Event Money Talks - A Boonta Eve Escapade

[Aska Ryun]

Silently, Aska began to climb the muddy hill as she walked on towards her goal. Once she neared the crest of the hill and the ability to see their target in the distance, the woman lost her footing and slammed down into the sludge face first. Groaning in annoyance, she laid there for a moment before pushing herself back up and looking back to Alisaah as she spat the mud from her mouth then wiping the rest of the soil from her face.

"It doesn't taste any better than it smells, I'll tell you that for free," she complained as she forced herself back up. Wiping the gumbo from the front of her jacket, she pushed on and soon found herself atop the incline. Since she was already covered in the filth that was Nal Hutta, she knew there no point in worrying about covering herself any further and laid down to survey the area ahead.

"I think I can see it! Just there! Do you see?" Aska exclaimed as she scanned the area. Sure enough, as her vision adjusted to the distance and the fog, she was able to vaguely make out a steel building with light posts surrounding a landing pad. Reaching into her jacket, Aska removed the binocs she kept safely tucked inside and put them to her eyes. "Wait a second..." she whispered, adjusting the scopes to give her more clarity. "There's... there's a ship that just set down," As she continued to watch the vessel, three men soon descended the ramp with their weapons drawn. "I thought you said that the Hutt's men should have been gone by now?" Aska whispered to Alisaah unnecessarily. They were still a safe distance away but the fact that there was activity at the facility was something she wasn't prepared for. Still, she'd be damned if she came all this way and covered herself in all of this filth to turn back now.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

As they journeyed to their destination there was a moment that Aska tripped and fell into the dirt. Eyes widening as she saw this happen, Alisaah rushed forward to help pull her up. Through all the complaining she'd done back on the freighter, Alisaah knew her mistress would be most displeased with this unfortunate event, but although she wasn't happy about it, Aska had still made a light-hearted quip about it. There was something about the casual way in which she spoke and her reactions to things that Alisaah liked and she couldn't help but manage a small smile as the Togruta watched Aska pick herself up.

A short time later they found themselves on a ridge which gave them a good view of the planet around them. Aska pointed into the distance at a shadow which could be made out in the smog. Alisaah could see it but the view was obscured by the pollution in the air. Her mistress on the other hand was able to get a better view of it using her binocs. The ship Aska referred to could be more easily seen even without the binocs due to the moving shadow which landed amidst the light posts that looked like far away stars.

"I'm sure of that Mistress. Master Zugg and Mr Kekram went over this information many times in different meetings. The cousin, Gurga Dibb I think was his name, would have his men stationed on Corellia take a freighter belonging to somebody and bring it back here once they had done what they were asked to do. They were going to take the ship they wanted tonight so there shouldn't be anyone here until much later..." she said, a little wrinkle forming on her face as she tried to remember the information as best she could.

Though Alisaah would not have been able to see this without the binocs, it was likely Aska would if their range went far enough. Over at the facility the ship had landed and men began to spill out of the freighter, all wearing armor signifying that they worked for Boola - the Rodian that Aska had recently managed to square off a debt with by giving evidence to her that Hota Zugg was selling out members of the Hutt Cartel for profit which she could use to blackmail him. Evidence that certainly, if she had looked into as much as Aska had, may have led her here through a substantial amount of work - not something that could have been achieved in a matter of days. The key difference was, that Aska had been given the details by an insider - Alisaah - but Boola would not have known, on a planet filled with Hutts, which cousin of Zugg's he was selling out without substantial research. Furthermore, the facility and it's coordinates were never mentioned in the recording Aska gave to Boola - only the fact that they were stealing a ship and that Zugg was trying to sell that information to the Sith Empire. The only people that knew of this place were Zugg and now Aska.

The final man to step off the freighter was tall and slim but heavily armored and wore a helmet. As he made his way off the ramp an alarm was raised and things began to get messy. Clearly this ship was uninvited. Boola's men started to unload blaster fire upon Dibb's guards and vice-versa. Small flashes of red and yellow light could be seen with the naked eye intermittently, even from where the two women stood atop the ridge.

"Mistress? What's going on over there?" Alisaah asked, now growing concerned.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Moving herself to a more comfortable position, Aska tried to get a better view of the vessel as it's boarding ramp continued to spill foot soldiers onto the landing platform. Flicking a switch on the side of the binocs, their magnification increased but the lenses soon began to grow foggy. Growling, Aska pulled them from her face and wiped them as best she could with her hands before putting them back up to her eyes.

"That's better... What the..." As Aska scanned the scene, it became clear that these men had donned armor with a very familiar insignia on their shoulder plates. "That can't be right..." The symbol was one she had seen many times in the past few months. Each man's armor sported the logo of Boola's division of her criminal enterprise and soon after, a tall and slender man in sleek black armor with a helmet that hid his face pulled up the rear. "Those... are Boola's men?" Pulling the binocs back, Aska turned to face Alisaah with a perplexed expression. "That doesn't make any sense... Boola doesn't have enough men to commit to a raid," That little fact was in large part due to Aska's interference of her operations. By her guess, she had eliminated close to twenty of Boola's soldiers, so unless she had dispatched her own personal guard or went on a mad hiring spree, something was off.

