Ask Upside Down

[Prani Shalrazi]

“Sorry!” Prani blurted out when she saw the stapler smack him square in the forehead. She darted to the side and pulled the fire alarm, the entire building started to blare an alarm to confuse everything. She doubted anyone here practiced fire drills so it would probably be some mercenaries that rolled their eyes and ignored it and others that would panic and run outside for no reason.

Right as Vander would begin to recover from the stapler betrayal, the sprinklers would turn on and shower him. The evil guard that did this to him was bolting in the opposite direction. Prani didn’t go in the direction the prisoners ran, but she knew she irritated the man enough to where he might give her chase. With all the sprinklers and water around, he would be unable to effectively use lightning without putting himself at risk, but Prani didn’t know that of course.

On her run down the corridor, she saw another mercenary coming her direction, “SOMEONE’S MINDTRICKED THE BOSS! HE’S GONE INSANE!” Prani screamed at the guard. The mercenary panicked - he knew Force users were unsettling and to have a Sith get mind tricked meant this entire place was about to get nuked.

“WE GOTTA STOP HIM!” The mercenary said as he drew up his blaster.

“Yes! Go on I’m right behind ya!” Prani said, amping herself up.

The man gave a warcry and charged towards Mr. Grump. Prani bolted in the opposite direction.

 

[Vander]

As the sprinklers came on, Vander became fully and completely enraged. His head was beginning to clear slowly, and as it did, the cold chill of the Dark Side began to fill the area around them. It would be almost stifling to Prani for the briefest of moments, though she had certainly felt worse on Corellia. It was the sheer abruptness of the transition that was so impactful.

His eyes began to change to an amber hue as he turned his rage on the fleeing traitor. He heard her shouting something to one of the other guards, a man who quickly decided to turn his attention to attacking Vander.

Anger pulsed through him, and it wasn't Vander that struck back but the Dark Side itself. His saber whipped around, catching the bolt out of the air and sending it directly back into the mercenary. Perhaps a softer, kinder version of Vander would have tried to talk the man down, but that man was far gone now. What remained was the rage and anger inside him. The assassin that pursued his target relentlessly. The one that would cut down anyone he had to in order to accomplish his ends. Cold, calculating, and precise.

Still, he had enough wherewithal to open his comlink as he pursued his victim, eyes locked on that stolen armor.

There's a traitor in our midst. An infiltrator in your armor. Do not be fooled. She freed the prisoners. Find them, he said, his voice low and growling. The true voice of a Sith and one that didn't invite questions.

He could feel the fear emanating off of her, and he drank it in. That deeper darkness that he so rarely experienced thrived on it.

Come on, little rabbit. Running will only make it worse, he hissed.

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Darn! Why didn’t she think to use the radio to scream about the Sith getting mindtricked? Then again, she had a feeling that wouldn’t have worked. Prani darted down the hall, skidding to a halt when she realized she couldn’t look suspicious. A braver Jedi would have calmed down and found a slick way to escape. However, Prani was just a teenage Padawan that was way out of her element. She felt that brush of the Dark Side and she was beyond terrified.

There was no one else here. Her family had escaped without knowing she helped them. Her friends weren’t here. Shaw wasn’t here. She was completely alone and in a situation that could get her killed. Without having any clever ideas, she spotted a janitor’s closet and jumped into it, locking the door from the inside.

Prani switched off the radio and curled up on the ground, absolutely terrified. She had to fight to keep her breathing quiet, frightened of the Sith that was prowling the corridors. She could hear the mercenaries running around outside. Already people were yelling about the two mercs found knocked out up front.

Maybe they wouldn’t notice she was here. Maybe they would think she bolted outside and give chase. Maybe she could wait until the coast was clear. It was nothing but pure, unadulterated fear for her now. Corellia had abominations, but she had other Jedi with her. Right now she had nobody.

 

[Vander]

Vander continued stalking through the halls, making his way back inside as the guards started to scatter. It was probably all a lost cause now with only Barnacle left. Barnacle and Bipolar if he could still bring her in.

He reached out to the Force and felt the fear. He could feel it close, and he could feel it growing the closer he drew near. If he were another Sith, he would have savored it and drawn it out, allowing it to grow. But Vander was still the practical killer, and even with the Dark Side flooding his mind, he wouldn't risk losing his prey.

Eventually, Prani would see the crimson saber plunge through the lock on the door before the door flung open on its hydraulics. He stood there in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the hall.

His eyes swept down to the traitor, cowering on the ground and although some small piece in the back of his mind questioned how this girl had managed to spring the prisoners and what the kriff her plan for escape was, he didn't ask those questions.

Instead he would grab at her with the Force to fling her back and knock her unconscious in not all that different of a move as she had used on him earlier. He was all wet so the lightning could come later. Spoiled.

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Her head throbbed painfully. Prani thought she was back in her dorm room. She was certain she would hear her alarm and be almost late for Clone Wars history class. Prani groaned, recalling she had a test next week. The room slowly began to come into focus, her head giving another painful pulse that sent a wave of nausea through her. She resisted vomiting, blinking her eyes open.

She felt weak. Not just physically, but in a whole different way she never felt before.

