Sweet Dreams are Made of This [FZ/Meira]

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

THIS THREAD DEALS WITH CONTENT THAT MAY BE UNPALATABLE TO SOME. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. (she -is- a Hutt slave after all)

Mask link – pinks would be shades of light blues to correspond with the dress color, same with the jewels

Museic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpK5IN3mHY and www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7VrrQaPT2o

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For almost a week and a half now she’d been subjugated…enslaved.

It had only been for a day, previously…when Athar had ‘bought’ her back, but the fat and slimy slug holding her chain had reason to keep her…now, anyway, and there was no Athar, no Ryn, to help her out of this jam.

Nar Shaddaa.

She’d been brought to this polluted, crime ridden, city by the one thing she had a phobia of: pirates. As she watched the people mingling throughout the darkened space past the Technicolor lights that lit it, giving it the visage of a bar, night club, and casino, the blond could still see the outline of the black-haired witch who was the ring leader of the crew that had brought her in. She’d put up a fight, of course, but in the end her fear and their numbers had won out. It had been the fourth time she’d been held by pirates, and it was just as horrible as she remembered it.

A not-so-subtle tug on the chain about her neck had her jerking backward just slightly, struggling a moment to keep her feet as her clothing (what little of it there was) jingled softly in places. Glaring back over her shoulder, grey eyes were met by the corpulent and disgusting face of the Hutt who was attempting to reel her back in. It was this ugly git that had ordered her brought back to him as penance for destroying his palace on Tattooine and stealing his wookiee prisoner. Of course, Athar and Sev had been targeted also, but since everyone they had dealt with had ended up dead, it couldn’t be certain that he was involved. Sev was a Republic soldier, and for as stupid as Hutts (and their minions) could be, they weren’t stupid enough to take a hit on him when he was on an armed and armored capital ship and flying a fighter.

Sam, however…

With a growl, one hand reached up and grabbed the chain, tugging back. It was futile, and she knew it, but it made her feel better to resist as much as possible. At every turn she’d attempted to defy everyone and everything she came up against…from hiding (and nearly choking on, go figure) the necklace she kept Sev’s grenade pin on (twice), to these minor ‘games’ of tug-o-war. Of course, the grenade pin was strictly because it could be useful (or so she told herself) in picking a lock…but everything else she did? Well, mostly everything else was to keep herself from giving up, giving in, to the feeling of growing helplessness. Still, in the end there was little she could do but give in to her ‘master’s’ silent (or sometimes not so silent) demands.

With another, harder, tug on that chain, she relented before she was pulled onto her face and stepped up to the petulant pustule. In mere moments Greegar had his hands all over her, dragging her against him and leaning down so his face (with that foul smelling breath of his) was close to her own. She hated it. He knew she hated it. That, apparently, was part of the fun…part of the thrill, the sick and twisted pleasure…he got from it. Samantha had to bite back the vomit every time it happened and this time was no different.

<<You should fight less. Life will be easier for you that way…though, I think I like the fight in you, Bha’lir.>>

<<I could care less what you like, worm. How about you let me go and find out what happens to your home this time.>>

The hearty chuckle the disgusting thing gave sent shivers down her back, visible to the whole room because of the revealing clothing. Then again, that was part of the draw, she supposed. What man wouldn’t enjoy a woman in little more than some gossamer-thin, silvery-blue, strips of cloth? The top itself was little more than two strips of the stuff sewn together to form a sort of top that looped around the back of the neck and (barely) covered the essentials, while the second strip attached to the bottom then looped around her ribs to close in the back and hold everything down. As for the bottom…well, it was little more than a belt of golden, stylized, chains across the hips with a short drape of that same cloth at the front to cover the essentials there, and a longer one (maybe to the bottom of her knees) at the back.

It certainly left very little to the imagination at any rate.

<<You talk big for a slave girl who has no hopes of getting away.>> One slimy, clammy, disgusting and wrinkled hand lifted to grab her chin so she couldn’t look away even if she tried. <<You are little more than an outlaw. You think I don’t know your face? I know it, and the bounty on your pretty little head. If you displease me, Bha’lir, I can have one of my men hand you to the Republic and get your bounty as compensation. You have no one…even your friends from Tattooine will not, can not, come for you. I know their faces now. They would die the moment they set foot in here. Or, I could just kill you, have your corpse turned in to the Republic and still earn compensation for your loss should anyone try to help you escape.>>

The thought, his words, had her struggling to get away from him again, but he had far too good a grip on her to even be able to budge an inch. She couldn’t even turn her head with much luck, or without her face being dragged back in his direction. <<Now sit down and be a good little girl.>> With that, Sam was spun around and shoved down onto the stool beside him to glare out at the crowd from behind the decorative paint masking her face. If it had been for any other reason than the Hutt wanting his little ‘prize’ to stay relatively safe from discovery, Sam might have thought the idea was a fun one. It was certainly rather fetching on her…the gold tinted paint covering her face (as well as the majority of her body) barely noticeable with the small crystals and ‘mask’ covering the area around her eyes and over her nose taking predominance. Sadly, she had to hand it to the evil creature…he was clever when he wanted to be, and she currently absolutely loathed the concept.

That lovely mask, however, shifted from one of silent, barely tolerant, anger to one of utter disgust as one of the lard’s fingers…correction two…of the lard’s fingers found their way under the cloth of her top. Sam made no attempt to disguise the cringe and shudder that came with the disturbing sensation. It never ceased to turn her stomach…or turn her mind back to thoughts of how to kill the damned cretin. Dear Goddess! I can NOT take much more of this. There has to be a way to get out of here without being caught once I pick the locks…Between the blasted worm and his handing me out as a frelling play-thing to his guests! I’m just lucky that, so far, they’ve all been too drunk to actually get to ‘pricking’ me.

Luckily she’d picked up a few tricks from some of the more helpful slaves on how to tire the person they were sent to ‘entertain’ out before having anything too horrible happen. Of course, she couldn’t always be lucky. She had a couple of horror stories that ended in her knocking the man in question out cold at the last moment and after a struggle. She had some nice lash marks after those incidents, as well. Unfortunately, she also knew that she couldn’t keep resisting, keep knocking people out…not if she wanted to continue living. Not if she wanted to find a way out.

As the Hutt continued his surreptitious fondling of her as it watched the happenings in it’s club, Samantha’s thoughts wandered to keep from noticing it for as long as possible.

Stormy grey eyes wandered the darkness of the club as the heavy beat of the music throbbed through the building. Dancing girls gyrated and twirled in gilded cages, hanging at all heights here and there throughout the room. Multicolored lights flickered and swirled along the floor and walls, or highlighted tables of particular interest, or accented the well-stocked bar along one wall. Everywhere the movement and voices of people created a din that never ended, between the drinking and the gambling…then there was the dancing that some did with girls they paid for. The later it got in the day, the more the place seemed to turn into a carnal house of pleasures. It was disgusting…disturbing. Thankfully it wasn’t that late. Yet.

Vaguely she was aware of a sharp stab against her inner hip as the pin prodded her while she was shifted around by the Hutt. She ignored it with little more than a momentary narrowing of her eyes. It wasn’t the first time she’d been stabbed by it, and it wouldn’t be the last. She’d been careful to keep it close at all times…a reminder of better things, of hope for escape, of people who cared about her. Besides, all of her other means of picking locks had been taken from her on the trip here, or lost with the Exodus when it was destroyed. If I ever make it out of here I’ll have to let Sev know just how handy his little gift is. That was part of the plan, after all…grenade pin lock pick. Odd, but effective. She’d already practiced on the cuff that held her to her bed at night. It had taken a little to straighten the thing out again to remain as unobtrusive as possible, but she’d done it. It had worked, and she knew it. All she needed was a chance…

The problem was…there was never a chance.

There was always someone watching. They watched the doors, the halls, the refreshers, the bedrooms…if she’d thought the last place had a ‘security detail,’ this one most certainly did. Then again, it made sense considering how she and her companions had left his last home, and this one…well this one made him his money. Part of it, at least. Sam came back to herself when she swiftly came to realize that the Hutt had stopped his cursed groping of her, its fingers slipping back out from beneath her top as he was approached by one of his lackeys. For a long moment she debated struggling, but decided against it. The reason why was simple and two fold: First, if she struggled now…instead of a simple tug, that collar around her neck would end up giving her a good shock. The hutt didn’t appreciate being made a fool of in front of clients or people introduced to him. Secondly, the person (whoever it was) might be able to help her. It was unlikely, a fool’s hope, but a hope none the less…and she needed to be paying attention…not pumped with electricity then sent off.

At this point, anyone could be her ticket out…

…she just needed a chance.

…a good chance.

<<Lord Greegar, Shine Albatross has returned.>>

That….had her stunned into utter silence and stillness…not that it was much different from what she had been before. Not on the outside anyway. Shine. I might have a chance after all!...If…if he recognizes me.

<<Show him to me. I trust it is good news since he comes on his own volition.>> With a wave of his hand to the Cathar man, Greegar leaned down and took a long whiff of Sam’s curled and golden hair. <<You behave like a good girl, Bha’lir, and I might let you spend time with this one as a reward for both of you. I’m sure he would be…gentle…with you.>>

<<Since when did you start caring who was gentle with me?>>

It was a muttered, and rhetorical, question.

The slug didn’t seem to appreciate it as he pressed a finger painfully hard into her right shoulder, making her try to bite back a whimper and shut her eyes tightly. <<Yes, I thought you would be good,>> he growled. One thing about this hutt…he refused to speak anything but Huttese, be it from preference or having never learned basic she wasn’t certain. Though, she had a guess that it was more the former and less the latter since he understood basic well enough.

So, there she sat…pretty as a picture against a backdrop of muck colored fat and flesh. Not a muscle was twitched aside from her breathing and the occasional blink as Shine and…some unknown woman…formed before them through the dark room to stop before the dais she and the Hutt occupied. The booming voice of the Hutt, raised just enough to be heard by the two before him over the music of the ‘club’ around them, had her muscles tensing just slightly, making a couple of the newer scars on her body more visible…even through the golden paint covering her. Beyond that, however, she watched…looking for any sign that Shine might possibly recognize her.

So far it wasn’t looking good.

