Ask Chandrila In Over Your Head

[Elias Vlast]

He turned away from her as he thought through his options. His mind swam with choices and how they would likely play out. Any attempts to try and get a ransom would likely just bring the sector down on him.

No, he could get away. He doubted this woman would forget about their encounter, but she was more likely to get bored with sending people after him than her family would be if she were discovered dead.

The Galaxy was a big place, and he liked his chances better out there than he did with her here. He held up a rusty knife and placed it out on a table ten feet away from her and the chair she was tied up in. "Feel free to use that to get yourself out," he said, pulling the blaster out and shooting her once again. The stun bolt would keep her unconscious for a while, and it would likely take her even longer to get ahold of the knife and free herself. Or maybe she wouldn't be able to get herself free; in any case, he should be able to get out of the system before she escaped or her corpse was found.

When she was finally unconscious, he took off his mask and let out a breath."Time to get out of here." he said, taking one more drink from the bottle and setting it down on the table.

 

[Roland Rook]

"Did you check the sewers?" He asked with a slightly muffled voice to the local law enforcement officer. "Yeah but they could be anywhere by now" Another officer said. The Sector Ranger Captain sighed. "Yeah, but with the two of them, I'm doubting they went too far." The traffic cameras had been able to locate where the getaway vehicle had last been seen. Patrolling law enforcement found it but no sign of Valeska or the perpetrator from the store.

The Queen of Naboo had caught wind of the situation soon enough and Roland was the one leading the recovery and investigation of Princess Parnelli's kidnapping. The footage had been replied several times by the man when en route to Chandrilla. There were details that told him the perpetrator was Elais Vlast, a chiss with a record but nothing that indicated he would try for something like nabbing royalty for rnasome. Instead it seemed like it was unintentional which made the Captain worry. He hoped this Elais fellow wasn't the type to cut his losses and tie up loose ends with a blaster bolt.

"Lucky for us we have extra eyes now." He pulled out a commlink. Extra eyes may have been an understatement. In orbit, a drone barge had made a diversion in its route at the Captain's request. A few hundred viper droids would be sent to the planet's surface and begin looking through areas in concert with local authorities to maximize coverage of the areas and keep an eye on places where local authorities wouldn't be ideal. It also meant there was a lot of things that could go wrong on the Mandalorian's watch. "Make sure we're checking out the sewers, access tunnels, industrial exhausts and maintenance ways, anything that might be able to move a person or two through. Nothing gets overlooked."

The Captain had confidence the criminal was still on the planet somewhere. He would likely wait for the heat to cool down enough to slip on some ship or avoid the authorities. "I'm going back out there. If you find something. Rangers Zar and Linden, you're with me." Moving away from the meeting room he would head out towards a speeder, flanked by two Sector Rangers.

---​

They would head towards the last known location of the Princess and her Captors. The search area was still large given the time that had passed but it helped narrow things down. Roland had already been the known crime scenes. "Flop houses, hideouts, doesn't seem like there's been known mentions from confidential informants. If their history is anything to go by, Mr Vlast doesn't seem like the type to be low key easily...especially not with her around." One of the Rangers pointed out. They had all seen the footage and read the report. Roland nodded. "Where's a place that has minimal traffic, above ground?" One of the Rangers brought up their map of the planet and pointed out a few options after a minute of searching. "Alright, you take those those two, I'll take that. Let's move people." Time was of the essence and Roland didn't like sitting on his butt if there was a job to do.

---​

Heading towards the warehouse district the Captain would pull out his primary sidearm and look around. <"Grem, Grim...recon."> He commanded in Mando'a and the ID-21 seeker droid and the surveillance droid he had with him began floating in opposite directions and make a perimeter to find any surprises that could be waiting. Their warbling of their repulsors was quite enough to not spook Elais if he was nearby. Recording and transmitting data from an aerial position was the best way to see if there were anything. Pockets of dangerous noxious gas was also a concern. It wouldn't help anyone if Roland and his people needed rescuing too. Aside from his blued armor, his cloak hung behind him but didn't cover the Ranger badge on his belt. Switching between vision modes didn't reveal anything yet. Hopefully he would see the heat signature of at least the Valeska's body at some point rather than a cadaver.

