Have You Seen My Sister?

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Ord Mantell
@The Captain

"Kriffin' hell, if you don't help me out, I'm going to have to be forced to assume you're working for the slavers. And you definitely don't want me on your bad side."

She was eye level with the Dug, close enough to smell its disgusting breath. This keetar freg had been stalling for around half an hour, wasting his damn time. It was pissing her off. He knew where Sya was, she knew it, too, but was waiting for credits. If that was what he wanted, it could have been easy, except for the fact that she was pissed. She'd called Daesha on an emergency, extremely short notice. Herrith despised her family, sure, but one less slave in the circulation was better. Plus, her sister was an ass, but she was a whiz at slicing and could prove useful in the coming times, especially with their little freelance smuggling outfit. A buzz at the door to the workshop signaled to the Zeltron that her friend was here. That, or another customer.

 

[Daesha Keever]

It was never a good sign when Herrith was mad. Daesha had seen her scared, spiced, depressed, and more often than not gleefully, evilly snarky, but anger was new to her, and it was scary. When she got a call from Herrith about something being wrong at her shop, and her family, and something about digging, Daesha wasted no time racing over to her store to, if nothing else, figure out what in the fark was going on there. Herrith was her friend, her unstable, spice-addled, endlessly sarcastic, utterly irreverent, rather violent friend, but still. Part of the code of her new organization was solidarity, looking out for your own when the kark hit the fan, and Herrith was one of her own. She would never leave her hanging. She arrived at the door to her workshop, kitted out and ready to rumble, before pressing the door buzzer hard.

"Herrith, it's me! I came as fast as I could!"

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith opened the door for her friend, nodding to her before spinning back to the Dug sitting over the counter, an alien smile on its face. Alright, it was gonna be like that. This smug little keetar freg wanted to be an ass? Okay, she wasn't exactly intending on causing a whole lot of trouble, but this Dug had been causing her trouble for some time. He had a record of all the slave grabs on that conputer of his, a nasty side business, which she finally could get him pay for. A grit in her teeth as she approached again, she eyed the hands sitting on the counter. He always used his right. Always. In a flash, a knife was in her hand and had sliced into his right wrist, just below the joint. The Dug hadn't had time to react till he saw what happened, and retreated into the back room, likely going for a bandage or some kind of first aid.

"It's fine, I didn't need you anyways, just your hand. Go for a blastee, and this is the last time you'll be dealing with a slaver."

She heard commotion in the back, a pained yell. "You schutta, that's my hand!"

"Which is why you were born with more than me, slimeball."

Hopping over the counter, Herrith put his hand over a fancy-looking fingerprint scanner and dropped it once there was access. There were multiple today, a sad truth, but the one she was looking for was also the only one involving Trandoshans. 'Small Zeltron female with temper' was pretty reflective. The drop off point was, well the warehouse district. And, since this guy was a middle man for the logs, it also happened to say exactly where. Shutting off the device she turned to Daesha, whether or not the Twi'lek was throwing up in a corner.

"You know where Gidla warehouses are? We're going to need to be there in around ten minutes."

 

[Daesha Keever]

Daesha was barely in the door before Herrith raced back over to some random Dug on the counter, sliced off his farking hand with a knife, and popped open his computer with his fingerprints, while the Dug ran off to the backroom looking for a bandage. Herrith wanted to head down to the Gilda Warehouses, Daesha wanted the world to stop moving for a second so she could figure out what the kriff just happened. Putting her hands on Herrith's shoulders, Daesha gave the only response she could think of.

"Herrith...what the mother-fark is going on!?"

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith was stopped by Daesha, who held her by the shoulders in an attempt to get her attention, and essentially asked her what was going on. Oh, so many things. So many kriffing things. Yeah, right, let me just tell you every little detail of what happened. Kriff, even the Zeltron didn't know everything. Her baby sister just magically decided to appear on Ord Mantell, find her contact information, and bloody call her a few seconds before she got kidnapped. Kriffing hell, this was almost sensory overload, she felt like her head was about to explode. The anger rising inside too, both because she had to go save her sister's ass and from a bunch of slavers kidnapping her only real family, it was enough to, well, turn her into a certain force of nature.

"My sister ended up here, Force knows bloody how, and apparently found herself getting kidnapped. As much as I hate my family and any and all Zeltrons, I'd rather not put anyone, least of all my sister, who's around five thousand times more stubborn than me, through the slave meat grinder. They busted a hole in my head and burned a bunch of brix in my arms, who the hell knows what they'll do to the most rebellious, obnoxious person in the galaxy? So can we bloody go now?"