<<Ah, Mr. Albatross. You return. And with a partner? Hopefully you also return with good news…>>

[Jazen]

If you had told Shine a three days that he'd be walking straight into the mouth of the nastiest slug he'd ever seen, back into the reach and eyes of a being he'd swore he'd never encounter again.....well, he would have probably laughed it off and told said there was no force on any planet that would move him to do that.

He had been wrong. So very, very wrong.

There were ways and reasons and forces out in the galaxy that could drive him to do just that. For the most part, ever since helping Sam and Sev and Athar back on Tatooine to free their Wookie friend from the clutches of that vile slug Greegor, Shine had put that event behind him. Greegor hadn't sent hits squads or bounty hunters after him, and all his "contacts" said there was no word out on his head either. Which meant the slug either found him useful despite being betrayed....or his part in the event had gone unnoticed. A good thing no doubt, but Shine did worry about Sam. But ever since she joined Project Familiar...that worry had subsided a bit.

They were a strong group, although one that operated from the shadows. But they had resources and power and tricks that Shine surely hadn't seen yet. So long as she worked for them...she would be safe.

So there was no way that Shine could be forced to see that slug again, even if Greegor requested his audience. Shine had given him only an account to send the remaining funds to and after that had been done, he had emptied that money and closed the account. Vis went back in later after he'd got him and made sure there was no way for it to be back traced as well. And he hadn't given him any contact information either; he was effectively free from that horrifying thought.

Until three days ago. Three days ago, his little fantasy of never having to deal with a Hutt again shattered so quickly and easily that Shine had been furious he had let the fantasy build up in the first place.

Shine had been where he always was, firmly seated in the cockpit of the Black Cat at the time. Whiskey and Vis were off in the back; the latter recharging his power, Whiskey sitting in her room doing...well, whatever Whiskey did when she was alone. Shine never asked what she did in there all by herself, nor did he want to. What she did on her own time was up to her; so long as it didn't come back to bite him in the behind, he didn't mind at all. The stars of the Bright Jewel Cluster around Ord Mantell filled the cockpit's windows, the shadow of the planet off to the distance right. They'd just finished a run to deliver some supplies down to the planet's surface for one of the many factories down there and were taking some down time in the space above while the nav computer plotted their course for Coruscant. For some real down time and repairs, and to plot their next move.

Shine had been lost in the world of dreams when something heavy and frantic had jumped into his lap. Rather abruptly, Shine sat up and shot a look down at the droid. And had been about to remind Vis what he had said about waking someone gently and waking someone like that when Vis stone cold cut him off.

"I have received a message from Father. Or rather, from home. It is marked urgent and the recipient....had been designated as one Shine Albartos...you."

There had been something in Vis' tone...something that was outside the normal timid and cheerful tone that he often spoke in....that had Shine's hairs standing up on the back of his neck. "Thanks Vis, I know my own name Alright, if its marked for me then let's hear it. Anything urgent from them to us must be serious."

Vis nodded in agreement, then silently plugged himself into the console board. Clicking a few switches up and pressing a button here or there, Shine gave Vis a short nod, the clicked the holo projector on. And then sealed the cockpit door behind him. Almost instantly, a figure had appeared there..a womanly figure that stared straight at Shine. Well, she did after a moment. Her eyes first locked on Vis, some kind of secret discussion going on by the way Vis twitched his head left and right. Then, after a moment longer, her eyes had trained on Shine.

"Shine Albartos....I am Havanli. On behalf of my creator and your benefactor, I have been requested to contact regarding a matter of importance to us. I cannot say much over the open comm, even as encrypted as this message is. What follows is a recording from one of our employees; she has gone missing and after hearing the recording, we wish for you to find and bring her back to us."

Shine's eyes were unmoving as they stared back at Havanli, about a hundred different things going through his head at the moment. But none of them were concrete enough for him to focus on a single one...and even if the idea that they'd be asking for "his" help directly didn't seem normal to him, his curiosity was piqued. "Ooooooookay then. Uh...Havanli was it? Look, I get that I'm part of....well whatever you guys are. But I was under the impression that simply having Vis was my part of the deal...that and keeping him out of danger. And don't you have someone more trained to handle this kind of...."

"Our agents name is Namra Raquad."

Shine's voice froze in his throat and his blood must have iced over faster then water on Rhen Var. From his side, Vis made an audible sound that Shine knew was a gasp from him. For the next few moments, there was nothing but silence. Then, licking his lips slowly, Shine spoke through teeth he knew were starting to clench. "Play the recording."

And over the next few minutes, that was exactly what happened. And though he didn't have the full details(though Vis told him they had been transferred to him later), even Shine didn't need a brush to paint the picture the recording was giving. It was Sam alright, her voice clear as day during the first parts of the recording and even as the recording cut in and out, he could still pick up the tone of her voice...and the growing fear that was beginning to dominate it. Right up until that crack and the sound of something hitting the floor....and then the sounds of more voices coming clear through before the recording shut off abruptly.

If Whiskey had been able to walk in on him right then, she would have seen something she had not seen yet. Shine. Furious beyond words. His eyes were narrowed, those golden eyes narrowed in the slits that made him look like a deadly predator in the dark cockpit, his fists clenched so tight that they were turning white from the strain, his teeth clenched so hard together that he swore he would crack them from the stress. Not only because of what the recording said of Sam's situation.....but of that one voice he'd heard over the recording. He would have picked that voice out even without Sam's small shout of detail about a Epicanthix woman with three scars....there was only one person with that voice that matched that description.

Panther. And that name alone told him all he needed to know about what had happened. And it downright filled him with rage.

"As you can see, we have reason to be distressed. We launched our own investigation shortly after we got that recording, however, while we were able do determine where she had been taken...we are not able to determine who has taken her. Its a sector of space we, sadly, do not have the benefit of knowing all the tricks of the Fringe. However, we highly suspect that..."

"Save it. I know who has her. Give me her location and I'll get it done."

"Understood. Vis has all the details on him. We wish you the best of luck....and pray for all your safe returns." And with that, the image faded and the cockpit returned back into utter silence. Silence broken by the sound of someone banging on the cockpit door. For a moment...a moment Shine probably held longer then he should have, he sat there, saying nothing, doing nothing...thinking. Then he reached back and keyed the lock to the cockpit and turned to face Whiskey as she entered. Before she could ask, he answered.

"I'll explain in a moment. Set our course for Nar Shadda; something just came up. In the meantime, Vis....I need to make a call."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days after that, here he was. The process had taken longer then he'd hoped, definitely longer then he'd wanted. As soon as he had left the cockpit that day, he'd put all the contacts and skills he had to work to contact the one person he knew...KNEW...had to know about this. Getting through the Bha'lir's communications security had taken patience, patience he barely had at the moment. But giving them the code Athar had given him before, along with giving them the name Namra Raquad, managed to get him through their network to the man he needed to talk to.

He couldn't tell Athar how he had gotten the information or why...but he did give him the recording and explained that his sources were the best there was. And that he needed his help. From the dark in Athar's eyes...he hadn't thought it possible for those big black globes to darken but they did....Athar had murder on his mind. And whether or not he believed Shine regarding how Shine came into knowledge of this, the simple fact was that Sam was in danger. And if Shine was telling the truth or was part of it, he would have to come and see for himself either way. When he agreed, Shine had thanked him and given him the time table for when they were gonna get there. And considering Athar's recent fall from grace with the Hutt, Shine had warned him to keep his distance till they figured out just what the situation was. Again, something he didn't like but the logic behind it made him agree.

A day wasted over that, Shine had then went full throttle through the white lines of hyperspace towards Nar Shadda. And in the meantime, brought Whiskey up to speed on where they were going, why they were going and the story behind his relation to the woman they were going to save. And oh, though she had missed the fury he'd shown in the cockpit, he gave her plenty more of it to see during that time. Everything in him showed the tension in his shoulders, the cold fury that threatened to explode from him despite his best efforts to keep it below the surface. A cold fury he'd have to suppress when he came face to face with the slug....or find himself dead trying to end that slimy piece of space entrails himself.

The rest of the trip had been spent prepping for what was to come. And as the waste planet city that was Nar Shadda came into view, Shine bit back his rage and his pain, covered it with his normal tone of manners and amusement and slight cockiness that Corellians were so well known for....and called down to the planet. Requesting an auidence with the one being he swore to never see again. Forced there by a reason he should have seen coming.

It wasn't long before they'd gotten a reply, even less time to get a landing pad, a destination and a scheduled meeting with Greegar. Apparently, the fact that Shine had come back to request such an audience with the Hutt had greatly pleased the crime lord, enough so that he'd made sure that Shine could get in that day to see him. Which was perfect; the faster he got in, the faster he could assess just how frelled this entire situation was. The ship's engines were still cooling when Shine, Whiskey and Vis, curled up on Shine's shoulder with practiced precision, exited the ship to the speeder they'd ordered on the way in. With Whiskey seated beside him and Vis taking a spot in the back seat, Shine hit the throttle and shot off into the frantic airspace that was the air of Nar Shadda.

It seemed like only a moment had passed in the time it took them to arrive at Greegars home base on the planet, met the guards at the door and were escorted through its halls to the main chamber were the slug sat. Hopefully, as Shine had told her before they landed, Whiskey was studying the place, every hole and crack and speck of dust that they passed through the halls. Shine himself was studying all that he could as well, keeping his studies hidden behind his mask. And Vis was doing what he could to scan and remember the general outline as well; he'd been part of this path before and every second counted. Especially since he didn't have the benefit of someone else doing the intel first.

The audience chamber was much like the one on Tatooine, though it luckily was no where near as hot. The lights were bright but not TOO bright, the chaos of the dancers, singers and various mercs and smugglers and the Hutt's personal guard wandering around inside it...and dead center of the back wall, the slug himself. Who wore an expression that Shine could swear was one he never wished to see on his face; joy. Putting on his best smile he could, Shine made his way towards him at the Hutt's booming voice, the droid at his side translating the Huttese into Basic for him to understand. Though he did get the gist of it.