While Roland never said it out loud, the Mandalorian was familiar with tunnels. His clan had plenty of time hiding in them and starships could be crapped too. It was one reason why he preferred working in open natural open spaces. There was a feeling that the Chiss criminal had picked this location against the others. Unholstering the blaster and checking the charge, Roland held the weapon in front before moving into the building.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

She woke with a gasp and immediately winced from the pain. The stun bolt had hit hard, and she was sure she had cracked a rib or two. She was wheezing, finding it difficult to breathe. Her hair fell around her face and she was still tied to the chair. She glanced up and saw the knife on the table, the news still on live coverage about her disappearance. From the looks of it, they were still on the shopping center, meaning they had no leads.

Valeska cursed as she tried to hop over with the chair towards the table. It caused excruciating pain to move at all, and she tried to angle herself just right. After a few hops she tilted too much and fell over to the side entirely. Valeska gasped in shock, realizing that she had no way of getting up now.

“No...no no no no!” She had to fight back tears, “HELP! HELP! IS ANYBODY OUT THERE! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!”

Valeska screamed at the top of her lungs till her throat hurt. She didn’t think anyone could hear. She would die down here. She would die with her face pressed against this cold, damp floor. She would die watching the coverage of news pondering about her disappearance but no leads.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The building's light was low but the Mandalorian had the tools to deal with it easily. Then came the cries from down the hall, echoing through the empty spaces of the warehouse. Quickening his step, the Mandalorian came to the corner. Around the corner, his hooded helmet saw the struggling Princess.

"Are you hurt, Princess?" He walked passed her, continuing to make sure the rest of the warehouse didn't have any other occupants. But after a few moments the droids came back confirming a lack of contacts. Ordering them to maintain the perimeter, the cloaked Captain turned back to the bound Princess and easily righted the chair. The Mandalorian brought out his own vibroblade to free her wrists first. "Is the he still here? Is he coming back?" His eyes looked her over for injury even if she said she was fine. There was no telling what could have happened.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

A Mandalorian? Was that a Mandalorian? Weren’t they bounty hunters? Oh shit. She couldn’t believe how badly her luck turned. She shouted the entire time he pulled her up and released her. She didn’t care how bad her ribs hurt or how out of breath she was. She was kriffing angry. First some Chiss scoundrel kidnapped her and now some bounty hunter crook was here to take her.

“NOT TODAY!” Valeska screeched valiantly, not strapped to a chair anymore. Never mind that the guy walked in to release her and had a rather polite tone. No, none of that mattered. She unleashed all her pent up anger and rage on this bastard bounty hunter guy that probably came to sell her to the Hutts.

With a battle cry, she launched her fist at him. To her delight, it landed, and then to her horror, it did nothing. She had aimed for the face, and it suddenly felt like all her fingers broke at once. It probably didn't even make his face shift to the side, but she was in too much agony to see.

“OWWW! OW OW OW OW MOTHER KRIFFING SHIT!” She rattled off a lot of rather unpleasant things that certainly didn’t sound princess-like.

“Everything okay, Captain?” His internal comms would buzz, “Sounding like there’s an altercation. Do you need backup?”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

There was desperation in the punch. That much was clear but the man also could tell when someone wasn't used to fighting. Maybe that had been the first swing she had made. Roland sighed and sheathed his vibroblade. His helmet turned to the side so the woman would know he wasn't speaking to her, a gloved hand added to the side of his hooded helmet tended to prevent any mistakes. "The Princess could probably use a medical team. No sign of of the suspect. I want to consider my current location as his last known position. Do me a favor and call Ranger Zar. Both of you meet me here as soon as you can." He would wait for confirmation but keep his eyes on Valeska. "Will do." There was no rush for them to bust through traffic but he knew that the warehouse was a new crime scene that needed to be looked over.