Standing from the mud, Aska replaced the binocs in her jacket as blaster fire began to rain around the facility ahead. Part of her wanted to get into contact with the Rodian on Nar Shaddaa but her greed defeated this desire. If she contacted Boola, then she would question what Aska was doing on Nal Hutta and try to squeeze a cut of her profits. No, they needed to look into this on their own. Nodding her head towards the facility, Aska began making her way down the opposite side of the hill. "Come on, we need to check this out..."

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Her concern was confirmed when Aska started talking of a raid on the complex. This was compounded when she told Alisaah that the pair of them needed to check it out. The Togruta followed after her mistress, holding the knife she was given tightly in her hand. It was against everything that her mind and body told her to do, to travel towards the danger, but as this was what her mistress wanted she must do it. The fear she had grew stronger as they approached the facility. Her sense regarding the mortality of her former master and his accomplice grew too. The two things seemed interconnected at this moment in time and she couldn't understand why.

Back at the vault, the tide had come in and washed away the majority of Dibb's feeble resistance on the landing pad. They now controlled this area. The tall helmeted leader of their group supervised the entry of the men into the facility by way of breaching charges. The fighting echoed for miles around. Dibb's facility really was out in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but a festering swamp and hills for miles around. Nobody would have known about this place unless they had been given the coordinates. Alisaah was starting to wonder whether she should have told her mistress what she knew at all. Perhaps they would still be back at Deskar's Place talking, maybe Aska might have had the time to make up with her Togrutan friend, but no - this was what they were up to on Boonta Eve. Two women wading through marshes seemingly to join a fight that they really had no need to be involved with.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

The fighting on the landing pad had subsided long before Aska and her Togrutan slave had closed the distance between their prior vantage point and where they now sat, hiding beside a rock outcropping next to a festering body of swamp water. The sounds of battle no longer filled the air but instead the soft ambient noises of the local fauna could be heard, interrupted on occasion by the shouting of orders from the fully armored man that was clearly in charge of the endeavor. No longer needing her binocs to see what was taking place on the platform, Aska watched as men began moving into the facility only to return a short time later with crates loaded on to anti-grav carts, their contents unknown to the pair of women sat in silence the short distance away.

"Whoever these guys are, they clearly had the same idea as us," Aska muttered to herself as she observed the activity before her, though as she turned a quick glance to Alisaah with a smirk, she finished her sentence. "Okay, same idea as me," Now facing the intruders once more, Aska began to ponder over what she knew. Alisaah had told her that she had overheard discussion between Zugg and the rather unsettling Duros man, Alzon, on the matter of this Gurga Dibb character having unsatisfactory dealings and he clearly planned on attacking other organizations to expand his wealth and influence, so perhaps these men were simply members of those other organizations looking to reclaim their lost goods?

As Aska watched and thought on the facts, she didn't notice three men coming up from behind them, heavily armed. One man, a rather burly Quarren with a scar over his left eye, clearly led the trio as he advanced on the spies.

"What have we here," the man bellowed as he raised his rifle to take aim on both Aska and Alisaah, the other two men moving in to apprehend them.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

As the two women crouched, trying to keep out of sight, Alisaah's face lost all colour as the voice of a man and a click of a rifle was heard behind them. She turned to face them, her eyes wide, but did nothing to defend herself. The vibro knife in her hand remained by her side. Even if she intended to fight a blade was no match for a blaster. Three men stood there, all wearing heavy armor. It seemed they had been caught.

Beside the Quarren was a Zabrak. Whilst his leader trained his blaster rifle on them, he cracked a menacing smile and took steps toward them with his own rifle pointed at the pair. "Whaddaya know... looks like we stumbled upon more treasure than we bargained for" he said in a low raspy voice, clearly damaged through an excessive smoking habit, "What should we do with them?"

The third man, a human, smirked too. "The others are busy looting the goods, I don't see why we'd need to rush getting back. Maybe we can have some fun with them. Look - that one is already dressed for it" he leered creepily, pointing at Alisaah and moving towards her. He had a very concerning look in his eyes. It was one that wasn't all that unfamiliar to Alisaah as she was used to dancing for depraved men, but back with her old master, if anyone had tried anything on with her Zugg had protected her. The only protection she had out here was her new mistress. Alisaah had seen first hand what she could do the day she took her away from Zugg, but all it would take was one wrong step and she - like anyone else - could get fried by a blaster bolt.

"You'll do NOTHING" bellowed the Quarren in his deep guttural voice, "The boss said if we find anyone we bring them straight to him."

"What's the rush?" asked the creepy human male, stepping close enough to Alisaah to him to grab her arm and pull her closer to him, "The boss will still get what he wants... right after I get what I want..." The man then stuck his tongue out and licked Alisaah's face. The vibro knife quivered feebly in her hand, not doing anything at all to protect herself. She was stunned at what was happening.