Hopefully that was enough to provide some insight to her Twi'lek friend, which she partially felt bad for because of the lack of information, but the warehouse district was around a kilometer away and they had less than ten minutes to get there, whether on food or on speeder. Brushing past, she forced open the door before walking outside.

 

[Daesha Keever]

"Well fark me why didn't you say that over comms?" All Herrith had to say was 'Sister captured by slavers, get over here now' and Daesha would have been there so fast the sonic boom might have knocked down the building. Sure, Daesha had no clue that Herrith had a sister, as Herrith wasn't exactly keen about talking about her past on Zeltros or her family, but still. Herrith wasn't a liar and she didn't seem insane enough to dream up an entire sibling, so if she did have a sister, and she was even more obstinate than Herrith, the girl was in a galaxy of trouble. In any case, Daesha didn't stop Herrith as she stepped outside, instead leading her to her ship which she just parked around the corner. How was that for fast transport in ten minutes?

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

"Thought you said you didn't like me that much," said the Zeltron on Daesha's choice of words. That was really mature. Wow.

Apparently the Twi'lek had just decided to bring her ship, randomly parking it out in the lot for no reason. It was quite the achievement, setting a Nerf-herder down in the middle of a kriffin' city when there should be a landing pad. Not bothering to question Daesha's supernatural piloting skills, she ran up the main ramp, bracing once they took off and thinking about their next steps. Around five minutes had passed, probably. The tradeoff, credits for slaves, was happening at...Warehouse 432.

"Hey, Daesha, prep the side airlock, would you please? We're gonna be cutting this close, the number is 432, it's quite a ways down the line, I think!"

 

[Daesha Keever]

"Gotcha." Daesha prepped the side airlock for an opening, leaving the guns to Bucket under the promise not to shoot anything pink or blue with the turret. Daesha had a feeling that Herrith might want to handle this thing physically, so she didn't offer her the gunner's seat. Even if they only had five minutes to get to the warehouse, the Burnout was more than fast enough to make it there with time to spare, just one thing to settle first.

"We going stealth or smash?" Daesha asked over the commlink, wanting to get the plan ahead of time.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith sat at the side airlock as it hissed open, wind rushing past before they slowly decelerated. A length of cable and a pair of gloves she had salvaged from the crates whipped from the wind rushing inside. Her comlink buzzed, Daesha asking what exactly their plan was. In all honesty, the Zeltron didn't know a plan. She tended to make it up as she went, and people always looked at her crazy for it. But it did work, after all. With a smile, she yelled back into the comms.

"Ah, I think the best I can do is tell you that it's not gonna be quiet. If you want, you're welcome to join me out here, but bring us down to 50 meters first, otherwise this is gonna be an ankle-cruncher. Otherwise, stay up here and let me do my work, but get ready for a quick pick-up. Bucket can do that too, if you're willing to try a scary plan."

Her idea? A bit of a fast rope down on top of the warehouse, the ship goes into a high orbit for fire support, they go in, kill slavers, rescue Sya, and then get picked up, all just like another day at the office. After all, crazy plans were also plans nobody expected. Plus, she was looking to test out her skills. It had been a while since she'd used rappelling gear.

 

[Daesha Keever]

"Then Bucket is taking the controls." Bucket switched stations with Daesha, allowing her to get to the back with Herrith at the airlock door. Daesha was worried about Herrith, more than usual anyway, mostly because she was acting very erratic and jittery, or at least more than usual there too. Of course her family was on the line here, but Daesha just wanted to make sure that Herrith didn't shoot her sister in the head accidentally in her frantic scramble to save her. In any case, the ship moved into position over the warehouse and now it was Herrith's turn to act.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith watched as Daesha entered the airlock, one leg dangling off the side while the craft descended. She cinched the rope in her hands, before tossing it over the side, around a meter danging in the air. A bit too high, but not lethal. Daesha probably had never done something like this. The Zeltron's reason for it? Cause it would look cool, and also just sound like a low-flying craft rather than a small invasion. After all, if these slavers were gonna get caught, they needed to be surprised.

"Ever slid down a rope before? Similar idea, a bit higher, and with no parents watching for mistakes! Let's go!"

She grabbed hold of the rope with gloved hands, sliding down with the friction transferring into the gloves, which would have otherwise skinned her palms. Touching down on the roof of the warehouse, she drew her pistol before waiting for her friend to catch up. Or, alternatively, chicken out. Her choice. One was just easier for Herrith, and with less peer pressure.

 

[Daesha Keever]

"Like me parents cared if I made mistakes. Or had gym equipment around..." Sticking the rope in the crook of her elbow, Daesha slid down the rope after Herrith, landing next to her with blaster at the ready. "So, this is your gig Herrith, how are we playing it?"

