Ask Reminiscence and Recovery

[Aska Ryun]

There was that name again. Meela. Aska leaned back in her chair, a lop sided smirk forming on her lips as she proceeded to ash the cigarra on the floor once again. She couldn't help but wonder where this woman who had been so crucial in raising Alisaah was now or if she was even still alive. If she was, she was no doubt lost to the galaxy never to be seen by her metaphorical child ever again. Still, Aska knew what this woman meant to Alisaah. An unignorable fact. And something she would need to revisit should the opportunity arise. Though Aska also noticed that Alisaah became what appeared to be uncomfortable as she squeezed her hands against one another in her lap. Perhaps asking if she could read was offensive in some way? She didn't know. Reading the slave's mannerisms was still complicated.

"Uh, yea sure," Aska responded as she turned the chair back to the hologram. Zeltros was proving to be a very interesting world to the clone and every sentence she read was further prodding her desire to arrive on it's sandy beaches. "Anyway, they have what is defined as a 'popular' monarchy. What does that mean? Do they elect their ruler? I've never heard of such a thing before..." Aska strained her eyes to focus as she read, the desire to learn all about Zeltros that she could dominating her train of thought. Such a culture was something absolutely foreign to the clone and the intrigue she felt was dominating.

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah turned her attention back to the matter at hand, thinking it would be best not to get caught daydreaming again. The concept of monarchy and politics in general were beyond the slave and none of the current topic meant anything to her. What she did know, based on their current situation, was that Kayto had told them the ship was broken and needed to be fixed.

"Mistress?" asked the Togruta, "Do you think that the Zeltros will let us land on their planet? And will they fix the ship? It seems lovely and everything but how do we know they have what we need to continue the journey?"

She felt stupid asking these questions, mainly because she didn't feel like it was her place to do so. Slaves should not ask questions, simply sit and wait until spoken to, but the amount of questions Aska herself was asking, made Ali believe she needed to help in some way. As usual, Ali did not know how she could help but it was in her nature to try regardless.

"I just thought... maybe the Holonet can tell us if they're friendly..." she said, growing more nervous the more she spoke, unsure if her mistress would scold her for speaking up or not.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

That was a thought that had never occurred to Aska, the clone admitting a degree of pleasant surprise that Alisaah had displayed the foresight to consider such a thing. Still, she had no doubt that they were going to be welcome on Zeltros. Finding a mechanic to service the damaged thruster, on the other hand, may prove to be a more difficult task.

"You're smarter than you look," Aska joked as she gave Alisaah a side glance and a wink as she turned slightly to face her companion while raising her cigarra to her lips for another drag. "I hadn't considered that, to be honest. I think they're a pretty welcoming people though so we should be alright. Doesn't hurt to take a look into it I suppose. Wouldn't be the worst idea to have an idea where we're going when we get planet-side," As she was about to continue her search for information on the Zeltron people and their world, Aska noticed Alisaah's demeanor. Her hesitance to speak. Sighing, the clone spun to face the Togrutan more fully and reached a hand out to place on her shoulder and looked straight into her green eyes. "You don't need to be so concerned about voicing your opinion, kid. Or asking questions. I'm not Zugg or that other Master... Fligorra or whatever?" If only she had a better memory for names... "Besides, all I have to talk to is you and that annoying ass droid in the cock pit. Please, please be more vocal. The last thing I need is any sort of extended conversation with that walking heap of junk,"

Smirking at Alisaah and patting her shoulder before pulling her hand back, Aska spun towards the hologram once more. As she punched in the information required to bring up any landing bays that offered repair services, a list soon was presented to her spotted through out the planet's capital. Many seemed to be of a high caliber, offering their services to upper echelon sorts of clientele... And most, if not all, seemed to be booked solid.

"That's weird, isn't it?" Aska queried aloud though she knew Alisaah likely had no idea what she was referring too. Pointing to the screen, she showed the slave girl the appointment lists of the many docking platforms. "Seems like a lot of high rollers are heading to Zeltros in the coming days. From my experience, docking isn't that complicated," Thinking back to her days as a dock worker on Nar Shaddaa, no doubt a very busy space port by even the most civilized world's standards, ships were very rarely double booked and there was almost always somewhere for unannounced craft to land, though with increased scrutiny. While Zeltros was likely a far less populated world and possibly had a far less developed shipping infrastructure, it seemed odd to Aska that a tropical getaway wasn't capable of handling a surge of visitors. "Must be some sort of... Event or something? Drawing in a huge crowd..."

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah was surprised at Aska's response. There was some admonishment but not the kind she expected. The clone had praised her for thinking about the matter at hand before letting her know quite plainly that she wanted Ali to speak up more often. This was not a request she had from any previous masters and would take some getting used to as the Togruta had been conditioned her entire life to stay quiet. The repercussions of speaking up in her former lives tended to end in physical punishment.

"I apologise mistress, I will try and talk more" she said, "I'm just not used to all this... normally I would be punished for speaking out of turn so I force myself not to."

