Ask Nar Shaddaa The Auction

[Alisaah Tila]

OOC - BEFORE POSTING PLEASE READ INFO IN THE SPOILER

Spoiler: BEFORE POSTING PLEASE READ

This thread is to determine the owner of a slave character, in character, as part of the story. There is an RP planning thread ( HERE ) in which I will be deciding who the eventual owner will be OOC. Anyone who wants their player character to purchase Alisaah must post in the planning thread, responding to my criteria, so that I may make an informed decision about the character/roleplayer I choose to involve her with moving forward. Once I've made a decision it will be posted in the RP planning thread for everyone to be aware. The general idea I had for this thread is that a few interested parties might join to bid on her in an auction style scenario, with the chosen player's character out-bidding the others at the end. I'm happy for there to be other shenanigans taking place amongst everyone else so long as it does not derail the main aim of the thread or go against what has been planned.

Thank you,
Bex

Clink... Clink... Clink...

Nar Shaddaa, with it's sprawling urban landscape, was often a loud, noisy place. Music pumping from the speakers in clubs, speeders racing through the streets, the sound of hundreds of conversations being held by passers by. It seemed strange then that throughout all of this, the sound of chains could be heard as a young Togruta was escorted from a land speeder by four heavily armed guards towards a bazaar. Stranger still was that nobody appeared to be doing anything to stop this happening. On this planet, in this area, this was par for the course.

Any onlookers would have been able to tell, judging by the look on her face that the Togruta was intimidated though by what it was not easy to tell. It could have been the guards, it could have been the restraints, it could have been the masses of people scattered about the place. Anybody that knew Alisaah Tila however, would have known that the source of her discomfort was a fear of the unknown over all else. Today was the day that Hota Zugg, her master, would be auctioning her to a new owner.

The Togruta was a slave. She had been all of her life. Whilst the restraints and armed guards were intimidating, she was at the very least used to their presence. Alisaah was even used to the odd glances she was receiving from certain onlookers owing to the outfit selected by her soon to be former master. As a dancer, the more attractive the slave the more likely they would make a good profit - something that Zugg desperately needed. Having racked up huge debts to other Hutts and crime lords he was selling off his assets to raise funds.

As the party approached the bazaar, the hulking great Hutt came into view, surrounded by yet more bodyguards.

"Ahhh, Alisaah my darling, it breaks my heart to know this may be the last time we ever meet" crooned the Hutt, waving her escort aside and pulling her closer to him. Whilst most people would have recoiled, this again was something the young woman was used to having been Zugg's servant for five years. Those five years would have been awful for a free person to contemplate but for Alisaah, compared to her time with the Zygerrian slavers, it had been almost like being rescued. In a perverse way, Zugg had done her a big favour and, she supposed, there were probably much worse owners out there than him even if he was a disgusting, overweight slug.

"I know master, I'm worried about leaving too..." she said timidly. The Hutt began to move around her, circling Alisaah in order to inspect her before he continued talking.

"There is no need for you to be concerned girl" he said, "You should console yourself in the knowledge that I will be happy with the funds you raise for me today. Think of it as your final service to me."

This of course was not what anybody in her situation would have wanted to hear. The butterflies in her stomach were only getting worse because she dread the thought of who she may next end up with. She knew better than to expect sympathy from anyone however. She was a slave, a possession, a commodity to be traded. It did not matter what she felt.

"Come - we must register you for auction my darling" instructed the Hutt, slithering onward and leaving Alisaah to her armed escort once more, who picked up her chains and pulled her into the bazaar. The structure was enormous and the noise inside was loud. All kinds of activity was happening inside but this was not your regular market. Instead of stalls selling food, tools or medical supplies, she saw weapons, drugs and counterfeit goods. There were animals from all reaches of the galaxy locked in cages and, she noted as they approached the auction house, cages which also contained slaves, just like her. "We are no different than animals" she thought to herself.

Her guards pulled her inside as Hota Zugg spoke directly with the auctioneer - a Zygerrian. Alisaah shuddered, causing the golden tassels of her outfit to shake and clink. The Zygerrian noticed and gave an evil smile. Finishing up his conversation with the Hutt he approached her, inspecting her just as Zugg had if not in a more intrusive way. "Excellent Hota, simply excellent... this is a fine specimen and if I'm not mistaken, she was previously processed back on Zygerria by our slavers?" said the auctioneer, giving Alisaah another smirk as he pulled her mouth open to inspect her teeth.

"Ho ho, indeed she was" was the Hutt's reply, "Nothing gets passed you!"

"Yes... one doesn't forget their time on Zygerria, do they... slave?" growled the auctioneer, staring directly into Alisaah's eyes before releasing her from his grasp and cackling to himself under his breath, "Well Hota I have good news for you. You've brought me a young, female Togruta in excellent health and physical condition, a dancer who is exotic and mysterious to behold and to top it all off, she's already been through the most thorough slave processing regime in the galaxy. You're easily looking at 30,000 credits, if not more, for this one..."

"This is a little less than I had hoped" said Zugg, "But not a bad start. It will be up to you now to raise my profits further, darling Alisaah."

Alisaah looked timidly at her soon to be former master and nodded. The time was getting closer and her nerves were building. She would normally have spoken but the occasion was starting to get to her.

 

[Aska Ryun]

"I thought the debt between us was settled, Boola! You can't just keep calling on me to deal with your shit!" Aska exclaimed as she slunk further into the couch in her drab apartment. Before her, a hologram of the Rodian woman glowed in the dark atmosphere. Darkness was all she wanted. Darkness and solitude. Instead, she found herself once again being pestered by the Rodian who had once been what could nearly be assumed as a nemesis.

"Settled? No, no not at all. You've repaid me for the stolen bounty, yes. But there is still the damage to my bar, the loss of how many of my men that you've killed, the damages to my ship, plus the delivery to Coruscant still hasn't take-"

"Hey! The delivery was your fault! You were the one who called it off because of the attack from the Sith!" Aska spat as she sat upward. It was indescribable how irritated she was becoming with this slug and Boola knew it judging the coy grin that began to grow on her tube-like mouth. "Don't you have some other moron muscle head that can deal with this?" Waving her hand to the emptiness of her apartment in an exaggerated display, the woman quickly reached downward and snapped the drink from her table up before pouring it's contents into her mouth, placing the empty glass back down rather harshly.