Within a split second however, things got crazy. The Quarren who had been standing back, rifle trained on Aska, flicked his weapon to the side and shot a blaster bolt straight through the human's head whilst he was still in the process of assaulting Alisaah. As this happened, the Zabrak had shot a circular blue stun blast at Aska to try and incapacitate her. The Togruta let out a terrified scream, the same way she had done when she heard Aska burst through the door and shoot three guards dead at the embassy on Nar Shaddaa. The blood from the man's mouth splattered across her cheek and she fell to the floor, shaking like a leaf.

"I warned you, scum!" he yelled, snarling at the corpse of the human male now laying dead beside Alisaah. He marched over to her, raised his heavy boot and then stamped down hard on the man's head, cracking it open like a watermelon. Alisaah, fortunately wasn't watching but she did hear. She almost threw up in her mouth. She was out of breath and felt like passing out. The Quarren then grabbed her forcefully by the arms, holding them behind her and simply said, "Walk."

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

"That armored guy... Something about his demeanor seems... familiar," Aska began but she was soon cut short from her train of thought as three men appeared at their backs. Turning to face their captors, Aska drew her blaster and turned it's aim on the burly Quarren as he returned the sentiment, his rather large rifle pointed directly at her.

"What should we do with them?"

As Alisaah stood at her side, immobile from the fear of being captured, Aska turned her nose up as the Zabrak spoke. His voice was about as harsh as the padding of a ronto's toes. Clearly, he too partook in a frequent cigarra.

"Oh wow... Am I gonna end up sounding like that? That's disgusting," Aska said sarcastically to the quivering Togrutan yet all she got from the Zabrak was him pursing his lips as though he were blowing her a kiss. Scowling, she reaffirmed her aim at their boss though he made no move, clearly unintimidated by the woman.

"The others are busy looting the goods, I don't see why we'd need to rush getting back. Maybe we can have some fun with them. Look - that one is already dressed for it"

Aska quickly grabbed Alisaah by her right elbow and tugged her in close as she watched the demented human man begin to make his advance. Gritting her teeth, Aska turned her blaster towards him but refrained from firing. As soon as she did, they'd be screwed. "Stay close to me," Aska whispered to Alisaah, though she had little faith it would do any good.

"You'll do NOTHING! The boss said if we find anyone we bring them straight to him."

"What's the rush?" The human stepped in close and pulled Alisaah towards him and away from Aska. "The boss will still get what he wants... right after I get what I want..."

Angered as the man began to lick Alisaah's cheek, Aska lost control and squeezed the trigger but before she could successfully fire her weapon, she was struck by a blue oval of energy that rushed towards her from the Zabrak, causing her to hit the ground in a nearly seized state. Unable to move and her mobility rapidly diminishing further, all she could do was watch as the Quarren executed the human man that was assaulting Alisaah, soon stomping on his head and crushing it like it was nothing to his heavy boot. Soon, Aska's peripheral vision began to fade into shadow and all she was left with was the sight of fear in her Togrutan slaves eyes. If this was what death was to be, a feeling of defeat for not protecting the young Alisaah and guilt for bringing her along on such a foolish expedition, then her life was nothing more than failure... And with that, all that existed was the void of darkness...

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

It was not long before the group reached the compound. Alisaah was being guided forward, still shaking, by the Quarren in his large armor. The vibro knife Aska had given her had been taken away and was hitched on his belt, just in case the Togruta did try to do something with it. Looking nervously to her left she saw her mistress, unconscious being carried on the back of the Zabrak that had stunned her. Not knowing the difference between a stun and a live blaster bolt, Alisaah believed that her mistress may well have been killed, just like the man whose blood and saliva still stained her cheek. Tears started to sting her eyes as she walked as best she could in the tight grip of the Quarren.

The group passed through the landing pad with ease. Various other henchmen looked over from their lookout positions. Some of them gestured and called over to them, asking what or who it was they'd found. The Quarren simply told them they'd found intruders and were taking them to the boss, as ordered. Unlike the man from before, the others seemed to take notice and did not try to question his authority. A large hangar door which previously had been sealed shut by Dibb's guards was now open wide enough for Boola's men to escort anti-grav carts through. As they approached, one such cart piled with ill-gotten gains passed through on the way to the freighter. Boola's men were clearly here to take what Dibb had for themselves.

Inside they were taken through the hangar towards what appeared to be a warehouse. Standing before a maze of the tallest and most enormous shelving units Alisaah had ever seen, was the tall slim armored man her mistress would have seen through her binocs. He was directing traffic as they entered but as he heard the sound of the Quarren's heavy footfall and Alisaah's whimpering sobs, he turned to face them. The Quarren threw Alisaah forward and she fell to her knees before the helmeted man and the Zabrak dumped Aska unceremoniously on the floor beside her. The Togrutan slave looked over at her lifeless master and scrambled across to her side, holding her head close to her ample chest with one arm and holding her hand with another.