Feeling the warmth of Aska's hand as she pat her shoulder, Ali felt comforted yet again. It was not the same as the horrible, slimy touch of her last master Zugg, but a soft and reassuring touch. It made the slave glad that after all the anxiety she had felt back at the auction house on Nar Shaddaa, that fortune had landed her in possession of a mistress who, although not what she was used to, was caring - at least towards Alisaah.

Turning her attention to the docking platform appointment lists that Aska had started to show her, it was quite clear that they were going to struggle to find a place to land. The clone's explanation of an event seemed likely, after all, the planet was essentially a leisure destination and was likely to invite a lot of tourism from elsewhere in the galaxy.

"Can we see if there is anything about an event on the Holonet?" asked Ali, who was still fascinated by this resource, "Maybe there will be a party invitation on there?"

She was clutching at straws with this question, it wasn't likely that an actual invite would be on the Holonet, but not really knowing how these things were organised, Ali wasn't to know. There was some logic to her question though. If that many of the planet's docks were occupied, there was likely to be some news or chatter to be found which would lead them to what possible event it could be.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Unable to suppress a slight chuckle at Alisaah’s wide eyed wonder and misplaced hopes as she asked if perhaps the holonet held further information in regard to why Zeltros was such a popular destination, Aska continued to delve deeper into the network to find the answers they were seeking. Of course, the world was likely always bustling with people both coming and going considering the temperate and hospitable environment that lay on it’s surface, but the sheer volume of arrivals had prodded her towards this summarization. Clearly there was something going on that was drawing in a crowd and if she was right, then Aska had a burning desire to be right in the middle of it.

”Maybe it’s something to do with the royal family…” she muttered, her thoughts accidently slipping outward as she scanned the articles of current events that were about to take place, her hopes of finding some sort of extravagant affair diminishing with each passing moment. Most were of hardly any note and unlikely to be bringing high end clientele from around the galaxy and if such an occasion was taking place under the matriarchy’s name then two nobodies from Nar Shaddaa had little to no hope of attending. ”If I’m right then there likely wouldn’t be any information readily available to the masses… Wait a minute…” Continuing to read, an entry finally caught her attention as a likely candidate.

”Hey hey hey! Here we go! ’Blackwell Technologies has invited many of the corporation’s high end clientele for an event intended to showcase much of their new developments in star ships, personal assistance droid units and weaponry as well as an all expense paid week long vacation on the sandy beaches of Zeltros. Citizens are encouraged to display the same hospitality that our world is galaxy renowned for when dealing with these visitors to our home…’” Reading silently to herself now, Aska continued to scan the article until she was satisfied it was a direct statement to the Zeltron people from their governing power. Turning to face Alisaah fully, a beaming smile soon grew across her face as she butted her cigarra out directly on the counter at her side. ”Beautiful and influential people, sandy beaches, ebbing oceans and more booze than a family of Hutts could ever hope to drink? That’s it, Ali. I think we just found my personal heaven,”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

So Alisaah wasn't completely right but it seemed that what Aska had found wasn't too far off the mark. A press release from Blackwell Technologies about a conference they were holding on Zeltros. It sounded very much like some of the business meetings that her former master would have insisted she accompany her to, but this seemed far more grand in scale than those had been. They never normally booked up the majority of a planet's spaceports, but then perhaps that was because Hota Zugg's business dealings were never above board or strictly legal.

Listening to Aska's description of what it must be like, Ali also started to get carried away with the idea of visiting Zeltros - even if in reality they had no choice but to do so. If her mistress wanted to attend the event, there was no doubt in her mind that they should try and find a way to get in. It would help take her mind off losing her friends. Not only that, but Alisaah thought she might, for the very first time under new ownership, be suited to this kind of environment. She was a dancer, she knew about hospitality, perhaps if they went, she would be able to show Aska she could be good at something.

"We should try and get in mistress" she said excitedly, "It sounds wonderful and besides, it doesn't sound like we have much of a choice if we have any hope of getting the ship fixed. But if all the ports are full, how do we land? By crashing?"

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Alisaah’s excitement was almost foreign to Aska as she bore witness to it. To her memory, there was no time in their short relationship where she had seen such a bubbly and thrilled reaction from the slave girl and it brought a small smile to her own lips. The clone already had every intention on finding a way in to this event but after seeing that it wasn’t only her that craved such a distraction, it became clear that they had a concrete mutual goal.

”Very funny, kid,” Aska chuckled as she rolled her eyes before pushing herself up from the chair she had been seated in. ”Then again, that would be one hell of an arrival, wouldn’t it? I’m sure we’ll find somewhere to land. There has to be something available for us, even if we have to force our way in,” she continued, giving Alisaah a side glance wink as she walked back to her quarters. If they were going to be attending a collection of the galaxies most wealthy and influential citizens, she needed to get herself cleaned up to look the part… And she desperately needed a shower. She could still smell Nal Hutta’s stench on her clothes. Walking past a closed door, she proceeded to open it only to reveal a room littered with junk. Crates and the like littered the room but a bed and dresser could be made out under the collection of trash. Pointing inside with her thumb, Aska turned to Ali as she continued to walk backwards to the captain's quarters. ”Make yourself at home, Ali. May as well claim this room as your own. Get it organized and clean yourself up. Not like we don't have the time. We’ll worry about landing clearance when the time comes,”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Watching Aska, Alisaah noticed that for the time being at least, her mistress seemed to be in a better mood. She figured she was doing a better job of keeping her company based on the winks and chuckles and gave a small smile to Aska as they started off towards the sleeping quarters once more. On their way, they stopped outside a cluttered room. It was quite clearly sleeping quarters that had been used by Zugg's men as storage space before they had arrived on Nal Hutta prior to the raid. Their organisational skills were clearly lacking however as the area was a total mess.