"What part of 'you killed my men' did you struggle understanding, girl?" Crossing her arms now, Boola didn't allow Aska the opportunity to respond. "Now you do this for me, and we can discuss considering your debt settled. And possibly some proper business ventures in the future, even," Frustration finally got the better of Aska as she let out a long and drawn out sigh before slinking back into her couch. Bringing her thumb and middle finger to her temples, Aska closed her eyes and rubbed the sides of her head in a vain effort to soothe her anger.

"For f*ck sakes.... Alright, fine. What do you need me to do now?"

"A Hutt colleague of my employers by the name of Hota Zugg has accrued massive debts both within the Hutt Cartels as well as with our own organization. Our intel indicates that he is auctioning off his assets to settle some of these discrepancies but by our estimation, he isn't going to be able to raise enough to pay both us and his own families. Naturally, we will be placed on the back burner and should he regain the confidence of his own people then any effort we put forward to collect from him will be stone walled by the Hutt Cartel. What we need from you is for you to infiltrate this auction and collect our payment. Establishing an assurance of our payment down the line is also an acceptable route should it be strong enough collateral to guarantee Zugg's word,"

"Oh, that's all? Gee, that shouldn't be complicated," Aska blurted, sarcasm drenching each word as they were said. Sitting up, the woman pulled a cigarra from the pack on her table then proceeded to light it before tossing the igniter back on the table. "Whatever, when is this auction going down?"

"Within the hour. I've already dispatched Kayto to retrieve you and bring you to the old embassy where the bazaar is being held. The droid will arrive momentarily. Be prepared," With that, the hologram dissipated and left Aska alone in the dark apartment once again. Finally. Once again, darkness and solitude.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

There was still some time before Alisaah was to be auctioned. Zugg had waited for a particularly large auction to be run in the hopes that the larger crowds would attract more potential buyers for the assets he had to sell that day. Indeed there were many of them, ranging from ornate weapons, jewels, top of the range vehicles, you name it and Zugg was attempting to sell. Most of these items had likely been acquired illegally to begin with, as was the way with Hutts and others involved with organised crime, but he was desperate to pay off his debts and it very much showed. There was no way that Zugg would have parted with any of these assets were he still in good standing with the cartel and no sale exemplified this more than Alisaah. She was the only one of his slaves to be auctioned that day and that was because she was the only one left of any value. Of all his slaves she had been his number one, prized possession and he had kept hold of her as long as he could until he was forced to sell. It reinforced the strange affection the Togruta had for the best master she'd had and made this situation a lot harder for her to process.

After Alisaah had finished being valuated by the Zygerrian, he had stamped the back of her hand, rather forcefully with an auction number. It had hurt but she tried her best not to show weakness in front of him. She did not want him to have that satisfaction. Zugg and his bodyguards were then given instructions of where they should take Alisaah and at roughly what time the auction would begin the sale of slaves. Zugg approached Alisaah this time and picked up the golden chain that acted as her leash.

"You shall follow me now..." he said with a slight sinister tone to his voice before the bodyguards surrounded them once more and they left the room through a different doorway, heading further inside the complex. The Togruta complied, walking behind her master as best she could. It had always been a little tricky doing this as she had to avoid stepping on Zugg's tail and compared with his slug-like figure, she was relatively tall and particularly leggy.

He took her to what appeared to be some kind of executive lounge. It would clearly be a while before slaves would be presented to the auction and it seemed that Zugg had somehow managed to wangle a luxury waiting area for the meantime, likely calling in a favour or just asserting his now waning reputation for what could be the last time. This seemed very strange to Alisaah. Back on Zygerria the slaves were kept in cages waiting to be sold, not stationed in lavish places like this.

"Yes... this room will do fine" came Zugg's voice as he inspected it, giving her chain to one of the bodyguards, "Alisaah, you will remain here with me until it is time for you to be sold. I will not have a trophy slave of your quality locked in a cage where your true qualities cannot be exhibited properly. I expect to get a big price for you and I will not have any slave handler interfering with you before the auction."

"Thank you, master" she replied, "Of all the previous times I've been sold, that's the most considerate anyone has ever been."

"Do not take it to heart" was the response from Zugg, "My consideration exists only for the amount I'll be paid for you today. If your value was not in your beauty you would be caged up like other slaves... No... you are an ornament and will no longer be anything else until I get my money..."

These were cold words, but nothing Alisaah was not used to. She supposed his reasoning made sense. If she was just left in a cage somewhere he would not be able to flaunt her to potential buyers and, knowing how slavers act, would run the risk of them mistreating his property before she was sold.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

"Is that it? Is that the embassy?" The young clone asked the droid as she spun the cigarra in her fingers while the droid piloted speeder cruised through the airways of one of the ritzier sectors of the Smuggler's Moon. Other craft buzzed to and from the intricately designed building she pointed too, flood lights casting their blinding glow on the yellow hued steel while mobs of citizens flooded the courtyard before the ascending staircase that led up to the massive doorways. If she were a high ranking member of a criminal organization on the near-lawless moon, this was a place she would choose to conduct her business. Right in the open sight of the citizens that had no possible opportunity on reaching the echelon of society that entrance would require.

"Yes, Mistress. This is the location my Master has instructed me to deliver you too. Have you made your preparations for gaining entry?" Kayto replied as he kept their speeder a safe distance away. Remaining silent, Aska pulled a set of binocs up from her feet before scanning the building and it's perimeter. Of course she hadn't made any sort of preparations. She had only just accepted this job, after all. There was no opportunity for recon and as such, would be going in blind. All she knew was that she was searching for a Hutt, though that in itself may have proven to be an advantage. As she surveyed the flowing current of sentients, only one Hutt was among them. Surrounded by guards of varying species though in his company was also a young Togrutan woman dressed in ornate yet revealing clothing, the Hutt shared conversation with a member of species that Aska was not yet familiar. It didn't take long, however, before the Hutt and his entourage soon made their way within the grand architecture. "Mistress?" Still ignoring her droid chauffer, Aska determined that sneaking in the front door was far from possible. The security was tighter than an old Imperial battle station and ensured she would be captured and interrogated as soon as she tried to gain entry. Instead, she turned the binocs upwards towards the higher levels of the embassy. Windows lined its walls and every fifth space was an interruption with patio doors and an elegant balcony decorated with flowing vine-like flora.

"The higher level patios seem to have minimal security," Aska thought out loud as she continued to take in the scene before her. "I can see the odd guard here and there but for the most part, they appear to be undefended,"

"Perhaps there is a security system in place?"