<<Ah, Mr. Albatross. You return. And with a partner? Hopefully you also return with good news…>>

"Praise be to you as well Lord Greegar. I see you've done well for yourself since that situation back on Tatooine. I feared for the worst when I heard but as I can see, a great lord such as yourself always has a backup place to base in. I find myself slightly embarrassed that I was worried at all about the other half of my payment that day; you kept to the deal and I respect that.

Ah yes, my partner. My lord, allow me to introduce my comrades; the lovely lady to my left is Jewel. She's proven to be a most wonderful addition to my crew. And on my shoulder a simple droid I picked up to handle some of the finer computer details; I've named him Vistal."

"Greetings Lord Greegar. I am honored to be in your presence.

"He's very polite, as you can see. As for the news, I do hope its good. At least I think it is; you see, I've realized that no such job pays as well as the gracious hand of a powerful lord such as yourself. And with this new crew member to add to my list of thing I need, I find myself in need of funds quickly. I remember you offering me a chance at greater rewards if I succeeded for you the first time and, lo and behold, I come to see if that was true.

His eyes drifted from the Hutt down to the woman attached to the chain he held; last time it had been someone different, he knew that. This one, colored in gold and covered in the most basic but exotic of garments that left little to the imagination, was staring straight ahead of her, straight at him. Even covered in the paint and most of her face hidden behind a mask, Shine could tell this woman was a beauty...and he winced internally for the woman. Another innocent person, no doubt, sold into slavery and forced into the Hutt's slimy grasp. A fate Shine had heard rumor had been the reason Sam hated the slug...among many other reasons. But there was the way she looked at him, the way those cold grey eyes stared right.....

Grey eyes? Those were rare, especially among humans. In fact, the only one he'd ever seen with grey eyes was...

And then it hit him. Harder then any bolt or blunt object could. And it almost made him break his mask that he had spent hours preparing for this moment. He didn't' show it, but he struggled inside to force himself back on task and lift his eyes up to Greegar again. "My apologies my lord...I was temporarily distracted by the wonderful lady of gold you have seated at your lap. I don't recall seeing her back on Tatooine though; did I simply miss the pleasure of her there or is she new?" As he spoke, he walked very calmly sideways, as if trying to study her from different angles...when he was really looking for something other then her eyes to confirm it was her. And the question he'd just asked....well, hopefully it would yield even more proof to answer his thoughts.

And heaven help the Hutt if his assumptions proved true.

[Meira]

The mission had started abruptly. Whiskey had been in her quarters when she'd heard the frantic rush of the droid bounding along the corridor. She'd stuck her head out the door to her room, angling it toward the cockpit, but after only a few words between the droid and Shine Albatros, the cockpit door was closed.

Whiskey had stayed standing in her own doorway for a few moments then. Shine Albatros had never sealed the cockpit since she'd joined on with him. Whatever was happening, it was secret. The young assassin's curiosity had piqued, but without a way to spy on the man, there was little she could do.

After a few minutes, she'd approached the cockpit and knocked on the door. It opened a moment later and as she stepped in, Shine Albatros spoke and gave direction. She'd followed the command wordlessly. Over the next few days, her curiosity was sated and a plan to rescue this Sam woman was formulated.

-----------------------------------

Upon arrival at the palace of their Hutt adversary, Whiskey remained quiet and vigilant. Her eyes taking in every detail that they could as they made their way toward the Hutt. Shine Albatros spoke with the Hutt, introducing her as Jewel. For a moment, Whiskey's vigil had been broken at the sound of the fake name. She'd never been called anything but Whiskey. The new name gave her pause, but was soon dismissed as she returned to her silent watch.

When Shine Albatros turned his attention to the slave girl at the Hutt's side, Whiskey eyed the woman for a moment. She wondered if Shine Albatros recognized her as the one they were sent to rescue. Whiskey had seen holoimages of the woman Sam, but was not able to confirm the woman before them as the same. So she, again, remained silent, watching and listening as the events unfolded. Time would likely reveal more to them.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

”Dat gerl’s ben quiet…too quiet…dat’s how I know sometin’s up! Now plot da course fer Ku—“

Both wookiee and nautolan stopped suddenly as the comm. sounded an alert for an incoming message…

…it wasn’t Sam…

Shine.

The smuggler was trouble…Athar could smell it (literally) all over him, just like he could smell it all over Sev, that damned republic soldier. Thoughts of ‘what does he want’ and ‘why the hell is he calling’…not to mention ‘how the hell did he get my number?’…filtered through his mind. Worrak, complete with translator, asked if they were going to just ignore the comm. and continue on their way. The nautolan was extremely tempted. Something, though, told him he shouldn’t. Call it a gut instinct…and most of the time his gut was right. With a heavy sigh and an irritated twitch of his head tresses he reached over and clicked on the comm. Maybe he knew something about what Samantha had been up to that was keeping her so quiet.

…Neither of the two in the cockpit expected what they got…

As Athar listened, the liquid and oil-like swirls across those black eyes seemed to flash-freeze. Oh yes…murder was most definitely on his mind. Murder of whom he wasn’t sure yet, but the Hutt was at the top of the list, possibly followed by breaking the rule of ‘don’t kill the messenger.’ Worrak gave a dark growl that had the nautolan removing his hand from the tight grip it had taken on his scimitar’s hilt. Yes, he believed Shine and no, he didn’t give a damn who had given him the information. He knew what sort of things Hutt slaves went through…luckily he’d kept the girl from that fate once after a stupid move by her previous, force using, companion. He hadn’t been able to do that this time, but he’d make sure she got out of it anyway.

Standing menacingly, those head tresses flicked and curled as he pointed an accusing finger at Shine’s image. ”Don’ waste any more time. I’ll be in da system soon as I can.” It may have sounded something like an agreement as he clicked off the comm, but it wasn’t. Not entirely. He had a few calls to make himself…but the biggest question was…did he tell the soldier?

In the expanse of time following the cut off for the transmission he allowed Worrak to deal with setting the coordinates, he was weighing his options. On one hand he knew that Sam would kill him (if she was able when they found her) for telling the man…especially if he somehow managed to slip free of his duties to come and help. If he did, chances were high that it wouldn’t be with permission. On the other hand Athar had (very grudgingly) accepted the fact that the soldier was likely going to be a recurring factor in Sam’s life. He didn’t like the man’s profession, but the man himself might be tolerable...maybe…and he certainly cared about Sam, almost as much as Athar did himself. It was because of those facts that he (unhappily) admitted to himself that he felt a sort of obligation to tell the man what had happened.

An almost violent twitch of his head tresses drew Worrak’s attention and the rumbling and roaring that sounded from him was followed by the fairly simplistic questions of “Are you okay? What’s next?” from the translation device. Another long moment and a deep, calming, breath was taken in and let out.

”We need ta get hold a Kiv. ‘E might be on dat damn moon still. An’…I need ta draft sometin’ up. Bring up all da information we got on dat slug while I’m in da back. Jump in thirty minutes.”

He was up and out of his seat before he’d even finished speaking, heading back toward his cabin. Chances were he was going to end up regretting this in the long run, but he was going to do the right thing. Oh he hoped it was the right thing. What right thing? At this point there is no ‘right thing’. The moment he slipped into his cabin he grabbed his datapad and stalked over to his desk computer, turning it on and thumping into his chair. He still had the code for Sev’s datapad system in his files…he just hoped the man didn’t change codes like people changed underwear.

= Doubt you’ve heard from the girl lately…I hadn’t. Now I know why, so I’m passing along the information.

She’s gone and gotten herself into trouble with Worrak’s ‘friend’ from Tatooine, the fat lard. Plans are in motion to get her out of his ‘graces’ again. Heard from Cat-eyes who heard from someone (don’t know who) who heard from her (supposedly), but I believe the kid that she’s in hot water. Calling in a friend of my own who can assist as well.

Stay put or the girl will have a fit.
Yes that matters.

Figured you had the right to know…don’t make me regret it. One of us will contact you again when things are settled. Don’t try for a message back.

~Athar =

For a long moment black eyes gazed at the unsent message, trying to discern if he’d said too much or too little, if it was clear enough for the recipient to interpret correctly, or if it should even be sent at all. Another flick and twitch of his head tresses and he blinked slowly, sighing in time.

…the man deserved to know…

Besides, he wasn’t as hot headed and rocket fueled as Shine was or Sam could be. He’d do the right thing and stay put.

He hoped.

…The message was sent.

---

For a long moment Shine didn’t even seem to notice her, but she noticed him…him, the woman with him, and Vistal. She didn’t know the little FIDES well, but she certainly knew OF them…all of them…and she’d met Vistal once when Shine had come knocking around Kuat and Familiar. That had been a surprise. Come on little guy…look over here. I know you all have biometrics scans…ID me. Paint or not you can ID me, I know you can. She understood that he’d have to keep the information to himself for a little bit, but the sooner Shine knew it was her, and the more concrete the evidence, the better.

“…a simple droid I picked up to handle…”

Oh Shine, there’s not a thing about him that even LOOKS simple. He should be kept out of sight around here…

Grey eyes flickered from Shine and Vis to the woman he introduced as Jewel and the flicker of confusion that crossed her face. It was subtle enough that the Hutt would have missed it, but Sam was better than that. Whoever this woman was, her name certainly wasn’t ‘Jewel’…though, she might as well have been one. An ice cold one at that. She was about as closed off as a person could be considering where they were. Those eyes turned away again as Shine continued with his speech.

Behind her the Hutt was readjusting himself as he chortled and listened, his…fat…rubbing in the most disgusting way against her back and she had to work to keep herself from showing any sort of emotion (like disgust). This outfit made her feel about as naked as a jay bird. What I wouldn’t give for my serape right now, she mused as part of her wondered if this was how Brathos’ ancestors had felt during the Kanz Disorders. Subtly she turned her head away from Shine and gazed at him from the corner of her eyes, one hand gently turning over so that the palm was up and almost, almost, held out to him as she repositioned it on her lap.

Please notice, Shine…I know you don’t know much about me, but please notice…

<<Ahh…it IS good news. Many people have let me down lately, but not you. I like you, and hopefully I will like your…very lovely…new partner as…well…>>

Even the hutt had been distracted by Shine’s sudden interest in the woman on the other end of the chain in his hand. For a long moment he watched Shine study the woman, though she seemed to show only minimal interest in return. Par for the course with the blond as far as he was concerned. Sam was, however, very interested in Shine’s study of her. A slight movement of her head and she was back to staring at him, almost coldly…it was the only way to keep the Hutt off balance as far as her hopes were concerned, still, that hope shown in her eyes.