Looking from Aska, to the inside of the room and back, Alisaah was stunned when her mistress casually announced that the slave was free to take this room as her own space - not because it was in such a state, but because she never expected to be given anything. The Togruta blinked and opened her mouth to ask what she had done to deserve it, but looking into her mistress' eyes she knew better than to question her. Besides, her mistress had just given her direct instruction to take it and then get both it and herself cleaned up. Instead, she simply said "T-thank you mistress, you're so kind... I'll be right here if you need me. I'll make this room spotless as instructed."

Bowing to Aska politely, she waited until the clone had left back to the captain's quarters before heading inside the room. It wasn't easy moving around inside. There were boxes and containers scattered all around and stacked on top of the bed and furnishings. Taking a deep intake of breath, Ali decided there was nothing for it but to get cracking. Starting at the doorway, the slave began to lift boxes and heave them out into the corridor. She knew that they couldn't be left there and made a mental note to ask her mistress what she wanted done with them, though felt it likely that much of what was there would either be jettisoned or sold if it could fetch a price.

Once Ali had managed to free up two thirds of the room, she stumbled across a larger crate than most of the others she had been carting around. What was odd about this box was that unlike the others, it was standing upright, rather than laid flat. Bending her knees and trying to lift it, Ali realised it would be too heavy to take alone. For a moment she considered asking Kayto, or Aska, to help move it but thought better of it. Kayto was busy piloting the ship and Aska was preparing herself for their arrival on Zeltros. She would have to figure out a way of doing this herself.

Looking around, almost as if she was trying to check if she was being watched, Ali approached the crate and started fumbling around for a release mechanism, attempting to open it up and see what exactly it was that made this box so heavy. She figured that if the contents was made up of smaller objects, she could transport them one at a time until the crate was light enough to lift. Soon enough, the crate opened, the lid opening outwards like a pair of double-doors. Crouching down, the Togruta noticed that nothing appeared to fall out and peering inside, she realised why this box had been so difficult to move.

Standing up right in the crate was an astromech droid. Alisaah did not know the difference between droids, so in her eyes this droid was simply a little robot. It had a head which looked like a flying saucer, a square body and two legs which stretched forward a little in front of it. The slave paused for a moment, thinking that she should tell Aska about what she'd found, but again she reasoned that Aska had asked her to clean the room whilst she freshened up, so now would not be the time. Her curiosity then led her to start poking around inside the box, trying to see if there was a way to get the droid to move.

Suddenly there was a flash of light. Alisaah fell backwards with a bump and a yelp, the golden tassels of her dancer's outfit shaking wildly as she did so. After the light came whirring and beeping and once Ali had been able to refocus her vision, she discovered that the droid had come to life. Panicking for a moment, the Togruta jumped to her feet, ran to the door and closed it to make sure Kayto and Aska did not hear what was going on. She did not want to get in trouble. Looking back at the astromech, she put a red finger to her lips.

"Shhh! Please be quiet, you might get me in trouble!" she whispered forcefully to the droid.

The astromech's head spun 360 degrees and continued to chatter away in droidspeak. Rushing over to the droid and crouching down to look it in it's solitary eye, Alisaah continued.

"Please be quiet little robot, I'm not going to hurt you" she pleaded. The droid's visual sensors focused in on her face as she spoke, continued it's babbling for a moment longer and then gradually started to calm down. "Ohh, thank you" she said, letting out a sigh of relief and falling back into a seated position in front of the astromech.

"My name is Alisaah" she said, introducing herself, "My mistress told me to take this room and tidy it up. I found you in that box. I couldn't lift it myself so I went to see what was inside and I found you."

Making a few more beeps in response, the astromech approached the seated slave girl. It seemed to be appreciative.

"It's okay, I didn't mean to wake you up, I just need to finish tidying this room like mistress Aska wanted" she explained. Watching the droid for a few more moments as it looked around the room, occasionally looking back at the Togruta, Ali wondered if the robot had a name of it's own. Standing up again and approaching it, she crouched down and soon enough found a designation number.

"T7-L4... Hmm... that's not a very catchy name" she said, "I don't really know how people get names though. Not sure who gave me mine... Meela told me that my parents gave it to me. My real parents... whatever that means."

Mulling things over in her head, Alisaah thought about what a strange set of circumstances she was now in. Only a few days ago, she was frightened of being sold to a new owner at auction. Since then, she'd been taken in by a woman who, on first meeting, was very violent, though soon enough had revealed herself to be rather caring - at least towards her. They had travelled together to Nal Hutta, uncovered a plot to frame one of Aska's associates and barely escaped with their lives from Nar Shaddaa, though her mistress' friends had not been so fortunate. Now here she was, in a room she had been given by Aska, who had shown once more how caring she was towards Alisaah by doing so. This space, the blaster pistol Aska had bestowed upon her in their escape from Nal Hutta and the dancer's outfit she was wearing were the only things she owned. The only things she owned besides her own name - Alisaah Tila.