"We found these two outside" growled the Quarren, "Didn't put up much of a fight. This one had a knife on her but didn't seem like she was up to using it much." He threw Aska's vibro knife on the floor and it made a loud clanging noise.

The helmeted man looked at the pair of them intensely before speaking. The fear that had gripped Alisaah ever since they came to this place was now unbearable. What had started as a fear of what may happen was rapidly turning into fear of what was happening. Her mistress could be dead or dying and she was all alone with these violent thugs. What made things all the more excruciating was the silent stare from this man in the helmet.

"You might want to split the cut the human scum you paired us with was going to get for this job between everyone else" snarled the Quarren.

"And why might that be?" came the voice from behind the helmet, still staring straight into Alisaah's soul.

"Well he's dead ain't he" croaked the scratchy voiced Zabrak, "Trosh shot 'im and bashed his skull in. It was brutal."

"The scum defied orders and tried to have it off with that one" snapped the Quarren, pointing at Alisaah.

"I see..." pondered the helmeted man, "On this occasion it seems that you've done everybody a favour. His cut will be divided between the two of you, but if I hear that you've killed any more of the crew Trosh, I'll see to it that you're next."

The Quarren said nothing further and the two henchmen stood back, away from the two women who lay at their mercy. The helmeted man then crouched to look into the eyes of Alisaah before giving orders to Trosh and the Zabrak to fetch chairs and bindings. They soon returned, hauling Alisaah away from her mistress and binding her to a chair, the back of which faced away from the chair that they then attempted to shove Aska into and bind her too.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

The events that took place after everything faded into nothing were, of course, entirely unknown to the young clone as she was carried into the facility on the shoulder of the Iridonian who had fired the stun blast, but within time words of her captors began to seep into her mind as her consciousness began to flutter. Demands and orders flew as Aska groaned before being tossed to the ground with absolutely no regard for her well being but soon after, the sobs of Alisaah could be heard yet she could do nothing to respond. She wanted to tell her slave companion that she shouldn't be crying, that soon the tables would be turned, but the most she could do was minutely move her lips though no sound escaped.

It was only when the helmeted individual spoke that truly stirred Aska from her dormant state, although she was still mostly incapacitated. The voice, his choice of words, he seemed familiar now just as he did when she watched him on the platform. Still, it was likely just the dazed state of mind she found herself in she silently surmised. Finally, as she was secured to a chair back to back with Alisaah, did Aska's eyes begin to flutter open. Everything was still blurry but it soon became clear to her what had happened. No longer were they out in the murky wilds of Nal Hutta but instead inside the facility they had been observing.

"Well, that's a minor convenience," she thought to herself as she tried to bring her hand up to her face but soon found it tightly secured to the chair she was sat upon.

"What the..." she muttered, barely audible over the sounds of movement that came from the other sections of the facility. "Ali.... Ali, are you there?" she questioned, though the words came out slurred. Cringing as she spoke, a sudden jolt of pain through her forehead began to snap her more towards consciousness. "What the hell happened?"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

After a while, the two captives were left to be guarded by the Zabrak and Quarren whilst the helmeted leader went to pass on instructions to the others. It would not be long before he returned to interrogate his prisoners. Tears dripped from the top of Alisaah's cheeks still as she sat there, helpless and as she began to slump in her seat, defeated, she heard slight movement and muttering coming from the chair behind her.

"M-mistress...?" she whispered in disbelief, "Mistress? You're... you're alive?"

The Togruta tried to look behind her but it wasn't possible. They were restrained too close together for her to see and their arms had both been bound to the arms of the chairs. She would just have to make do with whispering for the time being.

"They've taken us inside... what are we going to do?" she sniffed. Despite all the fear that was suffocating her, the one ray of hope was that her mistress was okay. It wasn't just the fact that she was trained to care for the well being of the person she served, but in the short time she had known her, Aska had shown she was not only a force to be reckoned with, but also someone that had heart. Despite the violence displayed at the old embassy, her new mistress had been nothing but kind to her. Maybe she'd been a bit short with her on a couple of occasions but, given that it seemed she had never expected to end up with a slave, it was all just a case of the pair getting to know each other. In this remote and lonely place, Aska was the one thing she could rely on to keep her safe.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Alisaah wriggled around behind her to get a better look, Aska blinked the fog from her eyes. Oddly enough her time on Coruscant had never led to being stunned but rather, the training droids would use live rounds. As she rubbed her tongue along the back of her teeth and gums in an attempt to regain feeling, she couldn't help but have preferred to have actually been shot.

"Yea, of course I'm alive. It's gonna take a lot more than some two bit gun slinger to take me down," Aska joked but as a small amount of drool dripped from her mouth, she found solace in the fact that Alisaah couldn't see her. Making such a bold statement with dribble on her lip would have taken away from the effect she sought. Searching her surroundings, she saw many rather large shelving units that encircled the room where they sat. "Hopefully you managed to take a couple out before they got us, yea?" she continued but soon spotted the vibrodagger she had handed the Togrutan earlier on the floor, still bone dry. "Ah," she said with a sigh. "Or not,"

"Would you two shut up before I have to blast ya again?" the Quarren man growled, interrupting the pair before Aska could respond to Alisaah's question. She had missed him on her initial look around the area but she soon locked her stare with his beady, black eyes.