Turning fully towards the red haired woman again, he showed the badge on his belt and held it a little more clearly. "The Queen of Naboo sent me to find you, Princess. I'm Captain Roland Rook of the Sector Rangers..." The man motioned towards the door. "...the med-techs should be here soon as well as more of my Rangers. If you're done breaking your wrist on my chest I can take you to my airspeeder and get you some water." The man couldn't really blame her for her reaction. He would have probably punched the next thing he could if he had been tied up. But unfortunately for her she would only get bruises and broken bones from trying to assault him without the man even raising a finger.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

It took Val a full minute to realize that he was a Ranger. She stared at the badge for a while, her face turning red to match her hair, “Oh.. um.. I…” Valeska had just punched a Ranger. The sister of the Queen of Naboo just punched a Ranger. Didn’t these guys record all their pursuits? That meant he could leak that media to the press.

“Hey I’m really sorry I uh…” Why was she apologizing? He should compensate her for damages to her fingers and for his helmet being so hard. Since when did Mandalorians work as cops? The entire situation confused her, but she believed him by now. She thought about how her sister had sent forces after her. She thought about what she would have to return to. In a way, deep down inside to where she didn’t even know about, this had been an escape from that.

Val looked at the Ranger, “I...I don’t want to be found. Not yet,” She knew it made no sense, “I don’t want to go back home and I don’t want to be a princess for a while.”

She knew she was probably unloading too much drama on a simple guy like him. Val looked around, “Look, just help me get out of here without telling anyone. You’re supposed to do what I ask, right?”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The young woman wasn't even acknowledging his suggestions. It almost sounded like had apologized out of reflex. He shouldn't have been surprised. When the Princess began speaking he cocked his head to the side in visible confusion. "What? If you're worried about getting home safe the Sector Rangers will see take care of you." Being a princess was supposed to be the easy life. Roland had lived a life of scrapping by and working the same as any other honest Ranger. But nothing he could say now would make what already happened to her change.

The woman didn't realize what he had already said about the medical team and his rangers. They were on their way and would arrive in only a few minutes. "I've assured the Queen of Naboo I'd bring you back to safely." He specified. "Maybe if you tell me what's wrong...I can help." The Captain held his hands away from his side to be non-threatening. If he could get her to explain things, she would also take the time to breathe and maybe calm down.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

Val was already looking for another way out, walking around him and trying to find another tunnel out. She paused when he finished speaking, hearing the concern in his voice. She slowly turned to look at him, knowing that he could never understand her reasons. People had perceptions of people like her and nothing she said would ever change that.

She simply sighed and looked away, “I don’t want to go home,” She said flatly, “I want the galaxy to think I’m still missing, just for a bit. I want to pretend to be something else entirely,” Val knew she was making no sense, but this could very well be her only chance. She had no idea what she would even do with this chance. Val kept looking around, but there were no obvious paths she could see. It was far too dark down here and she didn't have the means to keep exploring.

“There’s nothing wrong, it’s silly,” She shook her head in defeat after she failed to find another way out, “For once I wanted to experience life as someone other than the Queen’s sister,” Val sighed and walked back towards him, “I can’t explain it to you. Just take me back.”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland observed the Princess as the young woman paced. He knew that if he moved closer it would only make her feel more threatened. But she seemed to begin to come to terms with her situation. Valeska came back but the Mandalorian captain kept his visor on her for a lingering moment before slowly turning and moving towards the exit to lead the way. "Unwanted familial association? ...I might surprise you."

The cloaked Mandalorian was confident there weren't any snipers outside. His droids should have picked them up, but he could never be too careful. If there was an amateur sharpshooter that shot at the first thing out of the warehouse, it would be better if Roland's beskar'gam took the shot.

"If you don't want the title of Princess can't you just say screw it and go your own way?" He may have been putting things too simply. The young Roland had run away from home, started living as a bounty hunter and nearly got himself killed if it wasn't for a sympathetic Ranger who took him under his wing.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

Val was surprised at his words, though her heart was heavy as she followed him towards the exit. Her entire life had been laid out for her. She almost despised that damned blue bastard for ever presenting to her an alternative. It had been a rude awakening, a plunge into cold water. It should have made her want to run back home to the comforts she knew, and yet it only left her wanting something else entirely.