"Tila..." she muttered to herself, "Hmm... perhaps we can call you Teela..."

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Splashing water on her face as she stood over the small sink, Aska scowled at the stale smell that came from the fluid. It was blatantly obvious that the men who had been operating the ship under Zugg’s name took little to no care of it’s systems. The water supply was stagnant, the air scrubbers needed purging and while she had not tasted them as of yet, the clone had little doubt that the food rations on board were bordering on inedible. What else had gone untended? If the failing engine was any sort of indication, despite her own meager skills in repairing vessels contributing to the misfire, it was almost guaranteed that the vessel needed a complete once over and that was something far out of the realm of the current crew.

Wiping the remaining water droplets from her brow, Aska looked at herself in the mirror. There were many minor scrapes and bruises from the incident in the Nar Shaddaa spire, but more prominent to her was her eyes. Red and puffy from her weeping, albeit on the mend, they also displayed an aura of exhaustion she had never seen exhibited before. Not of a physical sort, but she could see a deep and spiritual pain that had drained much of what made her who she was. It had been about a year since she had escaped Coruscant and Trench’s lab and what a year it was… So many highs and lows, an absolute emotional roller coaster for the woman who had only been instructed in a classroom on how to behave in society. Would someone who had been raised directly in the field of mayhem have been impacted similarly? She doubted it but she knew she had to overcome it and with Zeltros nearing by the moment, she wondered if that perhaps things were about to turn around. Was this a high moment or was this simply the first steps on a much darker fall? Pushing herself away from the sink, she forced the thoughts from her mind. She had spent enough time feeling sorry for herself for the moment.

Leaving the captain’s quarters in a clean white shirt, her jacket draped over her shoulder as she lit a cigarra, Aska casually began to stroll to the common area of the freighter when she inadvertently caught a series of low beeps and whistles coming from Alisaah’s quarters. Curiosity struck her as she furrowed her brow and as the clone made her way towards the chamber, stepping over the collection of crates and trash that the Togrutan woman had vacated from her room, Aska peered inside to see the slave girl and a small astromech droid.

”What the… Another damn rust bucket?” Aska stated before either of the room’s occupants had noticed her arrival. ”That thing is old as hell, isn’t it? Where in the hell did you dig it up?” Stepping further into the room, Aska took a drag off her cigarra as she pushed the droid gently with the toe of her boot only to be met by a sharp jolt of electricity once the droid attempted to defend itself with one of it’s tool systems. ”Ow! Hey! Screw you!”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Upon hearing it's new name, the droid beeped contentedly, spinning it's head 360 degrees. Alisaah smiled at it but as their first exchange ended, the pair were interrupted by the sound of Aska's voice in the doorway.

"Oh! Sorry mistress" the Togruta said, bowing to acknowledge her owner as she entered the room, "I was in the middle of cleaning the room like you asked and I found a heavy crate. I couldn't lift it myself so I opened it to see if I could move the contents more easily and when I did I found Teela."

As she was finishing her explanation, Aska nudged the astromech with her boot. The droid responded angrily, utilising one of it's various tools to zap the clone. With a look of horror on her face, Ali ran forward and pushed the T7 droid away from Aska.

"You mustn't ever lash out at mistress Aska!" she said, admonishing the droid for it's actions, "We belong to her and it's our place to help her however we can."

Teela moved it's optical sensor between Alisaah and Aska before letting out a reluctant set of beeps and squeaks. Alisaah now turned her attention back to her owner.

"I'm sorry mistress, please forgive me, I didn't know Teela would react that way" she said with genuine sincerity, "I'm sure she doesn't really mean harm... I only just woke her up. I've no idea how long she was in the box for."

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Grimacing as she rubbed the spot that received the sudden jolt from the irritated mech, Aska growled at the machine. First Kayto and his smug attitude and now this… thing? Droids, she decided then and there, were not her forte.

”We should just jettison it out into the void and be done with it,” the clone spat. ”I mean, it’s definitely been sitting in there for ages. That thing must be ancient! I’ve never seen a droid like it before,” As the echoes of pain began to subside, Aska let out a deep and heavy sigh. While she wasn’t sure of this little machine, it’s discovery was incredibly well timed. Now they had the means to repair the engine as well as any other forthcoming concerns that had yet to present themselves, a practical guarantee in this flying rust heap. And besides, Ali had found it and undoubtedly wished to keep it, judging by her defending the droid’s actions as a simple misunderstanding.

”Just… keep that thing away from me. At least until we can get it’s memory wiped so it can learn some damn manners…” Her thoughts then returning to the old Imperial droid currently flying the ship, Aska turned her lips downward slightly. ”That isn’t such a bad idea. A certain pilot of our’s could stand to have the same treatment,”

”I’d prefer being jettisoned into space if you are allowing us the choice… Mistress,” Kayto stated as he walked up behind Aska unannounced.

”Don’t tempt me… What do you want? Why aren’t you at the controls?”