It was difficult to connect with the Force. She had been drugged! Prani sat up straight, startled. Her hands were chained to the desk and seated across from her was the angry man from before. His forehead was still red from where she clocked him with a stapler.

She couldn’t imagine a worse-case scenario than what she found herself in. Prani wondered how or why she was even alive. Her heart thundered against her chest and anxiety flooded her, bile rising in her throat. Prani said nothing. She wasn’t going to have a clever line like in the Holomovies. This was real and this was terrifying.

 

[Vander]

There had been a long moment when Vander had considered just murdering her then and there. Taking her head off and being done with it. But there were answers and even potential to be drawn on here. All that fear. Fear was the path to the Dark Side even if she didn't understand it yet.

Instead, he ha drugged her up, sat her down, and waited for her to awaken.

She finally stirred, slowly before he watched her almost jerk up. The way people did when they didn't know where they were or what was going on. The way they did when they woke from a nightmare.

I see you're finally awake. Who are you? he asked. It was a simple question, but would no doubt set the tone for the rest of the "interview."

He had, of course, searched her and found little of actual value, her phone and some of the other non-weapon contents of her pockets were laid out in front of them on the table.

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani thought about giving a clever alias or name like in the movies. However, she saw her cheap comlink sitting right there. Her ID was already among her belongings, all of which he no doubt read already. Fortunately it was a generic Genassa ID and nothing about the Jedi Order. Even so, she used the Force around him earlier so there were little secrets.

“P-Prani,” She said as her head gave another painful throb, “Look, sir, I’m real sorry for doin’ what I did. Throwin’ you against the wall and th-throwin’ a stapler at your head, that ain’t right,” Prani said genuinely, “So I’m real sorry. I felt desperate ‘cause what you were doin’..well that ain’t right either,” She mumbled. Was she lecturing a Sith? Oh gods. She looked down at the table, her face suddenly hot. Fear overwhelmed her and she expected him to crush her neck or use Lightning.

Prani took a deep breath and exhaled, “But I’m responsible for whatever happened so I’m prepared for whatever ya gotta do,” She said as she winced.

 

[Vander]

Vander sat in silence, staring at her as she unloaded her confession. Honestly, he had been expecting that to be a lot harder. Sure, there were pieces of the puzzle that he was sure weren't coming forth, but that could come in time.

Oh, well if you're sorry... he said flatly, and her eyes would be drawn unintentionally toward the contusion on his forehead. Then her eyes flicked down to the table. He had already crosschecked her against the list of missing prisoners. Now, though, the list was much longer.

We'll get to "what I have to do" soon, he said. Part of him told him to just stab her and be done with it, but something held his hand. Something he couldn't quite put into words and something he heeded for now.

You were one of them? Part of the caravan, he speculated. He could feel her fear still, and he pondered silently about it. Fear for herself? Fear for her people? Fear of the unknown? A bit of them all?

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

“No,” Prani answered. Perhaps a bit too quickly, “N-No I’m not a part of them,” She said. The last thing she wanted was for this guy to track down her family just to make a point. That was how those Holomovie villains operated, right? Prani was the type to ramble a lot and she felt a verbal tidal wave coming on, “Look why can’t I just be a good guy tryin’ to help out some folk?” She asked, “You coulda killed me by now, but you didn’t. Why is that? You’re gonna tell me it’s because you want information, but really it’s ‘cause you’re not some horrible monster like Darth Raze or them abomination things..”

Prani really needed a mute button. She chewed on her lip, “They’re good people..they only come around to heal anyone that needs it. They sell wares they make by hand. They never take from no one and they spread kindness,” She looked at him, meeting his gaze, “What do ya gain from hurtin’ and imprisonin’ them?”

 

[Vander]

Vander's face just remained impassive, listening as she quickly denied being part of the caravan. He didn't believe her story that she was just an innocent passerby, although the fact that she hadn't really known how to fight at all seemed to possibly reinforce that she was a random do-gooder.

Alright "good guy" then how did... was about all the further he got before she continued to word vomit at him.

He thought for a moment about interrupting her, but the more words she put out into the air, the more he could learn. Normally getting people talking was the hardest part, but that certainly wasn't the case with this one.

She's real nervous, he thought to himself. She could say all she wanted that she didn't believe he'd hurt her, but her actions told a different story.

How did you know they were here then? he asked. He would start poking holes in her story and although interrogation wasn't truly his specialty, he had done the training.

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani really did hate how much she talked. Everyone in her family talked too much. It was one of the chief complaints her older brother made before he bailed. Did he bail on the family because they talked too much? Prani grimaced, focusing her attention back on the literal villain sitting across from her. It was a wonder she didn’t start to hyperventilate or vomit profusely with how her stomach was in knots.

“Are ya kiddin’?” She blurted out, “Them caravan folk are some of the loudest bunch around. Half the town was talkin’ about how it was good riddance they got locked up,” Prani said. As painful as it was, this was probably the truth. It was no secret that not everyone in the village liked her family’s presence.

“With all that goin’ on, I figured someone oughta fight the good fight for these people,” Prani said. She chewed on her lip, her eyes narrowing.

“Why haven’t you just…killed me yet?” She asked, “I mean, not that I’m lookin’ a gift fathier in the mouth or nothin’..”