“I can never do that to my sister,” She said quietly, gazing ahead as they walked, “It’s simpler to have her thinking I’m lost than to tell her I simply don’t want to be a part of it anymore,” She had made Holo appearances and had performed other diplomatic duties expected of someone of her position.

Val followed him out, heart racing as she briefly considered simply making a break for it. Where would she even go? She chewed nervously on her lip, her demeanor entirely skittish.

“But then it’d be a waste of your time, wouldn’t it?” Val said with a bitter laugh, “High ranking Ranger like you being sent by order of the Queen of Naboo. Anything short of dragging me back kicking and screaming would put a stain on an otherwise flawless record, I’m sure,” She crossed her arms, scowling as she walked.

 

[Roland Rook]

It definitly sounded to Roland like the woman lacked life experience. The way she talked, her priorities, they gave the Captain an impression of a brat. It wasn't Roland's job to be the mediator between two family members. Taking a breath before speaking,"It'd be a waste. Not of my time though, Princess."

Leading the two of them outside, Roland walked across the street and opened the airspeeder for her to get in on the passenger side. Walking around, he would get a bottle of water from the trunk and blanket. Opening the bottle, Roland then held it out for her to take. "Here." He would give her the blanket next if she wanted it.

"It's easy to travel these days without actually going anywhere." The Mandalorian took a gloved hand and turned on the airspeeder's temperature control. "What makes you think I have a flawless record?" It just hit Roland that Valeska said that. Didn't she just think I was a jack-booted T visor just a second ago?

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

Val sighed as she got into the airspeeder, thinking about the monotonous life she would be returning to. There was no sense of adventure and every single path led back to the same prison for her. She couldn’t believe that being kidnapped was the most exciting thing that likely happened to her yet. Val mumbled gratitude as she took the water and the blanket, curling up in it as she rested her head against the window.

She didn’t miss the incredulity in his voice as he asked the question. Val didn’t even look at him as she answered, “You’re a Mando. People are terrified of Mandos because they think you’ll blow someone up where you go,” Val explained matter of factly, “One wrong move and you’re screwed. You get far less leeway than some random slimo that’s blatantly a rotten cop,” Val sighed, staring out the window, “No, you’re just a poor good guy trying to always do the right thing and fit into a world that probably thinks you’re about to bust a cap in them for the way they chew."

Then again, sometimes Val wished she could actually do that. She had to admit it sounded like a less than pleasing life for the Mando, but he surely had fought hard to get the respect he had now. Did he take it at face value or did he realize most other cops probably shat bricks when he walked in? It wasn’t Val’s problem to speculate, her mind drifting back to the screaming session she would get from her family.

“I don’t want the guy that nabbed me to be pursued,” She said after a moment, “He had no idea what he was doing.”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The man cocked his head to the side as she gave her assessment. It was nothing new, but for a young woman who had only just met him, she had sized him up quickly. Either it was a crazy guess or she was very perceptive. "Sounds like you have me all figured out then." He said with mild sarcasm.

His helmet and eyes turned to look over the dashboard for a moment, his hand switching the radio to the local police channel and keeping it on a low volume. If there were any sightings of Elais, he wanted to know about it right away.

The sound of the sirens were getting closer. Any minute now they would probably see the lights in the distance coming into view. Hearing the redhead speak up he turned to look at her again. Few people knew when a Mandalorian was really looking at them unless they looked directly at them. "What makes you say that?"

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

Val rolled her eyes as he turned the dial over to the police radio. They were still jabbering about pursuit of the man that kidnapped her. They hadn’t found anything on him, but witnesses described a young Chiss male. She heard the Mando’s sarcastic response to her assessment and she had to turn to look at him then.

“Please enlighten me. Which bits of my assessment are untrue?” She challenged him. She was entirely unconvinced he was invited to the Thursday happy hours with the Rangers. He would benefit more from wearing the badge atop his helmet so people knew he was there to help and not hunt them. Then again, the intimidation factor probably worked on the criminals he chased.