"Oh, sure. You're big and tough when you've got the upper hand," Aska taunted. "Twenty credits says if you and I went toe to toe, I'd end up making a meal out of you, squid!" Laughing, the woman finished by making a slurping sound as though she was trying to suck a noodle back into her mouth.

"Heh, she's a lippy one, ain' she Trosh?" the Zabrak laughed as he looked over to his companion.

"Keep your mouth shut, Grip," Trosh replied before walking over to Aska. "Maybe I should just soften yeh up before the boss comes back? A little smooth skin broad like you..." Reaching forward, the Quarren grabbed Aska by her chin and turned her head as he looked her over before spitting on her, the slime hitting her on the side of the head, which warranted a laugh from Grip. "I'd take too much pleasure in it,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah's heart sank when she heard the disappointment in Aska's voice upon realising that not only had they been captured, but Alisaah had failed to even put up any kind of fight. She was not a fighter, if anything she'd been conditioned all her life not to fight, disobey or rebel. In that moment though she just felt a wave of shame wash over her, as if she needed to do better, to be better for her mistress.

The slave could tell from the slightly garbled speech that Aska wasn't in a particularly good state and it surprised her when the Quarren came over and Aska started to goad him, even from her helpless position. Alisaah knew this would not end well. In her earlier years, she'd come to find that young slaves on Zygerria that didn't know any better, that chose to speak back to the slavers, were punished severely for it. And so it was that this came to be in the warehouse. The unmistakable sound of someone spitting could be heard behind Alisaah. Evidently, the Quarren had spat on Aska.

"You gonna tell us why you're here?" snarled Trosh, "This place is miles from anywhere. Nobody could find it, even on a whim, especially not you and this... slave."

As he finished his sentence, the Quarren took a swipe at Aska's face. The Zabrak, Grip, wandered over to look at Alisaah with a curious look in his eyes. It was very evident that Alisaah was a slave because of her outfit. Now that she was unable to go anywhere he seemed eager to get a better look at her.

"Yeah, seem like a strange pair to me. The slave here looks almost the same age as the other one. You reckon she helped the Togruta escape from somewhere?" he asked the Quarren in his hoarse voice.

"What does it matter?" Trosh growled as he raised his fist for another punch, "They could have eloped together for all I care, I wanna know why they're here!"

Alisaah's discomfort grew by the second. The eyes of the Zabrak looking at her almost interrogating her just with a glance. The sound of the Quarren attempting to beat answers out of her mistress. She felt so helpless, so useless...

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

As the back of the Quarren's scaly hand made a rather harsh contact with Aska's cheek, her head shot to the right. Bells began to ring in her ears and as she moved her jaw to ensure it wasn't broken from the attack, rage began to build within the young woman. Struggling against the bindings that held her in place, she attempted to lunge at the man but was clearly unable to do so.

"You hit like a jawa, schutta!" Aska taunted once more. Should she have kept her mouth shut? Probably. Well, definitely. That wasn't her style, however. "Come on, hit me again! Hit the girl tied to a karking chair you COWARD!"

With his fist already cocked and his attitude already fired, the Quarren obliged her as he unleashed another no-holds-barred shot, this time to the opposite side of her face. During her time on Corsucant, Aska was no stranger to pain. Hell, sometimes it was a welcome sensation. This was one of those times as well. It reminded her she was at least still alive, though for how long remained unknown.

"WHY! ARE! YOU! HERE!?" The Quarren demanded once again before grabbing Aska by her hair and pulling her head back so he could get a clear look at her face.

"Wait a minute..." Grip said as he grabbed Trosh's elbow. "This one. The slave. Doesn't she look... Familiar?"

"No, now get your hands off me!" Trosh demanded as he shrugged Grip's hand from him, not even once taking a look at Alisaah to see if his partner was on to something.

"You better kill me, pal," Aska taunted once more as she spat blood at his feet. Chuckling through the pain as she hung her head, she soon turned her face to get a side glance at Trosh as he seethed. 'Angry fella, this one,' Aska thought to herself. "Because if I get out of this chair, you're karking done,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The Zabrak, Grip, released Trosh's hand as he bid and whilst Aska cursed at the Quarren. He clearly didn't fancy getting into a fight with his heavily armored colleague after what he'd seen him do to the other man, especially not over a slave. He stood back and watched on as the Quarren went for another strike.