”I am not a pilot droid by programming so I-“

”You are what I tell you. Now get back up there and fly this damn ship to Zeltros…” Aska growled to Kayto as she walked past him. She needed a drink… With Aska gone and Kayto remaining still in Alisaah’s doorway, the droid soon turned and looked to both Ali and then Teela.

”Welcome to hell, little one,” he complained before continuing off to follow his orders.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Aska's mood had soured following her introduction to Teela. Upon instruction to keep the astromech away from her, Ali turned to Teela, crouched down and softly reiterated this to the droid. Oddly, the T7 did not seem to mind - the feeling was mutual. Ali frowned and shook her head at the droid, her earrings clinking gently as she did so. Standing up again, the slave then set about finishing the work that she had started. Teela hung about, occasionally pushing some of the lighter boxes out of the door when they were able to get behind them.

Eventually the room was cleared. It was bare and had few amenities but it was now hers, courtesy of Aska. It was a strange feeling but quite exciting. There was a bed in this room which meant that she would be able to have more comfortable sleep than she had before, having been taking rest in the common areas since leaving Nar Shaddaa. Thanking the astromech for it's help clearing the mess, Ali turned her attention to getting herself clean. Like her owner, she had not had a chance to wash since they left Aska's apartment on Boonta Eve. In that time they'd gone to Nal Hutta and escaped with their lives, then returned to Nar Shaddaa and escaped with their lives a second time in quick succession. Now having put in a shift to clear out her quarters, Ali was becoming more self-conscious by the minute about her appearance and smell, which certainly had not been helped by being engulfed by the horrid swamp odors of Nal Hutta during their time there.

Ali head out of the room and walked to the communal bathroom followed closely by Teela. The astromech stopped when they reached it and allowed Ali to enter alone. Closing the door, the Togruta undressed and set about washing herself. The water wasn't particularly warm, it was likely that along with the engine issues there were a few quality of life problems that would need fixing too if they were going to stay on the ship for long periods. Having worked up a sweat cleaning the room though, Ali wasn't too bothered and the water helped her to cool down. It was relaxing just standing under the water, thinking about travelling to Zeltros and wondering what it would be like when they got there. As she washed, Ali started singing sweetly to herself. Clearly it was audible enough to the T7 droid outside who started to beep along with the tune.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Zeltros… The magenta and yellow planet rotated below the freighter as it struggled to approach it’s target, numerous vessels of varying shapes and sizes occupying the space lanes that would take the visitors to the surface and the world’s spaceports. Standing behind Kayto as he manned the ship’s controls, Aska surveyed the scene before with total bewilderment. Never before had she seen such a world of wonder. It was beautiful from above and she immediately surmised that the surface must have been much more exquisite.

”And so we have finally arrived…” the clone spoke softly, allowing her thoughts to escape her lips. A tugging sensation of sadness pulled at her heart, desperately wishing that Deskar and Quinri could be here to experience this with her but alas, they were no more. Instead, she was here with her new companions and while they were not the friends she had spent the last year bonding with, she still found a degree of pleasant satisfaction that both Alisaah and herself could come here and finally shrug off the past few weeks. They could finally relax. Tapping Kayto’s metallic shoulder, Aska soon moved to his right and took her seat in the co-pilot’s chair.

”I have spent the last hour trying to make contact with the port officials in an effort to prepare for our arrival. My efforts have been in vain, however,” Kayto stated as he activated the communications relay while keeping the ship back from the primary space lanes. ”Perhaps now that we are in orbit we can establish a connection,”

”Let’s give it a shot,” Aska responded, opening the channel that would connect them with the primary star ports. ”This is Aska Ryun attempting to contact the Elysium City port officials. We are approaching your world in a damaged freighter and are in need of emergency landing permission. We have a damaged thruster and are in risk of crash landing on the surface. Please respond,” Pausing for a moment, the clone looked over to Kayto as they awaited the response. What was seconds felt like hours.

”Perhaps the communications relay is damaged?” Kayto queried as he began to run a scan on the communications systems.. Shrugging slightly, Aska let off an exasperated sigh.

”If everything else about this piece of crap is any indication, you’re probably right,” But as the words were said, the comms came crackling to life.

”This is Port Administrator Kevrik L’Amara. You’ve picked a very unfortunate time for an emergency, Captain. Our star ports are fully occupied due to a conference being held by Blackwell Tech. We have no available landing platforms for your craft,” Chuckling, Aska turned back to the microphone and leaned in close.

”I only asked for permission to be polite, Administrator. We’re coming in one way or another and it isn’t by our choice. We have the means to make repairs ourselves but we would prefer to not get detained for landing in the city outskirts. So… You gonna be a generous man or what?”

”Polite, she says,” Kayto scoffed. ”That’s laughable,” Smirking at the droid, Aska tapped her fingers on the panel as she awaited a response.

”Very well,” L’Amara finally came back, a tone of irritation in his voice. ”I will dispatch two escort craft to bring you in should your engines suffer a total failure. You will remain in the ship until a security team and I have arrived to clear your craft of any potential threats.. L’Amara out,”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

After her shower, Ali met up with Teela who remained sitting outside. The pair decided it was time to find the others, having now completed the tasks set by Aska. They found the clone and Kayto sitting in the pilot's seats in the cockpit in the middle of a conversation with the port master. They could hear the conversation over the speakers. The man sounded professional but not particularly friendly. From what the Togruta heard of the discussion, it seemed that the information from the Holonet had been spot on. There was nowhere for them to land due to the conference and they would have to make an emergency landing.

