Ask Nar Shaddaa The Auction

[Alisaah Tila]

What happened in the next few seconds were a blur. Her former master had issued a warning to her mistress, diverting their attention to the guards at the door, on the verge of making their way inside. Before they did, Aska Ryun had blasted Zugg with a stun round and flipped over a table to protect them both from blaster fire which preceded the guards entrance to the lounge. Even as soon as this had happened, the window behind them had smashed and Aska had shoved Alisaah out. Unaware that Kayto was waiting in a speeder below, for a moment she thought she was about to die. When she landed on top of the padded seat she let out a heavy breath of air and quickly scrambled around.

Catching a glimpse of Kayto before looking up and seeing Aska now dive from the ledge into the speeder seconds later, Alisaah watched at the guards ran to the window and opened fire on the open-top speeder. Her new mistress yelled at the droid to get going and it obeyed. Putting the pedal to the metal the speeder thundered away from the embassy under a hail of blaster fire. The security forces on the landing platform below were alerted and they too attempted to take the speeder down as it flew away.

Looking back at the embassy as it began to get further and further away, Alisaah was concerned, yet again, with what she had just seen. Like with Alzon before, her master had just been shot by this woman who now owned her and she did not know whether he was injured or even dead. The instincts that made her a person, different to that of a beast, wanted her to demand answers from Aska Ryun for what she had just done, but her mind and slave training stopped her. It was not her place. It never was and she had to respect the deal that was made. This woman was her mistress now and she had to forget about Hota Zugg, the same way she'd had to forget about Dontigo Fligorra as a child, and learn to serve a new master.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

"Hahahaha!" Aska's laughter bellowed as she swung herself from the hood of the speeder and into the cockpit, seating herself next to the droid as it soared through the web of traffic that occupied Nar Shaddaa's speeder lanes. Unable to contain her thrill, the woman turned in her seat to see if they were being followed but as of yet, no other speeders had taken pursuit. It was at this time that she then turned to see the young Togrutan woman laying in the back seat, cowering in fear. Smiling at her, she motioned for her to sit up.

"I see you decided to take things on step further, Mistress?" Kayto's words cut through the sounds of rushing air as they continued to accelerate away from the embassy. "I do hope this doesn't cause us any further complications,"

Flipping herself back to face ahead, Aska kicked her feet up on to the dash before plucking a cigarra from her jacket. "Ahh, it probably will," she laughed as she lit the smoke. "You just let me worry about that, pal,"

"Please... Do not refer to me as 'pal', Mistress. We are the farthest thing from,"

"What? After everything we've been through and you still wanna act like that?" Brushing her hands through her hair, Aska leaned back and glanced over her shoulder to the newcomer. "If ya didn't catch it back there, I'm Aska. You can thank me for busting you outta there whenever you're ready,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Alisaah caught her new mistress smiling at her and encouraging her to sit up. She obeyed immediately. At this moment she was scared for her life, she would have done almost anything the woman asked if it would spare her the same fate as the others. After a brief exchange between herself and the droid, who also appeared to refer to her as 'Mistress', Aska spoke directly to the Togrutan slave.

"M-my name is Alisaah, Mistress" she said, timidly introducing herself, "T-thank you for... for... being my new master."

Clearly, things were being lost in translation, but Alisaah was not incorrect. In actuality, Aska Ryun was legally her owner now and although she seemed to think she was rescuing the Togruta from captivity, this was not how Alisaah saw it and likely how any outsider would have seen it either given the evidence. Alisaah had never known anything but the life of a slave, was ill-prepared for freedom and nor did she harbor any real desire for it. She had never known freedom, there was a huge part of her that was scared by it. The Zygerrian slavers had made absolutely certain that this woman never even contemplated it as a possibility during her time being processed by them. If Aska believed she was going to get a thank you for setting her free, she would be mistaken. A deal was a deal. She had come into possession of a slave and as far as Alisaah was concerned, would have to come to terms with that. It never crossed her mind to consider anything but serving this woman as her slave.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

"Wait a minute," Aska began but was soon interrupted by Kayto as he piloted the speeder.

"While I am unable to portray humor, Mistress, I would have no doubt a sentient being would be quite hysterical. It seems you've acquired a new servant,"

"No, no! You're free!" she exclaimed as she turned to face Alisaah in the back seat. Still, the fear was evident in Alisaah's face. Aska couldn't blame her, of course, for being so terrified. In fact, seeing this young woman cowering as she did brought Aska back to the Coruscant roof tops. Back to when she was attacked by Dur'Ago on Trench's orders. Back to a time when she was practically a slave herself. Still, she did just fine once she was given her freedom. Alisaah could too. "C'mon, where are you from? I can get you there. Back to your family. Don't you want that?"

"Mistress," Kayto interrupted once more. "Perhaps you did not notice but as she landed in the vessel, I scanned her and this young woman has a branding on her back," As he spoke, Aska turned her attention and saw the marking.

"What about it?"

"This woman was once a slave from Zygerria... The cruelest and yet most effective slave tamers in the galaxy, by most standards. She likely has known no other life than one of servitude. Like me, she has been programmed to serve," Aska hung with Kayto's words for a moment, the cigarra dangling in her lip as she stared back at Alisaah. Suddenly, all she could feel was remorse for the cowering slave.