Alisaah was now being left alone on her side of the chairs. All focus was now on Aska and the beating she was being given by two of Boola's men. The fear inside of her continued to rage. Already strong through her feelings of guilt and helplessness, the Togruta continued to blame herself for the mess they were in. All she could hear at that moment was the unpleasant sound of metal striking bone. Her mistress was being tortured and all she could do was sit there and listen. Alisaah tried to turn around, to unshackle herself but it was to no avail. In her mind, she could picture Aska - a woman who, although she had been a stranger and committed some awful deeds at the time, had seemed genuine in her efforts to help Alisaah in some way. In the short time they had known each other, this woman had been nothing but kind to Alisaah in a way that nobody had since Meela. Meela... it had been a great many years now since she'd last seen the Twi'lek that had taken Alisaah under her wing, taught her and cared for her during her childhood.

An overwhelming sense of loss came over the Togrutan slave. Ceasing her attempts to turn around she sat forward, tears rolling down her cheeks once more, her fists clenched and teeth grit. She was in emotional turmoil. The thoughts of never having seen Meela again and the threat of her new mistress being killed at the hand of these thugs clouded her mind. Alisaah blamed herself for all of this. She wished and hoped that she could do something. That she could fight, that she could save Aska and that one day, when they were far from this place, that perhaps they could find Meela again. With her mind racing, Alisaah closed her tearful eyes.

In the seat behind her, during a brief pause between punches, something very unusual happened. The bindings which kept Aska restrained began to vibrate. It started very slowly at first. Aska would perhaps just have thought the sensation was being caused by her body shaking a little from being hit, but quickly it would become apparent this was not her doing. The bindings began to shake more violently as the sobbing from Alisaah in the chair behind picked up intensity. As the Quarren went in for another strike, just as his fist was about to meet Aska's flesh, the vibrations became so intense that the integrity of the bindings was breached. They cracked open. Aska was free.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

The sensation of warm blood trickling from a wound near her left eye as it descended the side of her face could be felt by the young clone as Trosh submitted her to yet another blow. Pain radiated from all sides of her head, however, as the Quarren continued to beat his captive. Aska wasn't convinced that this man really cared to find any sort of information from her. Where she came from, why she was here... It didn't matter. The ferocity of his violence and the aggressive demeanor he displayed was indicative that this was more a personal matter, though she couldn't discern as to how it could be. She had never met this man before in her life so what could she have possibly done? Or was it because she was, rather simply put, a human? After all, the human race wasn't exactly innocent of displaying an air of superiority over other alien species so maybe, just maybe, Trosh was the flip side of that coin...

"Trosh, you're gonna kill the bitch! You need to stop!" Grip tried to interject once more but he was ignored as the Quarren back-handed Aska once again. "The boss wants them alive!"

As Grip attempted to bring his ally back in line, the binding that held Aska's arms and legs to the chair she sat in began to vibrate. Slowly at first, but over the course of a few seconds they soon began to shake almost violently. 'The hell?' Aska thought to herself as she breathed heavily. 'Must be going in to shock,' she rationalized. Why wasn't she afraid then? It seemed death was knocking on her door and yet something eased her mind, as though everything was going to be alright.

*click*

As Trosh pulled his arm back for another swing, suddenly Aska felt relief from around her wrists and ankles as the bindings came loose and granted her the freedom she needed. Still, the Quarren laid his fist against her cheek bone once more as he remained unaware that the bindings had mysteriously come undone and while Aska had no clue as to why they had released themselves her, she wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

Kicking upwards with her right foot, the front of her shin made a surprising and brutal contact with the Quarren's groin which caused him to lean forward as his stomach suddenly felt as though a heavy rock had been placed deep inside. As Trosh was keeled over in pain, Aska quickly grabbed one of the tentacles that dangled from his mouth and yanked down with all her might as she raised her knee to have it meet with his jaw. Retaining her hold on his face near her lap with her right hand, Aska leaned forward and with her left hand pulled the blaster pistol that was in the holster on Trosh's right hip. By now, Grip had come to terms with what he was seeing as it all seemed to take place in the blink of an eye. Before he could raise his rifle, Aska turned Trosh's pistol on the Zabrak and squeezed the trigger. A red beam of energy soon found it's place in the second man's right shoulder. Squeezing the trigger again as Trosh struggled to free himself, an effort made more complicated by the effects of receiving a knee to his jaw, a second blast hit Grip in his left hip. He was still alive, but he wasn't going anywhere as the Zabrak dropped his rifle. With another hard tug on the tentacle in her grasp, Trosh grunted in pain but soon felt the cold barrel of his own weapon placed on his temple.

"You little b-"

His words were cut short as Aska fired the third round, burning a hole in the side of the Quarren's head. Smoke ascended from the wound as his corpse fell to the ground. While she was still in pain, Aska knew she couldn't waste any time. Training her aim towards Grip as he whimpered on the ground, the clone rushed over and kicked the rifle away from his grasp.