Taking a seat behind her mistress, Ali sat and listened, taking in what was happening. The port master advised that two escort craft would see them in, but that they would need to wait onboard until they had been checked out by security. Ali did not think this would be too much of an issue and looked outside the window. Soon enough, the escort craft arrived. They were in much better condition than the freighter was, limping through space.

Another new voice crackled through on the communications relay.

"Aska Ryun, please follow my lead. Escort 2 will fall in behind. We will take you to the outskirts of the city before boarding" came the voice of an official sounding woman this time. Teela moved further into the cockpit, pulling up beside Alisaah's seat, turning to look out of the window as they watched the first escort ship move in front of them, beginning their journey to the planet surface.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Zeltros quickly proved itself to be everything Aska had expected and then some. As the ship made it’s descent into the world’s southern hemisphere and dropped past the cloud line, the magnificent oceans dominated the landscape, numerous small islands dotting the bodies of water while the larger primary continent spanned a massive length of shoreline, sandy beaches making up most of the transition from sea to land. The planet’s sun had begun to rise over the horizon and bathed much of what could be seen in a mesmerizing pink glow.

”Now this is more like it, hey kid?” Aska called back to the Togrutan sitting behind her, smiling as she took in as much of the scene as she could. Flipping a series of switches that began to bring the freighter on it’s downward trajectory, the clone soon noticed the city of Elysium beginning to grow along the coast lline. Boasting massive buildings of a stunning and curved architecture style, it was clear to Aska that this was a world unlike any other she had ever experienced. ”I don’t know if I’ll ever want to leave…”

Soon, the freighter touched down on the seemingly endless beach outside Elysium, smoke billowing up into the sky from the damaged thruster as the two escort fighters hovered above them. Ashamed that the ship was tainting this gorgeous world with it’s constant outpour of pollutants from it’s catastrophic failure, Aska spun in her chair to see the little astromech droid at Ali’s side.

”Alright, lugnut. Get to work on that engine. The sooner you can get it to stop belching smoke into the air, the better,” she ordered the droid as she pushed herself up from her seat and began to walk towards the ship’s common area, tapping Ali’s shoulder as she passed. ”Come with me,” Once in the gathering area, Aska began to place her arsenal on the table. Not just unholstering her SE-45 but removing the entire leather holster itself, followed by her two vibrodaggers and soon, her lightsaber.

”Take these and put them somewhere safe and hidden, Ali. As well as that blaster of yours. Since we’re in FWA territory, it’s probably better if we remain unarmed during our stay,” Aska ordered, turning to face the Togrutan and leaning backward on the table. ”Which leads to another point… Slavery isn’t legal in places such as this, I’m sure. You can’t be calling me Mistress here. It’ll bring some heat down on me that I really don’t need to deal with. Just.. call me Aska for the time being, alright?” As she made her request, the woman locked eyes with her companion to cement the point that she was sincere in her request but soon, a metallic rapping came from the boarding ramp door.

”This is Administrator L’Amara! Open up!”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The sights she saw through the window of the cockpit were unlike any she could remember. Ali instantly fell in love with Zeltros. The mirror-like quality of the oceans, the size and scale of the mountains, golden sandy beaches stretching for miles around the islands. It was like a paradise - no - it was paradise. Never in her waking memory had Ali seen a place so beautiful.

It took the Togruta a second to even realise that Aska had been talking. She only snapped out of her daze when her mistress tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to accompany her out into the common area. Teela had already started on its way out of the room, apparently mumbling in a form of droidspeak, possibly even cursing. Ali did not know why, but she supposed it had something to do with the way Aska had spoken to the droid.

Rising from her seat, the slave walked with her master back out of the cockpit. To her surprise, the clone began to strip herself of weaponry, then turning to Ali asked her to take all of the weapons, including the blaster that had once belonged to the Quarren on Nal Hutta, and hide them. It was a simple enough task, but even in the short time she'd known Aska Ryun, Ali was worried about if this was a good idea. They'd already gotten into so much trouble already, part of her felt that it could follow them to Zeltros and it may be unwise to be unarmed during their stay. However, as a lifelong slave she knew better than to disobey.

Before she could go and store the weapons, Aska added a further instruction. "Just.. call me Aska for the time being, alright?"

"Yes mistress... I-I mean... Aska" responded Ali, slipping up already. This was not going to be easy. Her whole life she had been conditioned to call her owner nothing other than master or mistress. If their name were to be used, it was always preceded by master or mistress. Furthermore, she could not understand why accompanying her owner would be an issue. She had been able to go anywhere that Hota Zugg had taken her. Was Aska ashamed of owning a slave?

The Togruta went back to her quarters with the weapons and stowed them beneath the mattress of the bed, all the while thinking about what Aska had just told her. When she returned to the common area Ali spoke.