She shrugged at his question, glancing at the T visor. She wasn’t even sure where his eyes really were and could have been looking at the bridge of his nose for all she knew, “He was terrified,” She recalled the frustrating man, “He kidnapped me because my guards had him surrounded and he had no way to leave. As soon as he realized who I was, he bailed,” Val grimaced, “Could’ve done without the stun bolts though…”

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Maybe it had been awhile since Roland had dealt with civilians in the field. Valeska certainly seemed like an extra-ordinary member of royalty. Then again, she had a point. Even in casual situations people regarded him with fear. It was respect by reputation and assumption that he could be violent at the drop of a hat.

"You are right, some people can't wait for me to be outta sight after I walk into a room." It was usually a mutual benefit that he keep to the outer rim. "...and I do have a decent record I guess." His helmet nodded, thinking back to his own shortcomings over the years for just a moment. But he took in a breath and continued. "But see if I wasn't a Ranger..." he paused, his jaw working as he thought it over. "I don't think that'd change who I am. Running away, that's the easy route Princess. So if you run away because you're trying to change, make sure it's for the right reasons"

Roland thought about bringing up the fact that there were people out there still keen on seeing the Mandalorians erased from the history books. There wasn't an easy way to explain to a princess how he had hidden and moved from place to place even as an adult, even as a Sector Ranger, or risk the ever present threat of attack for what he was. But Roland wasn't about to put that on the Princess.

A chirp came in through Roland's helmet this time. One of his personal droids had detected something. +Organic sentient inbound. Subject looks to be armed.+ His feet and hands moved to take the controls. The airspeeder raised off the ground a little further as its parking controls were disengaged. It may have one of them getting hit because a yellow blaster bolt impacted the front end of the airspeeder causing a fissure of sparks to spout. He was sure it came in from his side of the street and not Valeska's.

Roland turned towards Valeska and angled his body towards her side of the airspeeder before reaching past her and make sure the door was open. A second blaster bolt impacted on the airspeeder causing it to drop two meters to the ground as its repulsors gave out after the second sniper bolt. The Captain still didn't know where the shooter was or how they snuck up on the him or his droids. The jetboots flashed and would push Roland along with the Princess back out the passenger side floor and out of the airspeeder which wasn't going anywhere. His body kept himself between her and the shooter as he looked to either side and make sure it was safe for her to get up. Another shot followed, hitting the roof of the vehicle.

"This is Captain Rook! I am under fire. There's at le-" A crimson bolt hit Roland in the back left shoulder, shooting through his cloak and causing him to shout in pain. But this time it wasn't from a sniper shot. Further down the block, crashing into a crouch with it's blaster arm outstretched stood the massive form of a haxion bounty droid. It was all Roland could do to make sure neither he nor the Princess got shot. It didn't matter that the other Rangers were a few minutes away. It made sense though why his droids hadn't found the other signals. They had been using droids, and haxion smuggled design.

There was time to dissect this all later, provided they survive. In that moment he was worried about making sure Valeska nor he took a blaster bolt in the back. "Go, that way to the alley, stay down!" Once he got up he cleared his pistol from its holster and turned to shoot at the Haxion droid. This was not the first time the man had dealt with the machines and they didn't go down easy. That was when he saw the shadow of a second Haxion droid come clanking into view on the other side of the street at ground level. For a second, the Captain thought he saw the disappearing silhouette of someone on a roof top. But the hulking combat creations were enough to keep him backpedaling to cover, narrowly missing any further impacts.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

Val glared at him as he spoke, telling her about how running away was the easier route. She rolled her eyes and looked away, crossing her arms, “Great, now you sound like my mother,” She grumbled under her breath. Val planned on being silent the rest of the stupid journey, but of course something else had to go wrong. The speeder began to move up and she saw a yellow bolt flying in from nowhere.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” She screeched, having just been rescued from a dangerous situation not minutes prior. What was with her luck today? She mentally scolded herself for ever wanting anything adventurous in her life. If she survived this, she would go straight back home.