Again, Shine’s reaction may not have been noticeable to anyone else, but she’d been taught to see what others didn’t. Yes, Shine, it’s me...for Lady’s sake I hope that’s honest recognition in your eyes. She certainly hoped it was. Still, she could feel the rising tension of keeping herself held aloof etching through her shoulder and upper back. For once she wished the fat lump behind her would give her away to someone for the night…specifically Shine. It would be nice to have some time where I don’t have to act like a slave.

“My apologies my lord…”

The Hutt seemed to find it almost amusing, since he chortled and looked down at the flower seated before him. <<You have good taste. She is new, if a bit…damaged. Still, she makes up for the flaws with talent as a translator, and pleasure for men who don’t disappoint me.>> Bulbous eyes studied Shine as Shine studied the woman, Sam pulling her hair over one shoulder, showing the ‘damage’ on her other one. Even the gold paint couldn’t hide that scarring and skin graft completely. Still, Sam wasn’t showing her ‘damage’ off to emphasize the Hutt’s words, she was doing it to give Shine something definite to work off of. After a moment though, she’d settle her hair back the way it was. She didn’t like that scar any more now than she did when she’d gotten it.

<<If you perform well once again, perhaps I will send her to you for a night.>>

The slug chuckled.

[Jazen]

From his perch on Shine's shoulder, Vistal watched the conversation between Shine and the Hutt known as Greegar unfolded with only miniscule interest. Not that he didn't want to know how the act was going, on the contrary, he wished he could pay more attention. But Shine had given him very specific orders before they had arrived, the first and foremost was to do everything in his power to look as simplistic as Shine made him out to be. It would be hard to hide his complicated workings, but by altering his speech patterns to sound like a drone and to make only the slightest motions...well, hopefully it would do.

But he'd also been given a task, one Shine had told him was of the utmost importance. When Shine had been pondering how to find out where she was, the possible thought had come into mind that the Hutt would keep her close. Which meant somewhere in the grand chamber where she could be watched or seen. It had been at that time that Vis had informed Shine he might be able to assist there; part of his functions included an advanced biometric scan.

Considering the crowd in here, Vistal had come to realize that offering to use it had been the right choice. So many faces, so many possible places for Sam to be. Provided she was in here for course. So from the minute they'd entered the chamber, Vis's eyes had switched over and his harrowing task had begun.

But to his surprise...and great joy, though it took a considerable amount of effort not to bounce up and down to show it, he didn't have to scroll through too many of the faces within his place. He had only scanned about a half dozen of the beings in here, several of them appearing to him as wanted felons with considerable bounties on their heads and what was known about them in PF's vast database scrolling across his processors, when his eyes had fallen on the golden colored women in front of the Hutt. Oh my, that color is every so eye catching. It reminds me of Shine's eyes. Maybe it came from the same source or... His train of thought trailed off as his scanners went to reading the finest details of her face and running them through the system.

It didn't take long for it to find a match....and with the slightest of motions, Vis shuffled on Shine's shoulder and made a slight twitch of his head towards her. The signal he'd been told to give if her found her.

Shine made no real reaction to Vis's actions, though he felt his heart skip a beat instead. And glancing at the direction Vis pointed his head towards, Shine found them resting on the very person he had been suspecting was the target all along. Shine's golden eyes danced over the woman from head to toe, looking for a confirmation he could make himself. Not that he didn't trust his little partner, he had full confidence that Vis had done what he'd promised. But he just needed that little extra insurance....

He didn't miss that subtle gesture with her hand, wanted to return the gesture or give her some kind of sign that he knew who she was. But before he could, the Hutt's booming chuckle brought him back to focus on the Hutt. (Pretty girl...Hutt...wasn't easy to look back at the latter) "I do aim to please my lord. And letting down someone of your standing is bad for business, so I make sure to go beyond the call of duty to ensure I don't fail. And I'm sure you will my lord; she hasn't failed me yet, so I doubt she will fail your expectations either."

He let his eyes drift back to Sam at that point, or the woman that every sign was pointing to be Sam. Those cold grey eyes were staring back at him, hard and unflinching, the same kind of look she'd given him before when she was angry with him. No, not quite the same actually. Cold yes...but there was something deeper behind those eyes. Shine had learned to spot things that most others wouldn't, a trick his father had managed to give him before he went pilot over cop. This was....was....hope.

Lifting his eyes from her again to focus as the Hutt spoke, Shine gave a modest shrug of his shoulders and smiled back at the Hutt in return. "Ah, I thought as much. I didn't recall seeing her back on Tatooine. I must say though, she is quite the looker. Must help get the business booming with such a lovely prize at the end." He felt his insides twist inside as the next words planned to come from his mouth, but knew he had to say them to look the part of someone who didn't know her. "Well now, I have a little extra incentive to succeed then, don't I?"

He forced a chuckle as his eyes drifted back to Sam once again, just in time to catch her shifting her hair over to one side....and there it was, clear as day for Shine to lock in on. He'd seen it, back on Tatooine, when they'd had to put Sam in the kolto tank to heal her injuries. No, before that, when she'd been resting on his lap while Sev was in the tank. Even though the golden paint did its best to cover it, it didn't hide it well enough. Internally, Shine winced at seeing the damage to her back once again, the scars and signs of skin grafting. But it was only for a moment before he turned his eyes back to her face, then to the Hutt. He had his assurance now.

"Well my lord, I look forward to proving myself once again, as I did for you on Tatooine. So lets talk what you need of me this time; with such a -bomber- of a lady waiting to be dropped into my lap if I do well, then the faster I can earn her, the better." And inside he prayed that the little hint he'd dropped would be enough. And that no one else would know what it meant.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

<<You are wise not to let me down, Albartos, and even wiser to chose a partner who will not.>> He looked down to the woman settled before him and smirked before looking back to Shine. <<Yes…now. She was…difficult…to get and she is still full of spirit, thus trying at times. She is learning, though, and soon she’ll be tame enough. Isn’t that right, pet?>>

One chubby hand stroked over her hair and she narrowed her eyes as she looked back at him. A tug of that chain and she was forced to lean back against him at risk of receiving a good shock. Her look made the fat slug rumble a laugh. Sam’s look, however, wasn’t just directed at the hutt’s actions, but also Shine’s words. If this slug figures out why he said that, I’m toast even if we manage to all get away from here! *sigh* At least he knows it’s me.

<<Not yet, Mr. Albartos. I will have one of my men give you some choices on what I need run and you can pick from them…then we’ll speak again.>> With a wave of his hand he dismissed the trio to go and find a place to sit or do as they wished. Turning to one of his men he’d rumble his orders and send the man on his way to go and collect the information for Shine.

[Jazen]

You're as stupid as you are ugly if you think you're gonna get the chance to try slug slime.

Words in his mind only at the things Greegar was saying about Sam, things he wished he could say aloud instead of feigning kindness towards him. But he knew that would not only condemn him, but Sam and Whiskey too. So for now, all those lovely little words in his mind would have to stay there. In their place, a different string of words slipped from his lips, along with a smile he was beginning to grow tired of wearing.

"Don't worry about that Lord Greegar; we won't fail to disappoint." Turning his eyes back to Sam, he cast her an even wider smile, though he slipped a bit of "wickedness" into it for the Hutt's benefit and to keep his cover. "Well, don't make her too tame. You always want a little fire in your pets, otherwise they might turn boring."

He had to fight back a retch as Sam was pulled back to lay on the Hutt, then lifted an eyebrow at the look she shot them both. He knew the look, it was one she'd given him when he'd done something that played way to close to the line when they were on Tatooine. At the very least though, they were both sure he knew who she was. Turning his head back to Greegar, he bowed his head respectfully to the Hutt before stepping back and taking a glance at where to sit. "Very well my Lord. Come Jewel, let's grab us a seat and a drink, maybe something to snack on, while our very gracious host attends to other business."

Turning his back to the Hutt and Sam, Shine moved slowly through the crowd to the more secluded and emptier tables at the back. One would ask why these seats weren't as filled as the rest of the others but that was really no mystery at all; all the entertainment was up front and everyone wanted to be as close to the action as they could get. It still wasn't that empty mind you, a couple of small tables not in use here and there, but there was enough space for him to be able to speak to Whiskey and Vis without a nearby eavesdropper being able to hear them whisper. After all, with all the music, hooting and yelling going around, only someone practically sitting next to them would be able to hear them talk....and that's exactly why he'd chosen it. Besides, if anyone questioned it, he could simply say it was so he could hear what the Hutt's man had to say clearer and without outside distractions.

Settling into one of the chairs, Shine gave a slight nod to one of the waitresses prancing around, ordering a light drink for himself and water for Whiskey. As she danced off to do that, Shine had a small window before their host sent over his man....enough time for Shine to lean to Whiskey and whisper to her. "Well, welcome to the one place in the universe you never want to be. Sorry about the name by the way; he knows me, but if this thing goes south, then he'll be hunting "Jewel", not you.

Alright, we've got some time before he returns. I want to hear your opinion on this place, the -company- in it and anything that might be a problem for our future "work". Use your data pad from here on out for anything that isn't group friendly." Whiskey would figure out what he meant by that, after all, she had already proven herself to be that smart. It meant that if she had any ideas to contribute to their mission here, their real mission, to do so via the datapad. Everything else she was free to speak about clearly...so long as it didn't jeopardize their cover.

[Meira]

As the conversation continued, Whiskey only paid it a fraction of her attention. The rest was occupied by watching the figures within the immediate area. Many guards had been made blatantly obvious to those within the club. They stood at intervals around the outskirts of the crowds. But those were more for show than anything. The Hutt also had eyes and ears that mingled and moved through the crowd of beings. They weren't easy to notice, but whenever Whiskey spotted one, she did her best to commit their features to memory.

After his talk with the Hutt was finished, Shine Albatros directed her to follow him to a booth at the edge of the crowds. After he'd ordered their drinks, he spoke and put forth his question.

"Typical set up." she said, her hands moving over a floor plan that came up on the datapad. She touched points on the screen where the obvious guards were stationed. Those points remained red. She then ran her finger along other points, leaving green lines that indicated the entrances and exits she'd seen since they'd arrived.

"The crowd could be used if needed." Panicked people made a great distraction. Messy, perhaps, but effective.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Note: i've changed Kiv's appearance considerably.

---

Oh she felt dirty all over.

It was a terrible feeling, one that Sam would have gotten herself away from as swiftly as possible if she’d been able to. It just wasn’t that simple, however. Sure she could pick her locks, but the moment she tried to get away? That really was an even less pleasant thought than biding her time had been. Still, maybe now there was a decent chance of getting out of here alive and whole…or at least fairly whole.

As Shine ‘leered’ at her, she pulled her head away a bit and frowned, knitting her brows. She knew he was playing the part, but it was just unsettling…seeing him look at her that way, like half the other men who came traipsing through this vile den. The blonde couldn’t stifle the shudder between the disgusting feel of the hutt behind her and the expression on Shine’s face. Yes, she felt very, very, dirty.

---

It had been almost twenty minutes since Shine and Whiskey had left the direct presence of the hutt and so far there would have been no sign of the man with the information on Shine’s next job. That was, of course, because the bothan in charge of the task was attempting to decide just how much he wanted to risk his neck on the man. If things went bad and the man didn’t come back it would be his head and he didn’t like that, but if he did come back and everything went well…well things could look up for his own prospects.

Finally he decided on a minor slave smuggling job. Just a couple of people really, a mother and son that the hutt had ‘gained’ to fill a scullery position (for the boy) and a waitressing position (for the mother). The husband hadn’t been able to pay his debts so he paid with his right hand, his tongue, his wife and his son. It was a sad affair, really. Anyway, with the job details on a data chip (sans the reason/way the two had been ‘acquired’ – he didn’t want the man growing a conscience, after all), the stout bothan headed out to find the “cat-eyed smuggler” (as he’d been described) and give him the information.

---

<<So you’re telling me that vivacious-alluring-pilot is in trouble? What sort of trouble and why can’t you get her out?>>

”Dat’s what I’m sayin’ an’ et’s dat slug Greegar. I go in dere at da wrong time an’ I’ll make tings worse. Look all I need ya ta do is act eyes an’ ears. Maybe give dat green kid a hand if ‘e need et. Keep me up ta date on da happenin’s.”

The translated words were…expected…from the richly plumed shashay, so Athar hardly had to think about his reply before he spoke. One golden brown eye peered at him from across the com before Kiv (the shortened name for Kailas-Ialu Vidas, “Mountain-Dream Forest warrior”) turned his head and looked at him through the other eye. Finally the spy and information broker sighed.

<<Alright, alright…I’ll go and pay a visit to the ugly brown worm and look for cat-eye man, but you owe me one smuggling water-lion.>>

”Tha’s fine, jus’ be sure ta keep a good ear open.”

Rich iridescent-black feathers glistened greens and blues and purples as he moved through the door nearly an hour after that conversation, the color accenting the vibrant coloration of the rest of him. Variations of blue covered the majority of his back and wings, the color starting at the back of his beak and running between his eyes then along his crest feathers before covering the entirety of his back. His 'wings' and tail displayed an almost mosaic-like combination of blue variations, white, grey and that iridescent black. Around his neck (starting just below his crest feathers) ran a band of rich crimson feathers, another (smaller) band of the color marking the end of his beak on one side and the beginning of the blue coloring going toward his back on the other. The rest of his body (comprised of the rest of his face, the front of his torso, and thighs) was snowy white with hints of pale golden-yellow intermixed, making him almost seem to glisten in the light. He wasn’t exactly an entirely uncommon sight here in this venue, or other venues like this, but shashays weren’t exactly common out in the galaxy either. Clad only in a well fitting, wide, and colorful leather and cloth belt, two short flaps of cloth hanging down in front and behind him, the shashay all but sashayed into the dark interior. Across his back hung a rather rustic shaped instrument with a very round body and long protrusion from one end, protected and hidden from direct sight by thickly padded black cloth.

<<Ah! And here the greatest lord, he doth sit and watch the masses, a spectacle to behold, verily!
With pretty women, wine and song he lounges in wealth, merrily!>>

The sweet, half sung, shashay words rose above everything as he approached the dais the hutt sat upon, his tail flicking up and down and crest lifted and flushed out. Stopping quite a few feet from the dais so as not to seem to pose a threat, he would bow with a flourish before looking up at Greegar once more out of one eye while the little droid that floated beside him translated his words. Standing again he took in the pretty golden woman before taking in his surroundings and finally the hutt.

<<O lord of wine and women…women especially, it seems…I would indeed enjoy some time to sing in your establishment, and perhaps some small token of graciousness for my time. I do believe your pretty flowers would dance quite lovely to my tunes, think you not?>>

[Jazen]

When Shine had asked for her opinion, he'd hoped Whiskey would give a more elaborate and detailed report about their situation and how best to approach it. Show a little more enthusiasm or some emotion like it in regards to the task he would have to give her later. At least then he'd know for sure that she was on board for what could quite possibly be the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

He shouldn't have expected that outcome at all. Whiskey hadn't shown anything of the like since he'd met her, save for the odd time when she went from stone cold emotionless to a sobbing mess in faster then water evaporated on Tatooine. Her lack of emotion never seemed to affect the level of skill she put into her work, she always put in an amazing effort that continually surprised him. But the lack of any feeling behind that meticulous work made it all seem....empty. He'd have to see about working on that if they got out of this alive. No, that wasn't right; when they got out of this alive.

Shine sighed and shook his head lightly before turning to give his surroundings a quick buzz before daring to speak again, making sure to used hushed tones. It didn't matter much in the long run, what with the music blaring likely to drown out his voice before it came within reach of any ear but Whiskey's, but no chances could be taken here. Not unless Shine thought the two of them could outgun the Hutt's entire party.

"Good points Whiskey. I'll just chalk the simple replies to meaning you'll be able to be more elaborate on them in private later." Having said that, he let his eyes linger on the room as a whole, taking into account her suggestions and comparing the points on the pad before him relative to the people themselves.

He adjusted the map ever so slightly to accommodate for some of the guards moving back and forth, almost patrolling the vesta they were in. All the entrances and exits were matched right and Shine added several more little dots to their floor plan as his eyes picked out those that were merely playing the role of guest when they were in fact hidden guards. Set up, no doubt, to be the edge if a fight did break out among the Hutt and another party. Pretty clever for the slug, even if some of them needed a lesson in acting.

"Alright, as soon as we get the job the Hutt wants me to do, we'll head back to the ship and go over some of the basics of our plan. Then, depending on the job, figure out the best course of action between the two of us for getting it done quick and getting back here. It's going to be a tough job what we're about to do, so let's make sure there are no loose ends to...." Movement out of the corner of his eye made Shine click the datapad quickly over to its other screen and silence his tongue by taking a sip of his drink. The approaching being might not have even been for them, but again, no chances.

As it was, the man was for them it seemed. The Hutt's messenger finally arrived to deliver the job for Shine to "prove" himself with. As the man seated himself at the table, Shine called for the wandering waitress to come over and take the man's choice of drink. As she headed off to handle that, Shine leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table and looked to the man. "Well, its about time. Any longer and I would have asked for half off my meal. So, what's Lord Greegar wish of me this time? Another spice run to a planet that doesn't leak at the seams?"

The man shook his head. "Not quite. Got's a couple of new "personal" needing be picked up. A simple task really. All the details are on this here datachip. Take a gander, then tell me your in so I can tell the lord and then be on my way." The man presented the chip to Shine, which a quick swipe of his fingers took it into his own and easily slid it into the datapad. Details scrolled across the screen as Shine's golden eyes danced across the words, the information reflecting ever so slightly in his eyes....and then he barely suppressed the urge to fling the pad at the man's head.

"A boy and his mother...really, your hiring from all age groups now a days huh?"

"Something like that. You needn't concern yourself with the particulars, just get them and bring them here."

"But see, while I may work for some of the nastiest pieces of work in the galaxy, that does not mean I am without my own standards. And you know what the first one is? I don't deal in people, or anything related to the transferring of people into slavery. And this is starting to sound a lot like slavery to me so.....sorry, find someone else without a set of morals. I'll take anything else, no matter how hard the run."

"But....you can't go against the job offered by our lord. It would be disrespec......"

"Stop, right there. Now you listen and you listen good. Greegar said he'd send a man to me with a job. He didn't say WHAT the job would be nor did he say he would choose the job either. He left that to you. I'm not spitting in his face by declining the job YOU decided to give me, therefore so long as I am given and accept a job you give me, I am not disrespecting him at all. See how that works? So pick something else, something perhaps in the area of smuggling spice to or from a planet or something along those lines and I'll gladly take the job and everyone's happy. Makes sense right?"

"But this job is..."

Shine's eyes narrowed dangerously and the hint of venom in his voice at being asked to bring slaves to this worthless slug boiled over to add that menacing tone. "But nothing. Do I need suggest to Lord Greegar that his employees aren't as generous and as wise as he is, and that they're disrespecting his image by doing so? I'm pretty sure he'd enjoy hearing that...especially with the entertainment that person would give him as a result. Pick. Something. Else."

The man, taken back by the surprising change in demeanor from the light spoken man, coupled with the look Whiskey was giving him, made him fumble his own datapad as he quickly brought up a list of other available jobs. It didn't take him long to grab another, download the details and toss the card to Shine. Slipping it quickly into his pad, Shine read over the new job....and smiled innocently. It was a run to the planet Falleen to deliver a load of spice and other essential materials to support the local crime syndicate based there, an associate of Greegar's. It would be tough getting in and out, what with the place being a Republic planet and the location of the drop being someplace he could be seen...piece of cake. And it sure beat the heck out of slaving out a small family in order to save a friend. Ah, moral dilemma, how they were annoying.