"If you think I would be too much trouble I can always stay on the ship mistress" she said with an upset tone in her voice, "I don't want to make things worse than they already are. You should be having fun."

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Moving to allow L’Amara access to the freighter’s interior, Ali’s return brought Aska to a halt as her hand hovered over the activation panel. The slave’s words told Aska all she needed to know, that by asking her to keep the fact that she was a slave had somehow led her to believe that her presence here was not wanted, but the tone of those words revealed much more. More in the sense that the Togrutan had been hurt by the request. That she clearly did not understand that life away from much of the Outer Rim was vastly different from the life she had experienced. Sighing, Aska stepped back from the panel and ignored the demands of the Administrator on the other side.

”It’s not like that, kid. I promise. Anywhere that overgrown slug had taken you before… Or that other master, for that matter… They would have been worlds that slavery is common. The closer you get to the core, the more… civilized… society becomes. Slavery is illegal in much of the galaxy. I’d be arrested, charged and thrown in prison for possessing you. So unless you’re prepared to become a free woman and venture off on your own…?” Aska knew that the last statement was going to be an unwelcome one for Ali. She knew that life on her own was entirely too frightening for her and she knew she would refuse. Allowing a slight pause for Ali to consider what she said, Aska continued before she could actually respond. ”Exactly. So just do as I ask. Besides, I want you to come and see this place with me. You and I both could use the distraction. Now, be silent and let me do the talking,” With a smirk and a wink, Aska then turned back to the panel and activated it, bringing the boarding ramp door alive with an electronic whir to reveal two men and a woman, both in official looking garments. Not surprising considering their role in Elysium but despite doing her research prior to landing, their scarlet skin was far more mesmerizing than she had anticipated.

”Keeping me waiting is not a good start, Captain…” Kevrik stated coldly, his hands interlocked behind him as he stood with a stoic demeanor. Aska simply smirked in response, brushing her bangs with her fingers.

”What? You don’t see that smoke?” Aska laughed, leaning on the wall beside her. ”There was a fire I had to deal with before I could allow your grace on board,” Her tone oozed with sarcasm, of course. Aska was not one to be so cordial, a fact that Kayto clearly recognized as a loud huff could be heard from the cockpit. Kevrik, too, was dissatisfied with her response as his eyes narrowed in on her own before forcing his way passed the woman and into the freighter with his two pilots in tow.

”You two, begin your search for any illegal contraband,” The Zeltros commanded, to which they both complied and immediately set about the task. Turning his attention back to Aska, Kevrik gave the woman a once over. ”I must say, you’re not what I was expecting,” The statement warranted a cocked eyebrow from the clone though her smirk never diminished.

”Sorry to disappoint?” Pushing off from the wall, Aska moved further into the main chamber and sat herself down on one of the couches near Ali, motioning for Kevrik to follow suit. ”I mean, this clearly isn’t some Senator’s pleasure yacht,” L’Amara allowed himself a short chuckle as he sat himself opposite Aska, though he now was scanning over Alisaah. Gritting her teeth while trying to appear calm, she soon found herself wishing she had demanded the slave change into some more appropriate clothing. However, a smile soon began to form on the Zeltron’s lips.

”No, I would say not. But you do have the look of a pirate,” Soon after, the man stood and approached Ali, taking her hand in his own before placing a soft kiss above her knuckles. ”You, however, are an exquisite sight to behold. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, m'lady?”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

When Aska responded, it became clearer why she had requested Ali to just call her by her name, but it was still against the Togruta's years of conditioning. She was about to uncharacteristically argue the point that there would be no need for Aska to be identified as a slave owner or punished if Ali simply remained on the ship, but was cut off when her mistress told her to do as she asked because she wanted her to come with her. Bowing her head, she indicated that the message had been received and that she would comply. Ali felt guilty, not because she thought she had upset Aska this time, but because all of this was against everything she had ever been made to do. The slave was already formulating ideas in her head about ways to avoid calling Aska by her name.

Moments later the clone had opened the doors to the ship and invited the Zeltros security detail on board. They were all very smartly dressed and attractive with subtle different shades of red skin and blue or black hair. They were exactly as you might have expected from the data on the Holonet. Their leader instructed the other two to search the ship for illegal contraband. Ali began to worry whether they might find the weapons hidden under her bed moments before. Likewise, they had never really checked the full contents of the crates outside her quarters. Her mind drifted towards this and hoped desperately that Zugg's men had not left any items onboard that would get them into trouble.

During this time, Aska had moved closer to Ali and taken a seat in the main chamber next to where the Togruta was standing. L'Amara had followed and joined the clone in seating. Suddenly, Alisaah became quite aware that both her mistress and the Zeltrons eyes were on her. She had no idea that Aska was regretting allowing Ali to remain in her slave dancer's outfit, but it seemed that did not matter either way. L'Amara appeared to be quite taken by her and her appearance.

He rose from his seat, took Ali's hand and kissed her knuckles, complimenting how she looked and asked for her name.