"Hm, most likely. Still, my chances will be better there than the front door. Swing the speeder around back and bring me in close to one of the top floor patios,"

Mere moments passed before Aska's feet touched down on the smooth stone that was the floor of the selected balcony, Kayto hovering only a couple feet away. Taking one last pull from her cigarra, Aska soon flicked the burning ember over the edge, watching it for a moment as it began it's long descent to the surface. Turning her attention back to Kayto, Aska pulled her SE-45 from it's holster and pulled her hood up over the back half of her head.

"Fall back to a safe location, Kayto. Keep the transmitter on and be ready for my signal. I'll likely be high tailing it out of this shit hole with security on my ass,"

"As you wish, Mistress Ryun. Do be careful,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Once Zugg had gotten himself comfortable within the executive lounge, the armed guards that had been accompanying their party dispersed and took up positions both inside and outside of the room. Two of them went and stood outside the door to the room, another pair lent against the wall on the inside of the door and the remaining couple stood either side of Zugg who was now sitting on a large couch-like seat. There was a large screen opposite which appeared to be showing what was currently happening in the main auction chamber.

Alisaah stood exactly where she had been left, having not been invited to do anything else. Looking over to her the Hutt waved a fat arm and gestured for her to approach him.

"Come, girl, adorn me with your presence one last time" he grunted, his tail curling and uncurling alongside him on the seat. He pointed towards the floor in front of him before reaching for the mouthpiece of a strange pipe that sat beside the seat. The Togruta strode over, the golden chain clinking and rattling as she did so and took a seat on the floor in front of her master. "Watch now and prepare yourself for your immediate future. I expect you to keep your composure, any display of weakness in front of the crowd is unacceptable. You must prove your resilience to impress buyers. They do not want a dancer who gets shy in front of people" he informed her, blowing a ring of smoke into the room.

Alisaah turned her head to the screen without responding to the Hutt. What she could see was a panoramic shot of the main auction chamber. It had stands on each side of the room that enabled the hundreds of attendees to observe the goods for sale which were placed on a platform in the center which would rise when the crowd was bidding. The auctioneer himself stood on a smaller, remote controlled platform which would hover around in the center of the room, announcing the item and giving background behind it, describing to the attendees the items worth. Small floating camera probes could be seen in the picture, evidently these were how Zugg and Alisaah were able to view what was happening from their waiting room. It appeared that the bidders would enter their price into datapads and the highest bidders would show on the datapad built into the auctioneers platform.

At the time they were watching, the auctioneer was selling a modified swoop bike that had been painted by a renowned artist. Alisaah was surprised by the amounts that the items were selling for. She knew, based on the Zygerrian's valuation that her worth was approximately 30,000 credits but some of these items were going for the same or higher prices. She didn't understand how a person could be valued in the same way as a vehicle like the swoop bike, but then she supposed she wasn't meant to understand it either. Being a slave was all she'd ever known to do and it had been drilled into her for years. It was her lot in life and she knew not to rock the boat.

When the swoop bike sold, Zugg let out a hearty chuckle, "Ho ho ho... a fine sum for an old bucket of bolts... goes to show what people are willing to pay for art. Perhaps we should have had you painted, darling Alisaah..."

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

The halls of the old embassy had proven to be just as elegant, if not more so, than the exterior as Aska quietly moved her way through. Statues and busts of historical figures she did not recognize lined the walls in a deliberate pattern while exotic and beautiful plants weaved through the durasteel lattice of the high ceilings, their giant blossoms of varying colors and patterns descending in search of the light cast from the fixtures secured above the statues. Never had she believed such a construct could be found on the slum moon of Nar Shaddaa and yet here the young woman was sneaking around it's exquisiteness with malicious intention.

As she progressed further into the complex with no real sense of direction on where she was headed, a fact that she knew she would be dealing with considering her minimal time for preparation, Aska knew a plan was needed. Access to the facilities layout. Access to a security console. Now she wished the droid was here with here more than ever.

"Kayto," Aska harshly whispered into her communicator. "Kayto, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Mistress. What is it you require?" he responded momentarily.

"Is there any information you can transmit me on the lay out of this place? A map, old maintenance files, anything,"

"One moment while I search Master Boola's records," As she waited for the droid to find the information, Aska ducked into an empty lounge where a giant screen was displaying the auction that had begun. The auctioneer could be seen floating across a large audience chamber while an intricately painted swoop was being displayed on a center and stationary platform. As the man bellowed out incredible prices of bids from the viewers, Aska stood up in awe at the bike.

"Oh wow," she began. "I would love to get my hands on that piece of work,"

"Mistress, I've transmitted you a holo of the embassy from old architectural records of the Nar Shaddaa government. I've also pinpointed your location through our transmission connection and added it to the display," Kayto interrupted. Holding her datapad ahead of her, the hologram jumped to life with a blue glow before her, spinning slowly. A red dot indicating her location in the facility could be seen towards the top floor.

"Perfect, Kayto. Now, can you highlight the nearest security consoles?"

"A moment.... There,"

In addition to the red beacon displaying her location, several blue beacons began to flash within the display. Fortunately, one was only a short distance away. Now all she needed to do was reach the console and access the records prior to the auction and they would hopefully shed some light on where Zugg would be overseeing the sale of his expansive estate then make her way towards him...

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah continued watching the auction at the foot of her master's seat. It seemed to be that this part of the auction was centred mainly on vehicles. After the swoop bike had been sold, an antique Seraph-class urban landspeeder from the planet Naboo went up for auction. The auctioneer explained that in a place like Nar Shaddaa, this speeder was in it's element, enabling driver and passengers to get smoothly around the streets with plenty of speed even now. Zugg would intermittently blow a ring of smoke out in front of them both which would dissipate after momentarily obstructing view of the screen.

"And how much do you think this item would cost, Alisaah?" he gurgled, taking another puff of his pipe. There was a smirk on his wide Hutt face which she would not have seen as he was perched directly behind her.

The Togruta took in a breath as she considered answering. It was unfair to ask her this question. She knew nothing about speeders, having never had the freedom to drive or own one herself. She wouldn't have known about makes, models, their specifications, the history, the terrain they covered best or how they were made. To her, it was just a green speeder and the only time she might ever get to ride in one is if her master or mistress took her out in one. There was one thing she could deduce from the images on the screen however, this one was not painted.