"You realize that once Boola learns what you've done here, you're dead... And that's even if I let you live... You know that, right?" Aska spat as she kicked the wounded man in his gut. "You think you can just slap the shit out of her best hitwoman and walk away from it?" While Aska wanted to do to Grip what Trosh had done to her, she knew he tried to keep her alive, albeit simply so the armored man could do the interrogation himself. No, she would show him slight mercy. "Give me the key to her bindings! Now!"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The shouting from behind her seat grew louder and more heated. It was clear the Zabrak was trying to reason with his crewmate but the Quarren was having none of it. Another sickening blow could be heard as it was only inches away from the back of Alisaah's own head, but then suddenly the commotion had a change in tone. The fighting didn't stop but the groan that followed the next blow didn't come from Aska. It was the Quarren. Alisaah heard him take a sharp intake of breath as he was hit with force in the groin. That was soon followed by blaster fire. Alisaah, tears still rolling down her cheeks, opened her eyes in panic and tried again in vain to see what was happening behind her.

"Mistress!!!" she screamed, fearing that someone might have just shot Aska.

The Zabrak could then be heard wheezing on the floor as the Quarren started to speak, only to be interrupted by the sound of more blaster fire. Footsteps followed. Then, to finally put her mind at ease, Alisaah could hear Aska talking. She was alive. From what she was saying, it became apparent that not only was she alive, but she was free.

Grip, who had been shot twice, was writhing on the floor, clutching the wound to his right shoulder with his left hand, though the injury to his hip was also causing him considerable pain. "T-the... key...." he choked, "right... pocket..." There was visible fear in the Zabrak's eyes as he looked up at Aska. The way she had dealt with them both was far above the skill level he had anticipated upon first seeing her. The revelation that this woman was also in league with Boola and referred to herself as the Rodian's "best hitwoman" only made that fear grow. "H-how... did you... escape? It's... impossible" he croaked.

The very same question was on Alisaah's mind. But moments ago, they were hopelessly trapped. Stuck in a warehouse surrounded by thugs in a secret location that nobody could have found them. The one thing that had kept them alive was the threat of the helmeted man. For whatever reason he wanted them alive, but the Quarren, he seemed to have different plans. Not that it mattered now. He had been silenced. If Aska was free, Alisaah supposed it would not be long until the Zabrak perished too.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Keeping her weapon trained on Grip, Aska knelt down and stuck her hand in the Zabrak's pocket before she pulled out a chip-like device. Patting the Zabrak on the face as he groaned in pain, the young woman stood and stepped back from him though she never once turned her gaze away. As he cowered on the floor, Aska listened to him whimper and while she was glad it had happened, he was correct in that her escape should have been impossible. How did it happen? Faulty equipment? She didn't believe that for a minute. The bindings looked almost new to her as she glanced back at them as they laid on the floor, wide open and undamaged.

"You're right about that, pal," Aska muttered as she pondered the circumstances. Shaking her head, the young woman soon ran over to Alisaah's side and began to release the bindings that held her in place. The Togrutan, clearly terrified from the situation, had clearly dropped a shade or two with the blood that had rushed from her face though it seemed knowing Aska was still alive, albeit rather beaten up, had done her some good. "See? I warned him, didn't I?" Aska said with a laugh as she worked away releasing the restraints. "I told him I'd kill him if I got outta there, and holy hell am I glad I did," Once Alisaah was free, Aska turned back to Grip as he attempted to bring himself back up to a sitting position but as she walked over, she placed her foot gently on his chest before pushing him hard and sending him back to the ground.

"Just kill me for crying out loud," Grip complained, but Aska could see the fear in his eyes. He wasn't prepared to die and perhaps it was better if he didn't. At the very least, she felt remorseful for the man. He was scum, sure, but he did try to keep Trosh from prematurely killing her after all.

"Nah, time for you to have a nap," Aska stated coldly as she flicked the switch on the side of Trosh' blaster that would place it in it's stun setting. "Sweet dreams, mudlicker," Squeezing the trigger, the blue ring raced towards the man before he passed out which finally allowed Aska to turn to her slave. "Well... I've been better. You okay, kid?"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Soon after she heard the exchange, Alisaah finally got to see her mistress again in the flesh when she came up to unshackle her from her seat. The Togruta let out a sigh of relief and once her arms were released she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and tried to regain some composure. She couldn't stay in this state for long. Her mistress would not have wanted a weak and hysterical slave girl after all. The turmoil she felt on the inside though, had not gone away completely. The fear was still there despite the relief and hope that came with it.

The wounded thug called to Aska and croaked a final sentence before she put him out. Turning to Alisaah, she had asked how she was, but as Alisaah looked her mistress in the face, she could see the effects of the battering the Quarren had given her. The guilt began to rise inside her again. She rushed forwards to be closer to her master.

"Mistress you're hurt and it's all my fault. I was scared, I don't know how to fight..." she said solemnly. Alisaah went to her knees before the woman and bowed her head in shame. "Please forgive me. I did not mean for things to happen this way. We need to leave this place so I can take care of you." It was notable that Alisaah did not once consider answering her master's question about how she - the slave - was, following this ordeal.