"I am Alisaah, sir" she said. Her eyes darting quickly to Aska, seeking some reassurance from her mistress. The Togruta wasn't sure if she should be bowing to this man or not. She felt very awkward and uncomfortable not knowing if what she was saying and doing was right or wrong anymore.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska couldn’t hide the cringe of her facial features as Kevrik spoke to Alisaah. Men, it seemed, were the same regardless of their species or social standing. Then again, at least he had more couth than the Coruscanti brawler Poffo. On the other hand, at least with Sauvage the man was who he was and nothing else. She couldn’t put her finger on it but this Zeltron gave her the impression he had more sides than a decagon prism.

”Such a beautiful name for an alluring and exotic young woman,” Kevrik replied, smiling at Alisaah as he released her hand and took a step back. ”I am Administrator Kevrik L’Amara but please, call me Kevrik. It’s an absolute delight to make your acquaintance,” the Zeltron continued with a curt nod of his head.

”Sorry to interrupt, Kevrik, but-“ Aska began but L’Amara quickly interjected with a stern expression.

”No. You may refer to me as Administrator L’Amara and nothing else,” Rolling her eyes, Aska mouthed profanities towards the man as he returned his attention to the Togrutan. Still, it was nice that for once she wasn’t on the receiving end of a man’s base desires. Poor Ali…

”Oh, my sincerest apologies,” Aska spat, not even trying to hide her disdain with the man. ”But you had mentioned earlier that there is some sort of a… conference or something?” As she spoke, Aska stood from her place on the couch and moved herself in between Alisaah and the Administrator in an effort to keep the man beyond arm’s reach of the slave girl. Clearly disgruntled by her actions, Kevrik scowled at the human woman and locked his hands behind his back once more.

”Yes, hence why my presence here is necessary. Influential citizens of the galaxy have gathered on our world to see the latest developments from Blackwell Technologies and while under normal circumstances your unplanned arrival would be grudgingly permitted, I am under strict orders to ensure the safety of said visitors,”

”Ah, and a clearly damaged freighter is obviously a threat on a global scale,” Aska laughed.

”I am simply following protocol, which is something I have no doubt is entirely foreign to a spacer such as yourself,”

”Administrator! We’ve found someth- Hey! Back off!” The cry came from the direction of the dormitories and soon, the male pilot emerged from the hall as he tugged on the butt of what was clearly recognizable as Aska’s SE-45, the astromech Teela tugging on the barrel of the weapon with one of it’s claw-like extremities while screeching outward in it’s binary language. Behind them, the female pilot could soon be seen with both Aska’s vibrodaggers as well as Alisaah’s K-16 as she chuckled at her partner’s struggle. Still, it was clear that the gig was up… Turning back to Aska with a steely glare of condescension and determination, L’Amara advanced toward’s her. For the first time, she realised just how tall the Zeltron was. Still, as he towered over her the clone simply locked stares with the man and refused to show any fear. Besides, they hadn’t found the one weapon that was truly worth dismay. The lightsaber was not present.

”Captain Yuri… Care to tell me where you found these weapons?” L’Amara requested of the female pilot as he stared down at Aska.

”The astromech had rolled into what was a seemingly empty room, sir, but once we followed it inside, it was digging around under the mattress. We can only assume it was hiding these weapons for it’s Master,” The pilot did a great job at remaining professional but as the male pilot finally succeeded in ripping the pistol away from Teela, a smirk grew on her face.

”Well then… Captain Ryun, would you like to explain as to why your droid was so concerned in hiding your weapons from us?”

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah watched the face of the man as he returned her hand. This was the kind of attention she was used to getting from guests to her former master's palace. She had been his favourite slave girl, tasked with entertaining and delighting visitors and business associates alike. There hadn't been much since leaving Zugg's service that she was familiar with, but the look behind his eyes was. As flattering as male attention could be at times, the wrong kind got old very fast and this was in the latter category.

The Togruta didn't say anything in response because her mistress had chosen to speak, only to be rudely interrupted herself by L'Amara. Apparently there was one rule for Alisaah and another for Aska - something the slave could not figure out. At Zugg's palace, he commanded the respect of any of his guests, whether it was genuine admiration or simply fear. This Zeltron was giving Aska no respect whatsoever. The slave's brow furrowed and as she was about to say something, there was another interruption.

Struggling and fighting with the male Zeltron pilot for control over what appeared to be Aska's SE-45 came Teela. Alisaah's heart sank and the colour drained from her face. She had hidden those weapons away and believed them to be safe - why was the astromech interfering with them? Her question was soon answered when Captain Yuri explained that the Zeltron pilots had followed the T7 into the dormitory and found it rummaging under the mattress. She supposed Teela had been trying to help her find a more robust hiding place but had just gotten unlucky.

Before Aska could start answering L'Amara, Ali plucked up all of her courage and picked up from where she had intended to start only seconds earlier.

"Excuse me, Mr. L'Amara. I would prefer if you did not speak to my... friend that way. Treat her with respect, we're both guests to your world" she said, trying very hard not to slip up and accidentally refer to Aska as her mistress, "Also, you'd be better off asking me about the weapons. I hid them. They don't have anything to do with... anyone else."

She did not break eye contact with the Administrator, but was quite desperate to. She felt very uncomfortable and wanted reassurance that her mistress would be okay, even if Alisaah herself wasn't. As a slave, she was used to punishment, it was not something she wanted for her new owner.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun