may have underestimated you, but that does not mean you should overestimate yourself. There are many bounties out there waiting to be taken, I suggest you start small and work your way up."

Borga was all too familiar with the bounty boards, he actually had put some of them up there himself. The reward came from him, though everything was dealt through the bounty acquisition office. Borga nodded towards Wor who seemed to have already known what the Hutt wanted. The large Chevin brought over to him a small grey device.

"Here take this...it is a comlink. I expect you to inform me of your whereabouts or if you need any help. Sometimes it takes resources to collect on these bounties...resources that only I can acquire. I also want you to keep it so that I may call on you when I need. My commands take precedence over any bounty, or anything for that matter if I am to let you free. Understand?"

What the Hutt didnt say was that there was a tracker built in to the comlink. Though that would really be much of a big deal, he would like to know where she was at all times.

 

[Alaisia]

Elora nodded, bowing to the Hutt. She then took the comlink and, glancing at the guard, latched it onto her belt. She stood, glancing at the guard, and waited for Borga to release her. She would start right away, eager to begin her new job. She wasn't sure where to start, but she knew that she would need to get some better gear before she took on anything too big. Her first job would be the key to that.