Val felt the Mando reach over her to open her door as the speeder slammed down. Her eyes were wide, “WHAT’RE YOU DOING? ARE YOU CRAZY?” Her instinct had been to keep all arms and legs inside the vehicle in any dangerous situations. That’s what she had been told whenever they drove through the poorer districts of Naboo. Of course, this meant she instinctively reached over and slammed the door shut again.

It wasn’t until another hit came and the Mando and Val were both slammed against the door that she realized what he had been attempting. As a result, the exit from the speeder was far less graceful than intended and with them both landing in a lump on the ground as Val desperately opened the door.

Val began to run as soon as she was up, wheezing from the pain in her ribs as she clutched her body. She didn’t dare look back, hearing blasterfire and the Mando’s footsteps behind her, “Why are we running?! Why aren’t you firing rockets and explosions at them like in the movies?!” She screamed as she ran.

Val was oblivious to all the enemies located at different strategic points. However, she did spot a side dumpster alley and quickly ducked into it. It was a dead end, but there was a fire escape nearby.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Smoke rose from where the durasteel plate had been hit. The Captain had been hit by blasters before but it was never pleasant. The yells and commotion went by in a blurr until he and Valeska were both in cover. The Mandalorian kept backing up and none too soon. The air speeder exploded causing the man to take a further step back and stagger from the close proximity of the blast. Partially down the alley meant none of the dangerous shrapnel hit him. But it didn't change the fact they could have been inside it a second ago. "shab." The captain cursed wondering if the Princess was jinxing them on purpose.

Turning back around Roland quickly tried to catch up to her but stay a few steps behind. "Well either they're trying to kill you or they're technique at kidnapping could use a little work." It was partially a joke but his voice was growling with anger. Part of him knew he could maneuver around, probably pick off one or two but the organic sharpshooter may have already fled the scene.

Clanking continued from back the way they came. "Princess...slow...slow down." She was moving fast but running full tilt away from danger wasn't the best idea when they could end up in a back alley. Hopefully Valeska heeded his warning or else there was a chance they would run into others.

@Sreeya

 

[Valeska]

Val wanted to slap the Mando upside the head. First he suggested they run, and now he was telling her to slow down. Did he have any idea what he was doing? She was already in the dead end alley and she stopped running, completely out of breath. The injuries from the stun blast came over and she collapsed down to her knees, finding it difficult to breathe.

“Trying...to slow…” She gasped as she began to cough profusely. Her ribs had been bruised, possibly one had a crack, and she was pushing herself to the limit trying to run. There was a wall behind her and a fire escape above, but if the droids caught up they would be in trouble.

“Now what?” Val asked weakly, still trying to catch her breath.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

When the princess stopped he saw why and came along side her. His visor looked at the wall and then quickly back the way they had come. There was the sound of the hydraulic joints of the home made combat machines drew closer. Valeska was in no shape to outrun them and Roland was not much better. He had to think quickly.

Looking up and around he saw the fire escape. It was a bit out of reach for him to grab to prevent people from trespassing. "Stand back" He would move her away from the fire escape and pull his backup blaster from its holster. Using the ascension accessory the hook looped around the ladder. But it was old and not meant to be perfectly quite. The clattering of its weight coming to stop in front of the Valeska and Roland caused the Mandalorian to swear in Mando'a under his breath. "Up the fire escape." He would wait for her to go first. If the droids came into view as they climbed hopefully they wouldn't look up.

"Come out tin man!" The modulated vocabulator of the droid echoed a little from somewhere further away. The machines were decent enough at tracking and fighting their prey. The first droid would come around the corner and raise its arm mounted blaster. They knew the Mandalorian was using jetboots and naturally, at a dead end, thought to look up if they weren't there.

"Princess!" He warned her seeing the photoreceptors even from this distance. His hand tapped his wrist switching his jetboots to flight mode. "Target re-acquired" The bulky machine began taking steps towards the fire escape. "Get to the roof. Go!" Sparks flew as blaster bolts impacted around them. That was when the second Haxion droid came into view further down the alleyway. "Target re-acquired" It said and began to mirror its brother. If they didn't die on the fire escape then maybe one of the Mandalorian's Rangers would be able to pick the Princess up.

@Sreeya