"Much better. Tell your lord I accept this job and once I've finished my drink and done a few things here, I'll head out with all due haste to accomplish it. After all...with that fine set of legs and body awaiting me at the end, who wouldn't want to hurry back?" The man gave him a slight smile, then a nod...and then he vanished back quicker then Shine thought possible into the crowd. Well....step one down. Now time for step two. After his drink. Nodding to Whiskey, he smiled lightly. "Come on dear...let's go say goodbye to the Hutt, then head back to plan for our "job"."

With that said, he'd find his eyes wandering to the newcomer that had just entered the massive room, a strangely dressed yet vibrant colored being that reminded Shine of a massive walking bird. The bird man had just started speaking to the Hutt when Shine made his way to the front to watch, smiling at the display. Just let the birdman do his thing, say goodbye to the slime, then be out the door with Whiskey on his wing.

[Meira]

Whiskey didn't know much about Shine Albatros' past. For the most part, she was little concerned about it. But sitting in the Hutt's nightclub with him, trying to make plans against the Hutt seemed unwise to her. They would be going back to his ship soon, so what was the point? She indulged him with the information she put on the datapad, sure, but he wanted more. Well, he could wait.

Had she been the kind of person who would laugh, she might have done so when she saw him marking the locations of the Hutt's undercover guards. That would do him no good. They'd all be in different places within the next few minutes. Some, she'd noticed, had already moved. The only way to handle those were to commit their features to memory.

To be completely honest, Whiskey thought Shine Albatros was going about this whole thing the wrong way. Had he been aware of what she really was, he would probably have thought it wiser to stay on his ship and let her do the work. He had exposed himself by coming in like this. She could have done it without anyone knowing. But Shine Albatros didn't know what she was. So she went along with his plan, or what he had construed as a plan.

Whiskey was resting back against her seat when the Bothan approached. As per usual, she said nothing, but locked her gaze on him until she was confident she could identify him later if needed. Once done with that, her eyes returned to their surroundings as the Bothan and Shine Albatros began to speak. Those wandering eyes did, however, casually look at the datapad as Shine Albatross brought up the details on the job. A boy and his mother. Simple and easy.

But Shine refused the job. There was no change in the woman's face. There never was. But mentally, Whiskey did a double take as Shine Albatros began to argue with the Bothan. Once again, as she did so often, she wondered about her employer's decision making strategies. When he used the word 'morals' a Whiskey who had no chip in her brain might have rolled her eyes.

She hardly listened after that, only becoming vaguely aware of the job that was agreed on. The only look the Bothan had received was the same one he'd received when he arrived, Whiskey's customary cold, empty stare. Inside, she was wracking her brain to try and understand what only appeared to be self destructive behavior to her. She followed Shine Albatros to stand and move across the club. When he stopped, seeming to wait his turn behind some alien to speak with Greegar again, Whiskey did not stop with him. She hadn't spoken to the Hutt at all when they arrived. As far as the Hutt was concerned, she was just the help. So she disappeared through the crowd to the exit and made her way back to the ship.

Once there, Whiskey found herself pacing around the ship in the empty docking bay. Shine Albatros had locked it down and she couldn't get on board. She moved with quick, random steps. There was an energy inside of her that didn't allow her to sit still. Her breaths came in uneven and unsatisfying huffs and her usually blank face had contorted with a frown and furrowed brows. Shine Albatros was not qualified to perform such an extraction operation. He was making things worse with every move he made. The thought caused the muscles in her chest to contract until finally she let out a yell of frustration and sent her foot flying out to kick one of the ship's landing struts. A dull metallic thump sounded, and then silence.

The action seemed to have eased the intensity of the emotion her chip was failing to regulate. So she repeated the action. Once, twice... about a minute later she was seated on the ground, leaning up against the wall and breathing slow, deep breaths. The tightness in her muscles seemed to have abated. Whiskey put her head in her hands for a moment while she considered her own options.

One: She could leave. She had no real commitment to Shine Albatros that kept her tethered to the man. There were thousands of ships and crews that came to Nar Shaddaa every day. Yes, she had belongings on his ship, but nothing that couldn't be replaced.

Two: She could tell Shine Albatros what she was. As soon as the thought came to her, she dismissed it. She couldn't tell him. Once she did that she would have to stay with him to ensure he didn't try to sell her back to her handlers, or she could...

Three: ...kill him. She could wait until he returned to the ship. Once inside, he'd be an easy target and she'd have access to the ship. But no, there were other codes. Whiskey wouldn't be able to pilot the ship at all without the man. She could still kill him, but she'd have to take her things and revert back to her first option.

Four: She could try to help him without giving too much away about what she was. This would be... difficult. For one, she still had little care about the woman Shine Albatros was trying to rescue. From what she could gather, his motivations for extracting her were based in emotional attachment to the woman. Whiskey knew well that when people became emotionally involved in an assignment, they made mistakes, they didn't think clearly, and they often died. Green Meadows had spent countless credits to ensure their operatives did not act on emotion. And those operatives were trained to manipulate this shortcoming to their advantage. But Whiskey couldn't think of a way to use Shine's emotional involvement to her advantage.

Before she could consider any further, Whiskey's ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching. She stood in time to see Shine Albatros walking toward the ship. She still hadn't decided which course of action to take, but for whatever reason, she couldn't stop herself from speaking.

"You are making mistakes that will make your objective more difficult to complete." Her eyes met his with that same blank expression, unflinching. "You should have taken the first job offered and been done with it." You shouldn't have come at all, is what she really wanted to say.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Grey eyes watched the scene as she tried, hard, to ignore the…petting…she was receiving from the hutt’s slimy hand. The exposed flesh of her side and stomach crawled at the sensation, but she managed (somehow) to keep her eyes focused on Shine and the woman with him. The interaction between him and the bothan who was giving him the new job didn’t look promising. It sounded even less promising once the Bothan came to report Shine’s answer back to Greegar. Biting back a groan, she watched and waited as another man was presented to the fat slug behind her…she remembered this guy, too. He’d been promised a good time (with her) should he complete a particularly nasty bounty…and the video feed he showed the hutt on a small, personal, display seemed to be proof enough.

If only I could get out of this that easily…fake a death and drop off the grid…she sighed a little. It would be nice to not be hunted for a while. The man, smirking, headed back into the guest rooms as Greegar gave a few orders to one of his attendants. It was about that point that a rather brightly colored shashay announced his presence to the whole club with his songlike language, his interpreter droid…well, interpreting. A rumble of a laugh from behind her showed that the hutt certainly seemed to know this being, or at least tolerate it. She recognized the plumage, vaguely, until he was standing before herself and Greegar. Kiv! Goddess it’s been forever! Athar must know something’s gone wrong also.

<<Minstrel Kiv, it has been a while since you’ve come asking to sing. I was beginning to believe you disliked the pay or the crowd!>>

For a flicker of a moment Sam could have sworn that Kiv had given her a wink…but it was always difficult to tell considering where his eyes were placed, he could have just been blinking.

<<Lord Gambler, I am most hurt by these accusations! A busy shashay am I, and only just finding more time to grace your wonderful establishment! Certainly you will not turn me out for such things?! A businessman knows well another businessman’s woes when it comes to time.>>

Sam blinked as she felt the collar around her neck receive a short tug. Looking over, a couple of the hutt’s attendants were standing there, one holding the chain attached to her and the other looking impatient and motioning for her to get up and get a move on. Sighing, she glanced at Kiv, then noticed Shine as she was lead past him and back toward the guest rooms also.

---

Kiv watched the woman move away through one golden-brown eye and kept himself from sighing, instead showing off that smile of his. Greegar, of course, was going to allow him to sing…he knew it before the hutt even said anything. The greedy slug’s revenues almost always went up when he came around…more likely because the girls danced more to his music than because of his presence alone, but hey, you couldn’t win them all and this was a crowd he didn’t particularly enjoy. Then again, it also might have been because news of a shashay being in town tended to spread pretty swiftly. Stars knew that he got an upsurge of information to sell and sales of that information when he came around dumps like this.

<<Of course I wouldn’t turn you out. Go, have a drink while I take care of a bit more business and then play something for these flowers of mine.>>

With another flourish of a bow Kailas-Ialu took his leave, turning and looking up at the man who stood waiting near by. Keen eyes caught a hint of yellow eyes with strange slitted pupils. Like a cat’s…hmm, he must be the man I was supposed to be looking for. He didn’t do more than nod to the man, however, taking a seat at a table close at hand (so that he could hear everything being said) and ordering a drink from one of the waitresses, his droid hovering close by his left side and his instrument settled carefully against his thigh.

As Shine came up to speak to Greegar, the hutt took his opportunity to speak first. <<It is a shame that you didn’t take my offered job, Mr. Albartoss…as you can see, my golden flower is much sought after and so I only give her to those who take the challenging jobs offered to them.>> He rumbled a devious chuckle at that, obviously finding amusement in something. <<I trust that, because you have chosen a less profitable job to complete, you will accept a smaller fee for your services. It would be about the same pay as your last run for me.>> Of course, Greegar wasn’t going to negotiate the terms…

<<But I am keeping you from your task, so I will bid you farewell seeing that I am sure everything is in order and you have all of the pertinent information.>>

The bothan, from a point beside and behind the hutt, muttered a quiet confirmation that Shine had been given the information on where to pick up the spice, to whom it was to be delivered and the timetable for the run.

[Jazen]

Shine watched the greetings between the Hutt and the colorful newcomer with only a smidgen of his focus. The rest of it was directed towards a much more interesting interaction. Interesting, if that's what you could call the Hutt's guards tugging Sam away from the slime basket towards a man who was smiling with obvious intent. Shine, being as he was, was good at reading body language, reading the signs hidden behind faces and looks. His look was all one of lust and desire, one that promised that he would enjoy what to come even if the woman he was pleasing himself with did not.

It made Shine's blood boil and only the knowledge that freeing her later would only come if he kept on his facade kept him from blasting the scum to kingdom come. That and the fact that he'd likely be gunned down into nothing in an instant if he did. Then Sam would be trapped in this place, possibly forever. And Shine wouldn't let that happen. Never.

Shine nodded to the Bothan as he passed, responding in kind to the man's acknowledgement of him. Then he turned to focus on Greegar, knowing he had to get one final thing over with before heading off to join Whiskey.

That final thing made his blood run cold, even before the Hutt finished speaking. Bantha waste Shine, of course she'd be a "special item". What were you thinking?!" It took every ounce of will in his body to fight the desire to look utterly despaired, knowing it would give him away much more if he did. Instead, he put on a face of partially feigned sadness, folding his arms and glancing Sam's way before shaking his head. Inside his mind though, his thoughts were racing. He needed to speak to Sam, face to face, alone hopefully, in order to obtain information about this place and to talk to her about possible ways to get her out. It would also allow more time for Whiskey and Vis to have a legitimate excuse to lurk around the place. Study it, look for weaknesses, plots plans of escape.

And really, he wanted to make sure she was okay. She'd been here, what, a week? And if her recent direction was any indication of what the Hutt was using her for, that week could very well have been the worse week of her life. The possibility of her as a reward, of doing what this men were doing to her, was the furthest thing from his mind. Another time, another place, different situation, his mind would have been there. But not now.

Which meant he had to do something drastic, something that would earn him the Hutt's favor so he could earn that chance. Inside, Shine was warring with the logic of the situation and his own personal code. A personal code was stupid to have as a smuggler, but for the most part, Shine had been able to avoid the rather nasty parts of the job. Being able to find jobs and picking the wicked, but otherwise basic tasks had that advantage. Now, for the first time, Shine was faced with the fact that he wouldn't be able to run from those kinds of tasks forever. Especially in light of the current situation. It tore at him, ripped around his insides as the world smacked him with reality...and then he knew what had to be done.

Turning to leave, he took several steps away before pausing with an Ahhhh!, as if he'd just had some grand enlightenment. Turning back, he stepped towards the Hutt and smiled politely.

"You know, my lord, you were right. A fool I am, to accept such an easy job as running spice, when that's not any challenge at all. And who am I to deny a task that would add to your vast and illustrious staff? And I would hate to know I missed out on such a fine gem as that blondie simply because I had a minor moment of conscience.

So I'll make you a counter offer; to make up for my mistake, I shall run both jobs for you. The trip to Falleen shall take no more then a day or two and then I can collect your new "workers" on my way back. After all, its not far off course. I reckon I should be able to handle both within...five days or so. Maybe a week if complications arise, but I don't foresee there being any real problems. And to make it truly far, I ask for only two things. A small minor fee, likely less then half what you paid me last time. And..." he said, glancing towards the guest rooms with a half amused smirk of his own faked lust, "perhaps a chance to get better acquainted with your new flower."

Then Shine was silent, waiting, hoping to whatever thing out there ruled fate to intervene on his behalf and not against it. The Hutt himself was utterly silent as well, glaring at Shine with those massive eyes of his, slitted and dangerous. Shine met the stare with his own unique eyes, refusing to blink in this situation, to show weakness. Then, starting both him and several around them, the Hutt's booming laugh echoed throughout the small room.

<<Ahahaha, a bold one you are, Shine Albatros, to ask for this job after denying it so strongly. I have a mind to make you handle the job and give you no reward, or to deny you outright. But...I did say that only the best earn certain rewards and even if you looked away for a moment, your senses could not reject an opportunity to do vice. So what I shall do is this; give you five days to accomplish these jobs. If you return within those five days, I shall reward you as you wish. Fail me in returning late and you get nothing but the direction to the door.

I look forward to seeing how determined your human mating drive makes you. Now begone; I have other matters that need attending.>>

Shine smiled, bowing his head low and then giving a mock salute. "You are most generous my lord. Five days; no later. Keep her fresh and ready for me." Then he turned to leave, his face filled with joy and desire, the kind of face a man made when he'd just won the big pot on table. Inside he felt like gutter slime.

--------------------

Shine had plenty of time to loathe his choice as he made his way back to the Cat, time he spent better by studying his surroundings along the way. Constantly he had to remind himself that his was for the better good, that saving Sam would be worth sending someone else to suffer in her place. But he knew it was a lie and that to think that at all would be against his very nature. And Sam would never approve of that kind of thinking either. She'd probably hate him for it. But he had time; time on these tasks to think and to plan and to find a way to fix this situation.

Whatever he was expecting when he got back to the Cat, Whiskey's direct words to him were not what that was. And they only served as a reminder to what he'd had to do. It made him want to retch. To curse fate and pound his hull until he was numb to pain or swimming in it. Instead, he shot Whiskey with the firmest gaze he had and nodded to the ramp.

"Yea, I know. Thank you for that so obvious of an observation; I needed to be reminded of my stupidity".

Sighing, he took a breath, then started up the ramp before speaking again. "You wouldn't understand why I did that. I doubt many would and I won't waste your time trying to explain it. Anyway, its a moot point now. Common sense kicked me and now we have two jobs to do; the one I took AND the one you just demanded I take. And we've only got five days to do it, which by the way, it going to take a miracle to accomplish. So let's get to work." He didn't wait for her reply or see what he reaction was. Shine headed into the ship, headed to the cockpit and for the 100th time today, wondered how this could get any worse.

------------------------

Meanwhile, hidden away in the shadows high above the heads of the being's inhabiting the Hutt's palace, something small and unnoticed slipped into the overheads. Something metal and sleek, with eyes that glowed in the dark until he dimmed them. Something by the name of Vistal; and his mission had just begun.

[Meira]

Shine Albatros' response might have taken Whiskey by surprise, if relief hadn't won out first. Her shoulders seemed to relax slightly as she listened to what the man was saying, his tone and expressions barely registering within her mind. So he'd somehow managed to salvage the wreck he'd made of that whole situation. Well then she supposed she wouldn't have to kill him after all.

With her relief, came a clarity of mind that allowed the female assassin to observe Shine Albatros' posture as she followed him up the ramp and into the ship. She followed him all the way until he passed her quarters, where she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Sitting down on her bunk, Whiskey called his words to mind again and attempted to remember his facial features and tone of voice as he said them. It was difficult for her. So much of her memory simply took in the words themselves and not the minor details that accompanied them. But it was these details that she was beginning to learn to find meaning in as well.

Sarcasm was something she found particularly difficult, but in this instance she readily identified its use. Though Shine Albatros was correct in that he had been stupid, he would not actually be glad that it was being pointed out to him. Emotions made criticism difficult to receive. She should have been aware of this before speaking. Of course he would take what she said as an insult rather than a simple fact.

But the fact at hand now was that the irritation that she now recognized Shine Albatros was feeling would be just as detrimental to his mission as his emotional involvements with this Sam woman were. And if Whiskey wasn't going to kill him and move on, then she might as well try to help him. So she stood and left her room, stepped into the cockpit and sat down in the copilot's chair.

"I apologize for being blunt. I understand that this is difficult for you." She didn't look at him as she said this. It was strange enough having to speak this was as it was, she didn't want to do more than she had to.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Please note that I've made a considerable change to Kiv's plumage colors in one of the previous posts. Sorry for the confusion, but it's just so much better this way. Here are some links to help you out:
link1
link2
link3

---

Gentle...

Yeah, that was a word that didn't have a definition in any 'normal' Hutt's dwelling. Not in terms of words or treatment, from anyone...except maybe other slaves (assuming you were a slave or worker yourself). Unfortunately, Sam wasn't exactly dealing with other slaves or workers most of the time. Not until night fall...and sometimes not even then. This newest dirt bag, for instance, was not being anything even remotely like 'gentle,' nor was he getting the idea that she wasn't going to give him what he wanted, no matter what the Hutt (or the man himself) demanded.

Now, she was all game for playing rough in the bed department, but there was a stipulation: she had to be a willing partner. Needless to say she wasn't right now. The worst part was that, while she could fight back, her motions were limited by the binders that attached her to the wall near the bed. Sure it was just her wrists, and sure there was some slack from the chains, and sure she was pretty good with sparring and brawling, but there's only so much a girl can do in that sort of situation....former soldier or not. The really sad (and honestly frightening) part, was that the guy seemed to actually like the fight she was putting up...blood and all.

'What is it with these people and masochism?!' she wondered as she nearly knocked one of his teeth loose. Turns out that was probably a bad idea, in the end, as he all but tackled her onto the bed, his knife easily cutting the material of what passed for her clothing....

---

Even five days later the blonde couldn't get over the situation. It had been the first time something like that had happened, and she prayed every night that it would be the last. True, she'd been able to loop her chain around his neck and pull until he passed out...but she'd nearly killed him, also, and then there was the fact that it had gone somewhere. Way too far. The slimey worm had been punishing her ever since then...no food the first two days as well as isolation from the other slaves, then just the isolation except when she was out with the Hutt himself, but today was supposed to be her first day off of that sort of punishment. She'd see how long that lasted.

No way was she getting her hopes up.

As she was led out into the main room of the club and perched beside the foul smelling worm, she noticed Kiv was still hanging around, plucking absentmindedly at his instrument in the corner the band usually haunted. It was still too early for them to be here, so she supposed he was filling the interrim. The oddly plumed Shashay only barely glanced over before returning to the small audience he had already gathered...

...Speaking of gathered, he'd gathered quite a bit of information while he'd been there...none of it overly pertinent, however. There really wasn't much to report back to Athar, other than the normal workings of the club. Oh sure he'd told the Nautolan about Shine and the Hutt and all of that folderol, but other than that day there hadn't been much to say or do. He was certain to play/sing as many upbeat songs as he could remember, in hopes that he might keep Sam's spirits up, but something had happened...he could tell. When he heard, well, it was difficult to not try and do something himself, but...well, he wasn't much of a fighter, despite his name's implications. Assassin, maybe, fighter....no, not really, no. Not if he could help it. He wasn't that sort of person, anyway.

[Jazen]

So sudden was Whiskey's apology, so unusual, that Shine's hand missed the proper controls to start the ship. Shifting his gaze to the woman sitting beside him, Shine sat there stupefied for a few quiet moments before his brain caught up with what had just happened. Blinking a few times and staring at the ship's dash for a moment, Shine shook his head and went about activating the ship's engines.

"I know emotions aren't something you're familiar with. So this all might seem insane to you; but thank you anyway. Don't know if you care or not, but if you want to understand my reasons, the only suggestion I can make is this. Isn't there someone you know that, if they were in danger, you'd do whatever needed to be done to help them?"