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith turned her head to Daesha as the ship took off, who was busy asking if there was a plan. If the Twi'lek didn't know her by now, then she had more brain damage than the Zeltron. Putting a smile on her face, she brushed some hair aside of her face before speaking.
"You don't know? I make this brix up as we go, that's what I do every time. If you want a rough sketch, it's go in, grab my sister, kill a few people, go home, and braid each other's ha-oh wait."

Winking, she turned and ran towards the skylight over the warehouse, a common sight on the Ord Mantellian warehouse, as proven by their little snatch and grab fairly recently. Opening up the window, she peeked in. The Trando was the first keetar freg she saw, and his buddies of various less than humanoid species. There were exactly four people sat against a crate, likely sedated for the better transport of their 'catch'. It was almost disturbing by how much Herrith knew about slavery. She had only been one for a few years, but learned more than lots of people there for life. Probably cause she was the most prone to getting into trouble.

"Alright, well, I got an idea."

Hopping over the lip of the skylight, she hung from it and descended, using the metal rigging for the lights to crawl her way along the roof, dropping down on a high stack of crates. Turning her head to Daesha, who she'd honestly be surprised about if the Twi'lek could follow, despite perhaps being a better smuggler. She dropped down to the ground after descending the crates and snuck closer to the slavers.

"They were ssssuppossed to be here a minute ago..wonder why they're late.."

Herrith looked at the group. Not the most tight-knit she'd seen, not by far, so hostage taking was out of the questio. The Trando would be the most difficult to tackle, especially since he was probably a proven warrior. Alright, so it was shoot everyone or do something stupid. Standing up, she made it apparent she was approaching. Daesha was probably somewhere, either finding her way down or another way in.
"Sorry I'm late, my...master had some...business to attend to other than this. A surprise present. Are they ready?"

Her accent rang of Coruscanti, in an attempt to confuse both Sya and the slavers, in case they didn't buy the story.

 

[Daesha Keever]

"If either you, or your sister touch me lekku, I'll have you shot into space." The lekku was a very sensitive organ, and if anyone tried to 'braid' them, they'd get a face full of steel-toed work boot. Maybe two face-fulls, depending on how far they got in the attempt. Back to the matter at hand, beyond the Trandoshan in charge of the operation, there were over half a dozen other guards marching around, with four heavily-sedated humanoids sitting against a crate. Slaves up for sale no doubt, being chemically suppressed to keep them in line. At Herrith's prompting, Daesha followed her into the warehouse, but stuck up in the rafters, not wanting to panic the guards with the sudden presence of two new humanoids. It looked like Herrith was going to try and con her way into this deal, and Daesha was prepared to offer fire-support from above.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith stepped towards the slaves lined up, kneeling down at her sister's front and grabbing her chin in an attempt to look authentic while also checking for consciousness. Sadly, she wasn't. It was going to be a carrying came. However, Zeltrons were known to be light. Her sister was hardly sixty, maybe seventy kilograms. Light as a feather. She stood up before turning to the Trando, obviously the leader, and spoke.

"They'll do-"

A blaster was being aimed level with her chest. No way there was going to be a miss. If he fired, it was fatal. The beast had a reptilian smile on its face, and his friends joined behind him. Guess the kriffimg act didn't work.

"We aren't ssssstupid. I recognizzze you from the apartmentsss."

Kriff. Why did they have to be smart?

"I'd recommend you join the line, sssslave."

Herrith's eyes flicked in the direction of Daesha as she knelt down, backing up against the crate and falling into a sitting position. Being called slave pissed her off. It took everything she had to not go for a knife and jab the Trandoshan in the eyes. The Twi'lek would open fire soon, and she'd get her chance. The leader first. He'd be injured first, and she'd save him for last. Then they'd get Sya, free the others, and ditch.

 

[Daesha Keever]

Daesha had a sneaking suspicion that Herrith wasn't going to be able to bantha-kark her way into and out of this little caper. I mean, she was dressed like a guttersnipe, came out of nowhere, and was infamous throughout the galaxy for leaving a trail of explosions everywhere she goes. The Trandoshan at the lead ordered Herrith to sit down with the rest of the group, apparently intent on taking her as a slave as well. Obviously, Daesha couldn't let that happen, to Herrith, her sister, or any of these other people. Daesha had a special disdain for the people that trade in 'live cargo'.