"I... I'm not really sure master Hota, it isn't painted exciting colours like the last one and they said it was old so... I guess it won't be as much" she said, feeling a little humiliated. It was almost as if she were a child being taught something for the first time.

"Indeed... an astute observation" replied the Hutt, his grotesque grin still visible on his face. At that moment, one of Zugg's guards from just inside the door opened it to allow somebody into the room. A Duros male entered and was allowed to approach the Hutt and his slave.

"Apologies for interrupting" he said. Alisaah turned her head to get a good look at the man at the same time Zugg did. "You requested a report on the recent deals you asked us to set up for you."

"Ahhh... what do you have for me Alzon?" nodded Zugg in a knowing fashion before briefly turning his attention back to Alisaah for a second, "Avert your gaze girl, go back to watching the auction..."

Alisaah did as she was told. Turning her head back to the screen she saw the Seraph speeder had been sold to a rather rotund Gran male who looked quite pleased with his purchase.

"Some mixed updates for you. We have made good progress in our attempts to sell information to the Sith regarding some of our rivals in the Hutt Cartel, but bargaining with the New Republic is proving to be more difficult... they say that they do not wish to trade with criminals" said Alzon, "I am trying to assure them that you are no criminal sir, but a socially responsible business man..."

"To be expected I suppose" replied Zugg, "The Sith have always been more open minded. They understand business, you see? The Republic, well, you only need to look into history to know that they are fools too busy squabbling with each other over democracy and morality to conduct business effectively... but good, keep trying to wear them down."

"As you wish" said the male Duros, "I thought you may also wish to see the price the Sith were willing to pay for your information..." The two then went silent as Alzon showed Zugg a datapad. It must have been good news as Zugg clapped and gave a chuckle.

"This is excellent progress Alzon, if we are able to increase funds selling this information to the Republic, we'll be able to settle enough debt to get back on terms with the Cartel and you my blue friend, will be rewarded..." smiled the Hutt.

Alisaah knew not to disobey her master's orders by looking around a second time. She tried to continue watching the auction but she found it difficult knowing that a conversation was happening right behind her. It didn't make much sense to her who or what the Sith were and she had only heard about the New Republic from people her master had asked her to entertain back at his palace. Whatever was going on, it sounded like it was a good thing, otherwise her master would not have sounded so pleased.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

"Oh come on, just give mama what she wants," Aska whispered as she proceeded to scan the files she had accessed through the security terminal. Already finding information on some of the objects Zugg had been planning on selling here today such as the speeder she had witnessed, she knew she was getting close to locating some more tangible information but the security encryptions continued to prove a complication she struggled with maneuvering around. It had been quite some time since she had gone through any slicing training back in the labs of Coruscant but by design or simply by who she was created to be, the skills began to return naturally. "Speeder... Speeder... A walker? Heh, seems Zugg the Slug built himself quite the little militia force," Pulling and lighting a cigarra from her jacket pocket, Aska let the smoke sit in her lips as she continued to read the display while carefully analyzing each item in hopes of finding some sort of sign of incriminating information or preferably, an indication of the Hutt's current whereabouts. As she began to access files on some of the weapon caches that would be auctioned off soon, the security console began to beep while a red light indicated an out-going transmission from further within the facility. "And what do we have here?" Aska whispered as she connected to the in-use channel.

"Alzon, I was beginning to wonder if I would be hearing from you again," The voice coming through the comm cracked from the poor connection, an indication that this was likely a long range transmission.

"My apologies for the delay, m'lord. It has been a busy few days on my end but I have just finished convening with Master Zugg in regards to our business arrangements,"

"Get to the point, fool. What sort of tangible information have you brought me?" Continuing to eavesdrop on the conversation, an instinctual feeling in the pit of Aska's gut. This was going to be important in some way so connecting her datapad to the terminal, she began to record the interaction.

"My Master wishes to inform you and your Sith Empire that a convoy of transports belonging to his cousin will soon be departing Nal Hutta with a shipment of both men and weapons to reinforce one of their hidden enclaves on Corellia. They will be travelling the Nanth'ri Route and will have minimal defenses to keep any sort of New Republic attention away, hoping to pose as honest traders,"

"This is all you can bring me? Troop movements of a crumbling criminal empire?" the voice on the other end of the transmission showed signs of irritation with this Alzon character. "If you wish this arrangement to continue, we will need something more,"

"Of course there is more... These men are being shipped out with the intention on spear-heading a raid on fringe freighters of your scouting parties. They will be looking to secure one of these ships for further operations that will require attention be shifted away from the Cartel and with an Imperial vessel, any attacks they commence on other criminal organizations will be blamed on your forces,"

"Ahhh... How clever. Stupid, but clever. Very well. We will be ready for them. You have my thanks, Alzon,"

As the transmission was cut, Aska let out a short chirp of pride. She now had what she needed.

"Kayto, I've got what we came for. Transmitting to you now," As she unplugged her datapad from the terminal and proceeded to send the conversation recording to the droid, the woman began to exit out of the terminal when something caught her eye. The auction was soon going to be moving from vehicles to the slaves that it's clients had put up for sale and at the top of the list was a young and beautiful Togrutan woman, likely the one she had witnessed walking behind Zugg in chains through the courtyard.

"Very good, Mistress. I shall return to the balcony to retrieve you," Closing her eyes, Aska let off a long sigh as a sense of guilt tugged at her heart. Not more than a week ago, Quinri had explained to Aska how members of her species were often sold into slavery and that their destiny was very rarely fortunate. She shouldn't have cared about a stranger but she was haunted by the thought of what would happen to her friend should she have been in such a position and seeing this young woman's image on the display reminded her that it was a true fact of life for many. Had Quinri been here, she likely would have been heart broken to see this woman in such a position.

"I'm going to regret this..." Aska whispered to herself before bringing the communicator back up to her mouth. "Hold off for a moment. There's something else I need to do,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

After their conversation the male Duros had left the executive lounge on Zugg's orders. The Hutt turned his attention back to the screen and Alisaah. Reaching down, he grabbed the golden chain which acted as the Togruta's leash and tugged it, lightly to indicate she should stand up.

"Come Alisaah, join me upon my throne..." he instructed. This was not a wholly unusual demand. Alisaah and various other dancers had frequently been asked to sit in close proximity to their master as a show of power and dominance. She gingerly climbed up onto the seat, ensuring not to accidentally step on him or hit him with the various tassels that adorned her body. Once seated the Hutt then coiled his tail around her. The sensation was not new to her but was always strange. It felt like she was being lightly wrapped in warm leather.

"It is such a shame that you must go Alisaah" said Zugg in contemplation, "Were I not in need of the funds you provide I would most certainly not have considered selling a prize such as yourself. You are a feast to the eyes and dance better than any I have seen in the palaces of my family... but alas, business is business and once I regain my wealth, I shall find a replacement and they will be even more exquisite..."

Alisaah found that Zugg would do this from time to time. She understood that she had been his favourite of all the slaves he had owned, which at times had created problems for her, but more often than not had saved the other slaves from having to spend increased time with the Hutt. What was a little more confusing to her, however, was how at times he would speak to her as though she were something precious to him, then back to treating her as a servant soon after. Alisaah supposed there was some truth to the strange affection he showed, if it could even be called that, but only in as much as he admired her like a woman might admire a particularly beautiful piece of jewelry. An item, which though it has some sentimental value, is only truly valued by the way it looks and the way it has been created. She had been there, like an accessory, to make her master look good.

A little while after Alzon had originally left, the male Duros had returned, evidently concluding the business Zugg had asked him to conduct. The Hutt waved his fat arm to him, gesturing for Alzon to take a seat and join them whilst they watched the auction on screen. The auctioneer was now attempting to sell the walker. Owing to its sheer size a hologram was being projected into the auction chamber instead.

"Your work as of late has been exemplary, Alzon" said Zugg, full of praise for his lieutenant, "... and I believe you deserve a dance from Alisaah in thanks. After all, it is the last time you may ever see her perform..."

Snapping his fingers to one of his guards, he had them turn on some music which was just loud enough for them to still hear what was happening on the screen. Stroking Alisaah's arm lightly with the end of his tail, Zugg lightly pushed her to her feet and pointed in the middle of the floor, between himself, Alzon and the screen on the wall. The music could only be described as ambient - the sort of music that would be played in the background of a dinner party perhaps, so that people could still have a conversation. Without hesitation, the young Togruta began to dance - performing for her master and his associate for what would be the final time.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

After pulling up the information from the security terminal of the Togrutan slave woman, Aska was left with little more than she had begun. Being the woman was a slave, any sort of personal information was omitted from the file as the clientele who would express interest in purchasing a living and breathing person were highly unlikely to care about such things as their name or where they came from. What she did discover, however, was that Zugg was keeping the woman safely with him instead of secured away in the slave pens on the lower levels, likely protecting his assets personally rather than leaving her exposed to the mistreatment of the usual slave. This would mean more security immediately surrounding the pair but it did save Aska the exertion of reaching the basement of the embassy. Now she needed to turn her focus on locating the hutt.

"Alright big guy, where are you hiding your pet?" Aska whispered to herself as she typed furiously into the terminal keypad. She had already been here longer than she wanted and with every passing moment, she ran the chance of being nabbed by patrolling security despite the majority of the presence existed on the main floors. Finally, she found what she was searching for. It seemed Zugg had managed to pull some strings and was able to land himself an executive suite a couple floors below. As she shut down the terminal, she dropped the cigarra to the marble floor before stomping out the burning ember. It was game time.

Descending the stairwell, Aska managed to keep herself out of view of the sparse guard presence until she reached the level she was aiming for and it soon became evident as to why. As the young woman poked her head out the door to get a look at what was lying in wait ahead, she saw six guards with blaster rifles held across their chests. Two men were stationed outside an elegant set of double doors while four others patrolled the corridor though it was clear they weren't expecting any trouble at this point in time. Six on one. Not favorable odds by any means, so Aska opted to try the peaceful routine as she lowered her hood and cleared her throat before walking out into the hall with the greatest posture she could manage.

"Hold it right there, girl. Authorized members only beyond these doors," One of the guards stated with an outstretched hand as she approached the entrance to the executive longue.

"I am authorized, you imbecile," Aska snapped back. Imbecile? So out of character for the woman to the extent she felt foolish thinking it, let alone saying it out loud. "I'm here to bring the Togruta girl to the auction floor,"

"We were not informed. Alzon would have received word and was to escort the girl there personally," The look in his eyes, the tone of his voice... While the other guards appeared to be lax in their duties, it was clear this human man took his job seriously. And that name...

"Well you can tell 'Alzon' that he missed our transmission and the organizer's are furious! Now get out of my way!" Aska spat as she tried to force her way past the two men but was met by a thick arm across her chest, pushing her back and away from the access panel. "How dare you!"

"Nice try..." the guard muttered as he raised his rifle, pointing the barrel directly at Aska as he nodded towards something behind her. Turning to see what it was, she could see another viewing screen and displayed across it was the walker she had come across in the security files. Slaves weren't up for auction yet and wouldn't be for a few more minutes. Turning back to the guard, Aska smiled slyly.

"Ah well, I tried," Stepping to the left and out of the guard's line of fire, Aska threw her left hand ahead with an open palm, pushing the side of the man's rifle as he pulled the trigger, a red bolt of energy slamming into the corridor wall opposite the longue. Moving as fast as she could, she simultaneously pulled the SE-45 from it's holster before firing a round into the man's abdomen and turning her weapon on the second guard and repeating the process, now leaving both men in excruciating pain on the floor. The four remaining guards, now alerted to the dangers they had simply chosen to ignore with their empty headedness, turned their attention towards her as she leaned down to pull the access card from the wounded guards belt. Blaster fire began to rain around her as she rushed to swipe the card through the reader, fumbling a couple times but ultimately succeeding as the door soon slid open. Two more guards appeared on the opposite side of the door and one soon found himself getting a fast and solid punch between the eyes while the other tried to grab her by the arm. Almost instinctually, she pulled her arm back and leaned back slightly, sweeping her leg towards the man's ankles. Unprepared for her attempt, the man began to falter but before he could fall, Aska quickly grabbed him by his collar and threw him out into the hall before slamming the activation plate to close the door behind her. Soon after, the sounds of the men attempting to reopen it could be heard. Reaching into her jacket, Aska removed the lightsaber from it's hiding spot and ignited the red blade into the door, welding the locking mechanism and ensuring the door wasn't opening again any time soon. With a long sigh of relief, Aska deactivated the blade and turned to face the room, leaning on the door to catch her breath only to see not only Zugg and his slave standing in the middle of the room as though she was interrupted in dance, but two more guards at their side as well as a Duros man sat in a seat beside the Hutt.