Leaving it at that, Shine pulled back on the throttle and brought the ship out of hangar with a speed most pilots wouldn't dare, pushed the engines as hard as he knew they would go and jetted off towards the black sky above them. They had work to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their first trip was to Falleen, a planet about a day and a half away through hyperspace. Shine spent most of that time double checking their order and securing it so any bumps they were likely to encounter wouldn't spill the cargo from end up of the hold to the other. The last thing Shine wanted to do was explain to either the Hutt or the people they were delivering this to that he'd decided to paint the interior of his cargo hold the color of spice.

Whiskey assisted when he asked and, whenever he wasn't attending to something else, Shine was having Whiskey learn how to keep the Cat flying with a little improvising. True, he might not know how long she intended to stick around, but every little chance he could get to work with her meant another chance to unravel the mystery that she was. Besides, considering the tendency to go from ice cold soldier women to a shuddering crying mass she exhibited, Shine needed to know what the triggers, if there were any, were. Things were likely to get FUBAR when they returned to free Sam and the last thing Shine needed then was for his greatest possible asset to break down.

The run to Falleen itself was a mixture of trouble and ease. With one of the Cat's many double ID's, getting down to the planet under the pretense of delivering to legit company that one of the Hutt's men was a major player in was a piece of cake. The delivery, on the other hand...well, no job ever went according to plan. What almost made Shine toss in the towel was the fact that instead of just one critical screw up, there were two. The first was that someone had dropped the proverbial ball; the local security forces made a play on the transaction. The second was that the Hutt's man tried to screw Shine out the payment he was to collect for the Hutt and make it seem like the police had been at fault, an attempt to earn more profit for himself. Unfortunately, the timing was screwed.

The cops showed up early, meaning the Falleen man didn't get a chance to off Shine and flee with the goods before the cops arrived due to that unlikely tip and that sent the whole place into chaos. The Fallen's men and the cops entered into a firefight in the middle of crowded public space, with Shine and Whiskey caught dead in the center of it all. Cursing his luck, Shine opted to get back to the ship as quick as possible and figure out a way to salvage this completely spaceslug of a situation. That also meant going through a heap of men shooting at each other, none of which would have any problem leaving a few new holes in either of them. Shine's words to Whiskey at that point had been straight to the point.

"If it's a cop, knock him flat. If it's not, return the favor of blaster bolts."

The next few minutes were an effort to stay alive and keep from getting caught either. Amongst it all, Shine couldn't help but admire Whiskey at work; the woman always seemed one step ahead of any assailants that dared to cross their path. If it wasn't for her, Shine actually doubted he would have gotten out of there with his life intact. Not that she did all the work in escaping their predicament, but she saved Shine from a bolt he might not have been able to evade more than once. Shine would have to look into getting her something extra later for her efforts.

Amazingly, they both made it safety back to the hangar, where their double crossing man had also opted to retreat too. After a tense standoff, a single bolt had rung out through the hangar...and it had been the one Shine fired off into the man after Whiskey dealt with his supposedly expert guards. Oh, the man was still alive as Shine made his way towards the ramp of his ship. where a single Falleen female was descending, a smile on her face as she approached. Apparently, she had been the one who'd tipped off the police, the objective being the end or capture of the miserable man cursing on the floor beside them. She, it seemed, was loyal to the Hutt on a much higher level then him and when his intention to screw Greegar became clear, she'd double crossed him to serve her master. When Shine pointed out her loyalty almost got him killed too, she simply shrugged and said if he was as skilled as she'd heard, it wouldn't be a problem.

Shaking his head, Shine just asked if she'd gotten the cargo offloaded. When she indicated that it had, Shine calmly, but forcibly, demanded the payment as he had other places to be. Still smiling, the woman handled the transfer of funds as easily as if she'd been in charge all along and wished him a nice trip. Shine thanked her...and then decked her one good as he stomped up the ramp with Whiskey in tow. Minutes later, the Cat was clearing the atmosphere and setting up for their next jump. The delay was gonna cost them and put things on an even tighter schedule then before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trip to Sriluur took less time then it should have, only because Shine managed to get the hyperdrive to crank out a little extra power. The trip there took just under two days with the modifications, which left Shine with roughly about a day to make it back to Nar Shadda on time. At least, provided everything went as planned her and the situation didn't get FUBARed again.

No one presently controlled Sriluur, although the Hutt's apparently had some claim to the planet on a level Shine wasn't going to bother to ask about. It had its own form of guard, sure enough, but considering how most their traffic in or out usually had to do with Hutt related matters, getting in was as simple as requesting permission to land. In quick order, the Cat was resting and ready to go at a moment's notice while Shine and Whiskey made their way to the address the Hutt had given them. Around them, the planet's native Weequay's went about their business; they knew better then to question what obviously was the work of a Hutt they wanted no part in knowing.

Finding the family was easy. Taking the mother and child, well...that turned out to be slightly harder. But then, Shine expected the husband to defend his family from his mistake. What he didn't expect was for the husband to cower in fear and the man's brother made the attempt to save them. A shame for him, honestly, that Shine was faster with a blaster. At least Shine had only put it on stun, rather then shoot this man who was doing what the husband should have been doing. The brother was unable to move, but awake, as Shine told the wife and child to stand with Whiskey while he had a talk with him. Squatting down next to the man, Shine leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"You're brother brought this upon them and did nothing when we came. I respect what you did...and know this. I will do everything in my power to bring them back. I just need them for a little while to save someone I care about too."

Explaining no further, Shine turned back to Whiskey and the pair, motioning with his blaster for them to start walking. As quick as that went, every precious second he could get now counted. On the exterior of his mind, Shine knew that getting back on time was the only way he could get into the Hutt's good graces long enough to help free Sam. But deep, deep back in his brain, there was that little voice that whispered that he also wanted her on a more primal level. Fortune have it that Shine never let that part of him control his actions.

One of the rooms on-board the Cat had been prepared for the two, giving them the simple comfort of a place to sleep. Planting himself in the cockpit, Shine's hands danced over the controls as he brought the ship up again and made all due speed to make the deadline. Turning to Whiskey, sitting beside him once again, Shine sighed in exhaustion. "Alright...let's talk about what the plan is when we get back..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A familiar shadow descended with reckless abandon into Nar Shadda's atmosphere, the man at the controls twisting and turning through the chaos of hundreds of ships in its path with a skill only years of practice could ingrain. Shine glanced briefly over to the small counter he'd set when they left, counting down the minutes they'd had to accomplish their goal. The counter was close to ending its journey; it would be a close call. Giving Whiskey a glance, Shine shook his head as he muttered several curses and prayers together, all at once. He hadn't done all this just for nothing...no way in Corellian space hell!

The Cat's landing struts were still taking the weight of their bearer when Shine's feet hit the deck, his pace quickened but not panicked. Plenty of time he kept whispering to himself in his head, plenty of time. Whiskey would be on pace behind him with their passengers, both with wrists locked together and to each other to avoid them running away expect as a whole, which would slow them enough to catch them again if need be. Shine kept looking from his timer, to Whiskey and their captives, to the city beyond. Gonna be close...way closer then anything I've ever dealt with before.

No doubt the same thought was in the mind of the Hutt...right up until Shine walked into the main viewing portion of the club with a lovely five minutes to spare. With a slight bow towards the slug, and his shining flower nestled at his side, Shine grinned as the Hutt turned to him with widened eyes.

"My lord...I have returned."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shine had not been the only one who'd been busy over these last five days. Hidden above the main room, his glowing eyes dulled to avoid attention, Vistal watched the return of his partner with what a human might consider a sigh of relief. Most of their plan hinged on Shine managing to return successful, to ease the Hutt's suspicions long enough to do what needed to be done. Now that that part of the plan had found its etching in stone, the rest could begin.

Since being left behind those five days ago, Vistal had set about two very fundamental tasks; understanding the layout of the club, including the location of all the cameras, guards and any other unpleasant obstacles that would hinder their efforts and locating Sam for when the time to free her came. The second was the easiest to accomplish; when night fell, moving about the club through its many vents had proved a simple task. Tracking where Sam was had proved not difficult a job either; all Vistal had to do was follow her from the main room to the isolation chamber where the Hutt would have men waiting for her.

It had been one night in particular, where Sam had dealt with her would-be rapist in splendid fashion, that Vistal had managed to locate her position. He had to wait, painfully, as he watched the whole event play out until the man had been removed from the chambers. Then, after checking to make sure what he was about to do wouldn't be noticed, Vistal had attended to his duty.

"Ms Sam," he had said, "do not make any indication that you can hear me. Act as normal as possible if you could.

Shine left me here to recon and prepare for his return, so that our efforts to free you will go more smoothly if possible. Locating you was one of those objectives, as was to assure you that we will get you far, far away from here.

Now, I'm not without my tricks, but we will need help. Is there anyone, here or not, that we can call on for assistance? Whisper it; I'll hear."

And she did indeed know someone who could help, someone within the club itself. She had whispered ever so quietly the name of their ally and the way to identify him, a whisper that Vistal's audio enhancement caught and amplified clearly. Kiv. With what had been the nearest thing Vistal's facial features could accomplish, the little droid grinned. They were not alone in this endeavor.

Speaking with Kiv hadn't been hard. Finding the right time to do so had. Vistal had to track the man to his room within the club and then wait, calmly, until he was sure there was no one around to possibly overhear that the pair needed to discuss. Needless to say, if Vistal hadn't given the man warning before popping out of the vent he was lurking behind, things could have gone horribly wrong. With a little shake to clear the dust from himself, Vistal had met with the man known as Kiv. And from there, they planned.

Now Vistal had everything he had set out to acquire. Kiv, an on/off resident of this place, knew most of the layout like one of those many songs he played upon his instrument; intimately. Where guards would be, when they swapped out, where camera's would be watching from, all knowledge that Vistal filed away for later. What he didn't know was those areas where his access would be denied, such as the area where Sam was being held. That was Vistal's contribution to their teamwork; using night and the vents as his cover, Vistal had uncovered much of what needed to be known about those places and added it to the collective pool of knowledge. Now all that remained was to wait for Shine to finish what needed to be done, meet back at the Cat...and prepare.