Raising her blasters, Daesha aimed the first shot from her tri-barrel at the Trandoshan, once he turned around and walked away from the slaves. The bolt slammed into his right shoulder blade with enough force to send him sprawling to the floor in a heap, alive but certainly unhappy. The next three shots from her 4-C blaster rained down on the guards closest to the slaves, forcing the slavers to scatter for cover.

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith sprung to her feet as the Trando was shot to the ground and his friends scattered for cover. She drew her knife, stabbing the Trando in the ankle and leaving the knife there before rolling into cover, drawing her pistol. She turned her head and glanced at the dazed and immobilized Trando before laying on her side around a crate, firing two bolts into a slaver with his back facing her before standing and crouching behind a second crate. Blaster shots veered over her cover and she cursed before popping out, searing two bolts into him before taking a graze on the jacket.

"Daesha, I can't see anyone down here, some help from above?!"

Turning back to the slaves, she ran towards them, waking from the commotion. She fired a bolt into the Trando and then vented her pistol, pulling a second knife and cutting their restraints. She grabbed her still dazed sister and started dragging Sya with her, keeping her pistol out in case more decided to try and stop her.

 

[Daesha Keever]

"Little busy right now Herrith!" Those opening shots had revealed her location to the rest of the gang, and unlike Herrith, Daesha didn't have much cover up in the rafters, so she had to keep moving just to keep from getting shot. This worked out about as well as one would guess, when Daesha missed a panicked step and plummeted from the ceiling, slamming into a tall stack of crates with a dull thud. It wasn't a far fall, or a hard one, but it still knocked the wind out of her on the impact, although she was safe from counter attacks for the moment.

"This was a terrible plan..."

 

[Herrith Hendarsin]

Herrith watched as the Twi'lek fell off the rafters, seemingly deliberately. She grabbed her sister by the back of the neck, who was beginning to become aware, then started walking her through the warehouse, pulling her back into cover as a guy from an elevated position fired two shots her way, then followed up in an attempt to suppress her. Seeing as there were more than one, she turned away from that thug and rose her blaster as a Rodian shot around the corner. The Zeltron aimed through the crates and fired, the bolt penetrating and taking out the Rodian with a loud thump as he hit the ground. Turning back to the side she was being suppressed from, the shots had stopped. He was reloading. She grabbed Sya and ran across the open area, sliding as more blaster bolts followed, the heat from one prickling across her neck. Cursing to herself, she yelled to the guy.

"How many shots you got left? Already dumped one cell, don't think you got much more."

Two more shots came towards her, followed by a yell back.
"Enough to kill you, farkin' whore! You killed all my friends!"

She smiled and looked down at the ground, knowing Daesha was probably recovering. Picking up her sister, who had regained her senses and was now aware of what was going on, Herrith leaned out of cover as a bolt flew past. Her sister began to say something, and the Zeltron shut Sya's mouth with a hand. Didn't need that lip right now. Pulling out her shiv, she brought it around the corner like a mirror, looking for the exact position of the man. He was a humanoid, pretty much standing on a crate with a durasteel box as cover. Tough nut to crack. She put away her blade and yelled again.

"How about you put your gun down and I make sure you don't join them? I was in a similar position once, lost all my friends. Guess why I'm still here? Had to screw a guy for it, but I'm still alive. Promise I'll let you walk out free of charge if you put that blaster down."

It was a lucrative deal, especially after he'd nearly killed her around four times. The resounding clatter of a gun falling to the floor put a smile on Herrith's face, and she stepped out, only to take a punch to the temple, sending her stumbling backward into a storage crate. Soon enough, hands were around her neck and she found it hard to breathe. Her vision cleared and she kneed him in the genitals, shoving him away to regain her breath.

"How..how about an extra bonus? I'll give you my contact information, maybe have a fun night or two? How's that sound-"

She pulled her blaster from its holster, firing from the hip and striking him in the legs, putting it away as he fell to the ground.
"Guess you didn't haveenough to kill me. Man, you missed out on the chance of a lifetime. Two, in this case."

She kicked him in the forehead and then looked around, occupied with another issue.
"Daesha? You still breathin', love? Bucket would be heartbroken without you. I sure as hell ain't takin' him."

 

[Daesha Keever]

As Daesha got her bearings and sat up, Herrith was already carving her way through the rest of the garrison, quipping and commenting the entire time, as she seemed incapable as ever of shutting her mouth. Yep, it seemed nearly losing her sister to slavery hadn't dampened Herrith's sense of questionable humor. By the time she was ready to go, the base was pretty much clear and Herrith was calling up to her.

"Ugh, I'll have to get back to you on that one Pinkie. I need to make a mental note to avoid rafters from now on. We all good down there? I always wanted to meet Pinkie Jr."