"Is anything that bucket of bolts saying true?"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Sitting there watching the droid and Aska's exchange, the words spoken and tone taken by the short-haired woman caused her emotions to get the better of her. She placed one hand on her hip and ran it gently down her own back until she found it. The brand of the Zygerrian slavers. The two years she spent there were the bleakest and worst time of her life. The treatment she received at their hands was brutal and horrific. Many of the faces she had seen there perished before they could be sold as slaves. The fact that Hota Zugg had come along, given her a place in his palace meant that comparatively, she was one of the lucky ones.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked back at Aska and nodded. "Y-yes... Mistress, it's true" she sniffed, "I don't know where I come from. My only purpose is to serve my master... wherever they are is where I am from..."

The Togruta tried to regain her composure. She couldn't show weakness in front of her mistress and she certainly couldn't allow her to be cast aside. "Please Mistress, don't abandon me, I promise you that I am a good slave" she begged, now starting to panic. Freedom was not what she wanted. She'd never known it, was totally unequipped to deal with it and it went against everything that she'd been conditioned to do. The events of that day and all the memories of her past were weighing down on her and it was getting to be too much.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Suddenly, as she listened to Alisaah speak, her sense of remorse grew. Never before had Aska felt so down trodden from someone else's misfortunes, if what Alisaah had experienced of Zygerria could even be called that. No, it was down right unfathomable. While she herself had dealt with a life of being objectified, the scientists on Coruscant at least treated her relatively well. Never beaten or abused, but she had heard tales of Zygerria from spacers on the docks. None of them were good...

"Oh my god," she whispered to herself. This woman's entire life circled around ensuring that her owner was satisfied and content with her servitude, and now Aska had stolen her away from her only purpose.

"I may just be an old droid, Mistress, but if this young woman is anything like me, serving her Master is likely the only thing that brings her joy,"

"That just... It isn't right, Kayto. It just isn't," How could someone simply own another person? It was disgusting...

"Please Mistress, don't abandon me, I promise you that I am a good slave!"

Those words hung in the air for a moment as Aska watched the Togrutan suck back the tears that he welled in her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She didn't steal this woman away from Zugg to simply impose a different set of shackles upon her and yet it seemed she didn't have a choice.

"Okay, okay... Cut the waterworks, girl," Aska finally responded. "I guess... I guess you can stick around until I can figure out what to do with you,"

"It seems your plan backfired, Mistress.... Again,"

"Just shut up and fly,"

@Bex

 

[Alisaah Tila]

As the back and forth continued between mistress and droid driver, Alisaah's teary eyes flitted from one face to another as they spoke. Eventually Aska Ryun conceded. In her way, she appeared to be trying to comfort the now distraught Togruta and told her she could 'stick around' until she figured out what to do with her. It was of course now her right to do whatever it was she wanted with Alisaah. For all she cared she could just have the droid driver take her to another slave market and sell her on that day. Something in her words told Alisaah this was not on her agenda though. If she had to consider her next action, that would have sprung to mind immediately, so whatever was going to happen next was going to be different. Fear began to build up inside Alisaah, she didn't think she could take much more of this whirlwind.

Whilst her mistress and the droid continued bickering, Alisaah, in her emotional state picked up on something that Kayto had said moments before.

"Serving my master is my purpose, Mr. Droid" she said, correcting Kayto, "The thing that brings me joy is dancing... it is how I express emotion in it's truest form and I was told my people are very artistic..."

Sitting there in the back seat of the speeder, Alisaah began to feel very cold. It could have been due to the fact they were flying through the speeder lanes and she wore nothing more than a slave girl's outfit to keep her decency but this had never truly bothered her before. What was doing it was the fear of the unknown. That same fear which had gripped her ever since she set foot at the old embassy was still lingering, long after her new master had been confirmed.

@Tulos @Aska Ryun

 

[Aska Ryun]

Many thoughts swirled through Aska's mind. What was she to do with this young woman? She had no need for a slave. She had no space for one, as well. Her small apartment was barely enough room for her, let alone a second occupant. Kayto was right, her plan had once again backfired. She was in over her head, as per the usual, and she needed to come up with something. Alisaah clearly did not want her freedom, which astounded Aska to no end, and yet she couldn't simply sell her off to yet another slave master. Who was to say what would become of her then? Would she be well cared for? Fed? Would she be happy in this new owner's service? Or would they simply treat her like a hound and use her for more... monstrous desires?

"Mistress?" Kayto finally broke Aska from her concerned train of thought.

"Huh?"

"Where am I taking you?"

Looking back to the Togrutan, Aska remained silent. As Alisaah shivered, no doubt in both fear and lack of attire, she finally sighed as she pulled her jacket off her shoulders before handing it back to the young woman to cover herself.

"Take us back to my apartment, droid. I need to figure this all out and it wouldn't hurt getting this one into something warmer,"

With that, Kayto pushed the speeder downward towards the docking level that Aska called home. Taking a drag off her cigarra, she once again returned to her silent thoughts as she mulled everything over. One thing was certain, this called for a stiff drink...

[END THREAD]