"Well... Who's next?" Aska demanded as she snapped up from the door, aiming the SE-45 with her right hand, pointing it towards the guards while she reignited the blade in her left hand.

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

As the Togruta slave danced for her master and his lieutenant a commotion could be heard outside. Alzon turned his head away from Alisaah towards the door immediately upon hearing the noise and rose to his feet, holding a commlink up to his mouth.

"What is going on out there?" he demanded, though it appeared he received no response. The sound of blaster fire was heard but the people inside the executive lounge would have no clue who was doing the firing. The ambient music was still playing and the auctioneer on the screen could still be heard hyping up the walker, for which the bidding was starting at a huge price compared with what Alisaah herself was worth.

After a further flurry of blaster fire someone burst into the room. They expertly dispatched one of the guards on the inside of the door before throwing the other out into the hallway and melting the locks with what appeared to be a blade made from red light. Alisaah had never seen such a thing and upon the intruder's entrance had let out a scream in surprise. Despite being surrounded by her master and three of his henchmen, she felt strangely exposed. She had always disliked violence. Alisaah had learned throughout her life as a slave that violence often made its way down the hierarchy of power and affected people like her at the bottom of the chain worse than anybody. In that moment, Alisaah was scared and did not know who to turn to for help.

When the person spoke, it was clear this intruder was female, but besides that nobody seemed to have any idea who she was or why she was there. The woman goaded Zugg and his henchmen, standing over the body of the guard she'd taken care of on her way in, holding the bizarre glowing sword hilt, having deactivated the blade.

"What is the meaning of this?!" cried Zugg, his eyes wide having seen the red lightsaber in her hands, "We had a deal!"

Though Alisaah would not have known what was meant by this, it would have been clear to the intruder that Zugg believed she was a Sith due to her lightsaber. The Hutt was referring to the fact that he had just sold information on the movements of his family members to the Sith Empire and believed he would be fairly compensated for his troubles. It was therefore a shock to him that only moments later, someone with a Sith weapon would arrive, kill his guards and then confront him.

"Get her! Seize her now!" Zugg bellowed as the remaining guards rushed towards Aska. As they did so, Alzon appeared not to make any such move. He was clearly calculating that this woman had already dealt with most of the guards outside and that it was only a matter of time before she would finish off the others.

Alisaah quivered where she stood and ran to hide behind the raised platform that Zugg was seated on. It was the only form of cover in that part of the room that would put a buffer between her and the intruder. Her master's focus was no longer on her, he was clearly more concerned with dealing with this unwanted interruption than anything else at this time.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Low level thugs were renowned for being simple minded folk, comparable to even the more basic of beasts. So as the two guards began to rush towards Aska, the woman capitalized on the fact that her blaster was already trained on them. Squeezing the trigger, a blue bolt slammed into the neck of the advancing Nikto before leaving the man in a smoking husk on the floor of the lounge. The second man, however, closed more distance than Aska had expected him too in the short time it took for her to eliminate his companion and was getting closer by the second. Still, it did not matter. As the Twi'lek reached forward in a vain attempt to grab Aska by her throat, she rotated her left hand as it still held the ignited lightsaber and the glowing blade soon seperated the man's arm at the elbow. Screaming in pain as his forearm dropped to the floor, Aska had pointed the SE-45 across her abdomen and fired a single shot that burnt a hole into the side of the thug's face as well as disintigrating a section of his left lekku where it met his scalp.

Now all that remained opposite her was the hutt, his slave and the Duros man who had opted to remain seated beside his Master with his arms crossed and a very plain expression. The other two definitely did not compare. While she could not determine if it was fear or anger on Zugg's face, the Togrutan woman cowered behind her Master in fear of Aska as she advanced, the blaster now aimed directly at the Duros man before she came to a stop about five meters away from the trio.

"Zugg, I presume?" Aska began. "Boola sends her regards,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

As the woman shot the Nikto guard and his smoking body fell to the ground, Alisaah let out another yelp. She held her hands over her eyes and tried to hide herself further behind the throne her master sat upon. It was a good thing she did because what happened to the Twi'lek was far more brutal. Alisaah heard his blood curdling scream as his arm was severed in half, only to be cut short by more blaster fire into his skull. After they had both been ended, it left only Alisaah, Zugg and Alzon in the room.

The look on Zugg's face went from angry to shocked. He did not seem phased much by the violent end to his guards but when the woman had mentioned the name 'Boola' his demeanor had changed sharply.

"... Boola?" choked the Hutt, his large eyes rapidly blinking as he stared at the woman holding the red lightsaber which had been reignited and was now making a low buzzing noise.

Standing in front of the chair he had been seated in, Alzon still had not drawn a weapon. He hadn't made any sort of move to attack, run or even shout. But at this point he pointed a long blue finger at the intruder and spoke.

"Put your weapon down. It won't do you any good threatening us" he said, his red eyes focusing on her and the glowing red blade, "If you work for Boola, you're no Sith... A Sith would not allow themselves to be placed in a position of lesser power..."

The Duros walked over to her. This woman was rather tall, only a few inches shorter than him, but his stare was quite intense. If Alisaah had been the one on the receiving end she would have been very intimidated.

"I assume you're here for payment... Hota owes your employer and it's a little difficult to get remunerated by someone when they're dead..." he said, tilting his head ever so slightly and squinting his eyes a little.

"Not a Sith?" questioned Zugg. He was clearly very confused by what was going on. Things seemed to have quietened down for now, though the tensions were still running high, Alisaah took her hands away from her eyes and timidly poked her head around the seat to try and see what was going on. If Zugg didn't know what was happening, it was far beyond Alisaah's comprehension.

"So... what exactly is it that Boola wants? I would think that the cost of the men you've killed today should reduce the repayment amount somewhat..." Alzon sniffed, now walking around the intruder to the Nikto guard that was laying dead on the floor. He kicked the arm which flopped lifelessly over the corpse's torso. "Perhaps you're here because she wants something Hota is selling? Seems a little strange that she'd come looking for payment here when she already knows where to find us..."

There was something unnerving about the way Alzon spoke. It was very direct and calculated but had a hint of menace behind it. Alisaah, peering from behind the seat looked at the woman's face. She did not seem like the type of person who would be capable of such violence in her mind. Alisaah thought she had a pretty appearance, which unnerved her possibly more than Alzon's speech, considering what the Togruta had seen her do moments before.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

The shock on Zugg's face at the mention of her employer brought Aska more pleasure than it should have. Was it the fact that a man of power, albeit rapidly diminishing power due to his immeasurable debts, was now bent to her will? 'Yea,' she thought to herself with a smirk. 'This is f*uckin' awesome,' Yet before she could respond to the exasperated response of Zugg's, the Duros man at his side had now stood tall, pointing his long blue finger towards her with an air of authority. To meet his demand of her lowering her weapons, Aska instead opted to raise the humming saber in his grasp and aimed the point of the weapon at the advancing man, shuffling herself in a circular motion as he advanced while keeping her blaster pointed in the direction of the Hutt should he make any 'sudden' moves, or what could be considered sudden for one of his species.

"You might be surprised on that," Aska growled as the man surmised she wasn't one of the magicians of the Sith Empire. He was both right and wrong in his theory, after all. Yet despite her words the man finally came to a stop at the edge of the glowing weapon, his eyes squinted yet displaying no fear. 'This must be Alzon,' she thought to herself, recognizing his voice from the earlier transmission she had intercepted and relayed to Kayto.

"Maybe all she wants is his enormous head on an even larger platter...." Aska stated coldly, locking her fiery gaze with his own. She considered for a moment on revealing the information she had uncovered in an effort to show them that no matter what went on here, Zugg was under Boola's power now. Instead, she opted to remain silent. Her primary task had been completed with the recovery of the information. Now, all she wanted was to get the Togrutan girl and get both of them out of there with their lives.

"Hutt," Aska finally belted out angrily, though she kept her stare on Alzon as he investigated the dead Nikto guard. The man was intuitive, she had to give him that. "We already have everything we require... Yet I'm feeling a little... dissatisfied with the arrangement. I'm not here for Boola's needs anymore. I'm here for what I want. Give me one good reason to not turn your little pal here into blue goo and you along with him,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Before Alzon could retort, Zugg decided that he should answer the intruder's question directly. Putting his hands up as his big eyes quivered, watching the glowing red blade in her hands he said, "You don't want to kill me girl, I'm much more useful to you alive!"

There was clear panic in the Hutt's voice as he spoke. Alzon, who had stopped facing the rest of the room when examining the dead guard turned his head back and scowled at Zugg. Evidently he didn't like the tone of voice coming from his boss, but then he was working for a Hutt, a crime family filled with cowards. The male Duros decided to interrupt.

"You can't possibly want us dead. We're too valuable to Boola right now. She holds all the cards. Hota is right, he is more valuable to Boola alive, because without him you lose what he knows, you lose his networks, you lose whatever it is he owes her. If you want to piss Boola off you're going the right way about it..." hissed Alzon through gritted teeth. There wasn't any sense of fear in his voice at all, but it seemed that he was a little annoyed. Perhaps because he felt this intruder was playing games. "Listen... it makes no difference whether you're here for something Boola wants, or something you want for yourself, I've already asked you what it is you want. Now... if you'd kindly tell us what that is, perhaps we can help you and you can be on your way?"

Alisaah quivered at the sound of Alzon's voice. There was something impactful about the way he spoke and how intelligent he appeared that demonstrated the gulf between a Hutt Lieutenant and a slave like she was. Her eyes however, continued to follow the woman as she walked, aiming both her blaster and sword at the two others.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Even as Zugg began to cower in fear from the developing situation, Aska was soon very aware of who was in charge here. The Hutt may have been the one who signed the cheques but it was Alzon who called the shots. It made no difference to her, though. She brought herself into this mess and toying with the Hutt, while fully enjoyable, was only delaying and diminishing her chances of escape. Despite the door being welded shut by her lightsaber and would take more than a simple slicer to crack, the guards on the other side would eventually break it open.

"Pissing Boola off is something I specialize at, pal," Aska laughed as the words came out. It was every bit the truth, after all. At every turn since the two met on the tower peak, Aska found herself with the upper hand, shy the event that led to her operating under her banner. Still, Alzon was right in his statement. If she wasted Zugg here and now, she would be serving the Rodian for the rest of her life and judging by the immense debt that Hota had accrued with her, that likely wouldn't be a very long time. "You," Aska called out to the Togrutan woman as she cowered behind her master. "She's what I want. She's leaving with me or I'll burn this place down with both of your corpses buried in the rubble," As soon as the demand was made, Aska heard a low growl come from the Duros. Had he had enough? She wasn't waiting to find out. Turning her blaster from Zugg, the woman flicked the setting switch with her thumb and soon squeezed the trigger. A blue ring erupted from the barrel and enveloped Alzon, dropping the man to his knees before he finally lost consciousness.

"Well then," Aska began with awe as she watched Alzon fall. "He's one tough son of a bitch, hey? They usually don't last that long before they fade out," Chuckling slightly, the blaster was soon turned back to Zugg with the blade of her weapon still remaining ignited, though now was pointed down to the floor along her left side. "It's just you and me, Zugg the Slug. So let's make a deal. You sign the girl over to me, and I'll leave here without carving my name into your thick hide,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Having been intently watching the conversation unfold, Alisaah had somewhat forgotten that she was now visible behind the seat Zugg was on and when the intruder announced she was there for her, her eyes widened in shock. She didn't know if this was because someone had acknowledged her presence in the room or if it was what those words meant. What did it mean? Alisaah's sole purpose that day was to go out, into that auction chamber and make her master a small fortune. What could this stranger possibly want her for?

Soon after, Alzon had collapsed on top of the dead Nikto guard, stunned. Evidently the intruder had grown tired of his attempts to negotiate with her. Alisaah thought that he too had been shot and killed. She had winced when the woman had pulled the trigger and seen his body fall. In her mind, it was now just her and her master at the whim of the intruder.

"You... you want my slave?" asked Zugg, "But... she's up for sale, you could just have bought her! In 20 minutes time she is due to be in the auction chamber. I was going to use those funds to help pay Boola back!"

Alisaah saw the stranger continue to approach the Hutt. Her blade was lowered but the blaster was now aimed at him. The woman gave her master an ultimatum. Sign Alisaah over and she leaves quietly or she kills him. Zugg's tail began writhing uncomfortably and he started to squirm, looking over at Alzon's un-moving body. It seemed that with his trusted lieutenant out for the count he lost any confidence he had in resolving the situation satisfactorily. He had no protection, no way of getting out of the predicament without caving to her demands.

"I... it appears I don't have a choice... by the time my guards reach me I'll be dead and you'll take the girl anyway..." he sighed, "one slave is not worth dying for."

As he said this, he reached down for Alisaah's chain and yanked it, hard, causing her to fall out from behind the seat and landing unceremoniously in a heap on the floor.

"It looks like you have failed your final task Alisaah" he spat, "I hope you remember this girl. It is not every day that a slave's life is worth the same as their master. You should be grateful..."

After he finished, Alisaah got to her feet and Zugg commanded her to collect a datapad from a nearby table and bring it over to him whilst he was at the stranger's mercy. After filling out his information he looked up at the intruder once more.

"And who is it that I am signing my prized slave over to exactly? You have not revealed your name. It's one I will not soon forget once I learn it..." growled the Hutt in frustration.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

As she watched Zugg come to the realization that his options had diminished and he was now completely at Aska's whim, the woman finally allowed herself to retract the lightsaber blade, slipping the hilt back inside her jacket though keeping the blaster aimed firmly on the fat slug opposite her. In truth, she was somewhat amazed that she had just successfully dealt with her operation with little to no deviation from her spur of the moment planning. Pride filled her as he mulled over these thoughts but it wasn't long before she was soon agitated by the slime-ball Hutt, watching as he yanked the thin golden chain connected to the slave girl's collar. As she fell to her knees before her master, Aska gritted her teeth. She wanted to pull the trigger and burn a hole clean through his forehead, leave him for dead amongst his companions. She refrained, of course. While she talked a big game, she didn't need more of Boola's fury to come down on her.

"And who is it that I am signing my prized slave over to exactly? You have not revealed your name. It's one I will not soon forget once I learn it..."

Aska's smirk returned as Zugg began to comply with her demands. This was all proving to be worth it.

"I'd hope not. I'm Aska Ryun, though I'm sure if you keep running foul with Boola, we'll meet each other again real soon," she said with a wink as she advanced towards the Togrutan, reaching for her bicep and pulling her in close. Bringing her wrist up while she still held the blaster, Aska spoke into it clearly as she stared into the Hutt's black and beady eyes. "Alright pal, I'm ready. Hone in on my signal and come to the balcony. Make sure we have room for another passenger," Lowering her weapon to once again aim at the Hutt, she waited patiently for Kayto's response. Despite a delay, his voice eventually crackled through the communicator.

"Ah. Lovely," The droid clearly knew something was amiss. What have you done this time...."

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

The intruder answered her master. Aska Ryun. This was a name that Alisaah knew she would not forget all too soon also. Standing watching as Zugg typed the details into the datapad at gunpoint, the butterflies in her stomach which had been there earlier that day had returned stronger than ever. She was witnessing her transfer from one owner to another in the strangest of circumstances. Looking at the Hutt with a sense of both fear and confusion, she was surprised to find that he caught her gaze. It was clear from the look in his eyes that he was livid, that it pained him to cave into this stranger's demands and relinquish control over something that could have helped earn him money. It was clear he felt cheated.

Alisaah's mind was racing. On the one hand she was battling the emotions of leaving one master on bad terms, through no fault of her own, and belonging to a new one who she'd just seen kill in cold blood. What would this mean for her? Was she now in danger? And why was it that this, Aska Ryun, had come and committed these atrocities on her behalf.

Once the transaction was complete, Aska tugged on the Togrutan's arm. She was pulled in close to her which felt strange. Despite the aggression she'd shown moments earlier, she had soft female hands. There was something oddly reassuring about this first interaction, but Alisaah did not understand why that was. Her new master - her mistress - now spoke to someone on a communicator. They were to be picked up on a balcony, which meant they were heading upstairs.

There was still a lot of noise coming from just outside the door. The guards were still trying to gain entry and it sounded as though they were close to getting back inside.

"I would hurry if I were you, Aska Ryun, as my guards will have contacted security for your intrusion. You won't have the element of surprise this time... and once you are dead, I will claim back what is rightfully mine" snarled Zugg, spitting at Aska's feet.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Smirking as Zugg retaliated, Aska tugged the slave woman over towards the window of the viewing chamber, glancing out the window to survey for Kayto's arrival. Any moment now, he should be arriving. Below on the promenade, things appeared to be far more hectic than they had upon her arrival. It seemed the Hutt was right. Security forces had locked down the entrance to the facility and were ushering people back towards the landing platform where they were soon corralled like cattle, no doubt preparing to interrogate anyone and everyone for any sort of information as to what was taking place inside the old embassy. Not that it would do them any good with her performing this infiltration alone.

"Kayto, any time now..." Aska said hoarsely into her communicator as she kept her blaster trained on the hutt. Her steely glare remained on Zugg as she waited for him to make a rash move in a vain effort to subdue her and prevent her escape but soon the sounds of the guards on the opposite side of the welded door as they burn through with plasma cutters caused her attention to falter. She was running out of time... Gritting her teeth, Aska squeezed the trigger once again and a blue ring rushed towards Zugg that soon left the slug in a stunned state. She didn't need his screaming for them to hurry or to announce what she was trying to do, but it didn't matter. Soon, the door collapsed to reveal a mob of gangsters as they piled through single file.

Pushing the Togrutan woman to the ground by the window, Aska reached down and flipped a table over, taking cover behind it before flicking her weapon back to it's lethal setting and firing a volley towards the intrusion point. As one man dropped to the ground, he was soon replaced by three more. Blaster fire began to rain around them, a stray bolt burning through the window behind them and shattering the glass downward, no doubt capturing the attention of the crowd below.

"KAYTO!" Aska screamed into her communicator before returning fire once again, albeit blindly.

"I've arrived, Mistress. Just below the window that shattered. We best hurry. It seems the facility is quite lively,"

"Oh, thanks for letting me know!" she groaned in response. Standing up from her cover, Aska continued to fire on the crowd of thugs as they crawled through the door before reaching down and pulling the Togrutan to hear feet. "Go! Jump!' she demanded but she gave the girl no chance to follow the barking order. Instead, she pushed the girl through and was soon following her as she fell. While the girl had landed in the seat of the speeder, Aska found herself sprawled across the hood of the craft, grabbing the edge of the windshield with her left hand. Rolling to aim at the window, Aska fired again as heads began to pop out to see where their quarry had gone. "Get us out of here, droid!"

@Bex