Her final sentence was not an order, but more a suggestion for her owner's well being. As a slave, Alisaah knew her life meant less than her mistress' and as her servant it was her duty to ensure that no harm befell Aska, even if her expertise did not include combat or advanced healing. All Alisaah knew was this whole situation frightened her half to death and all she could do was rely on what she knew as a slave. It was no good for her mistress to put herself in unnecessary danger.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Alisaah stammered her regrets, Aska smiled at the slave before reaching down and grabbing her by the forearm, lifting her to her feet. Yes, she was wounded but she was far from incapable in this state and now she had more than simple riches on the mind. Now she needed revenge.

"I shouldn't have expected you to fight so don't worry about it," Aska began. "But if you're gonna roll with me then that's something we're going to have to work on," The words were sarcastic in a sense, but only slightly. Raised to fight for herself, the clone didn't see any other way to live life and while she recognized that it wasn't a path for everyone she did firmly believe that everyone should at least know how to defend themselves. Alisaah's next statement warranted a chuckle from Aska as she wiped some of the blood from around her eye. She had no plans on leaving. Not yet. Walking over to to the unconscious Zabrak, she searched his pockets before finding a communicator. "Ali, search around for the rest of my gear. Both knives, my gun, binocs... But more significantly see if you can find my lightsaber and holocron," Turning to face the Togrutan, Aska realized she may not know what such things were. "The laser sword I used back when we first met? It's a silver cylinder with a switch on the side. The holocron is a glowing pyramid shape. Black and red. It's very important. I've got a call to make," Punching in the digits required to contact her previous employer, Aska held the communicator ahead of herself when the hologram snapped to life.

"Aska? I'm surprised to hear from you... Shouldn't you be out part.... What the hell happened to your face?" Boola asked as she strained her eyes to evaluate the injuries Aska had received.

"A little gift from the men you sent to Nal Hutta. They've got me and my... friend trapped in the facility you dispatched them too. If you wouldn't mind, could you yank on their leash and tell them to back off before I have to wipe them out?" Aska demanded. Raising an eyebrow, Boola crossed her arms as she heard the words.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean, girl. My droids and I are off world currently. I've sent no one to Nal Hutta," Normally, Aska would consider this a lie but something about Boola's tone told her she was speaking the truth.

"Then you have a big problem. There's a team here that's masquerading under your banner to attack a Hutt vault,"

"I beg your pardon?" Boola snappped. "Are you certain?" Rolling her eyes, Aska motioned to her injuries with her free hand.

"Uhh yea, I'm pretty damn sure. Do the names Trosh or Grip mean anything to you"

"Not at all... This is terrible. I can't do anything to assist you, I'm afraid. It will be a few rotations before I can return and that's if I left right now. Still, this cannot go unchallenged. Are you and your friend able to do some poking around? Could you discover who is in charge and inform me? I'll handle the rest. Get me a name and get out of there," Looking back to Alisaah, Aska sighed. The Togrutan was already in over her head and would certainly be a hindrance. Still, they needed to get out of here one way or another and it wasn't like they could simply walk back out the front door anyway.

"It'll cost you," Aska replied begrudgingly.

"Of course. Be careful and report back when you find anything. And thank you for contacting me," Bowing her head, Boola then cut the transmission. Aska and Alisaah were once agan alone.

"Find my shit yet, kid?"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah was hauled to her feet by her mistress. She continued to bow her head in shame however when she was told she had to learn to defend herself. Her head gave a small bob of acknowledgement in response. After her mistress had found a communicator on the unconscious Zabrak, she had issued the Togruta with a new task - find her possessions. Listening intently to their descriptions helped Alisaah keep her mind off things a little. The description of her mistress' laser sword and holocron were the most revelatory pieces of information she picked up here. A lightsaber. The bright red glowing blade she had seen back at the embassy on Nar Shaddaa. There had been a menacing beauty to that weapon and no doubt it was special. She had never seen any visitor to any of her former master's dwellings wield such a weapon. Vibroblades and blasters certainly, but never a weapon as sleek and sophisticated as this. The holocron too, was something Alisaah had yet to see herself, but it sounded very curious indeed.

The slave went about searching straight away, believing it to be a way she could make up for her recent failures. There was a perimeter of heavy duty crates surrounding the area they had been held captive. Alisaah ran over to the nearest one, the tassels of her outfit jingling as she did so. Grabbing hold of the first lid she opened it up. Inside were a number of shiny metal bars but none of Aska's possessions. Shutting the lid she moved over to the next one. This cycle continued until she had reached the crates behind where the corpse of the deceased Quarren lay. Opening the lid, Alisaah found all of her master's missing gear including both her vibroknives. The only problem - both the lightsaber and holocron were absent.

Gathering all of the items, Alisaah took them over to her mistress.

"Find my shit yet, kid?"

"Yes Mistress but your laser sword and holocron are missing. They weren't with the rest of your things" said Alisaah timidly, "Maybe the man in the helmet took them. The way you described them, they seem valuable, perhaps he was going to put them with the rest of his ill-gotten gains."

She started to look wildly around to try and see where the helmeted man had got to. What was certain was the two women could not stay there any longer. The commotion caused by Aska's fighting and subsequent commlink conversation would be discovered soon. They had to move.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun