Take Me Away

[Rugs]

81 Hours Ago

"Ah, I tell ya, Flitch, it''s nights like these that you come to love. Just hang around me long enough and you'll see what I mean."

Asyr was all smiles as he stopped halfway across a long bridge that rose in a low, gently curving arc over a wide river. Straddling both sides of the river was a city that glistened with light under the night sky. The Bohemian had come here, to this backwater little world, to make a simple drop off. They'd stay the night, and be gone in the morning. Just so happened tonight was a special night for the local folks. It was a celebration of the changing seasons or something. Honestly he'd forgotten what the reasoning was.

But that wasn't important. What was important was that the streets were alive with festivities, and alcohol flowed so freely that he wouldn't have been surprised if the river below him tasted like ale, or whiskey. In fact, if he he'd been a bit more drunk, he might have tasted it to find out. But he wasn't there yet.

The droid on his shoulder--one that resembled a small dragon with the exception of having holographic wings that looked like an eagle's--looked at him, and then off at the city. He rustled his wings restlessly and resettled them over his back. "I suppose. I do not see what makes this night so special, however. You get drunk any other night." Flitch paused for a moment, considering. "I suppose you don't normally have fireworks to get drunk to."

"Of course you don't get it," Asyr muttered, shaking his head. "And that's why you are never getting laid." His snowy brows furrowed as his mind worked through the alcoholic haze. "Well. I guess most gals don't think droids are hot either. Unfortunately for you, I am very hot and in need of some more beer and women, so come on!" He wobbled slightly as he started off down the rest of the bridge, not entirely sure if he was going the right way or going back down the way he'd come. It didn't matter one way or the other.

"Destiny awaits!"

-------

It was dark. And cold. He coughed loudly as he pushed himself up from the cold metal floor. I must have gone out again... He blinked against the darkness, trying to will his eyes to adjust. It was useless; there wasn't any light for his eyes to catch, not in whatever prison they'd thrown him into.

-------

77 Hours Ago

"See Flitch? Told you tonight would be a good night!" He laughed as he stepped back out into the cool night air, zipping his shirt up and running a hand through his now-messy hair. The festival really was turning out to be a good night. He'd found some local women he had an eye for and engaged in flirting with them both. With spirits being high and festive, and his no-doubt irresistible charm coupled with his incredible body and good looks, they never had a chance.

Okay, it probably helped that just about everyone had been heavily engaged in drinking.

Still, he'd netted them both, and one led them back to her house to have their fun. And what fun he'd had! If Asyr's spirits had been high earlier, they were somewhere up in the mesosphere now.

Normally, he might have just stayed the night. It was late, after all, even though the city wouldn't be sleeping for a while yet, and he was still quite under the influence of all the drink he'd consumed. But the Bohemian would be leaving early, and Lordura wouldn't dally around to wait for him to come stumbling back onboard with his hangover after his night of deviance.

So it was best to make his way back to the ship now. It wasn't far to the port anyway. He'd be fine.

"If you insist, Asyr." Flitch seemed a bit more on edge than usual, which wasn't saying much for the droid that normally had all the personality of a rock that'd been forgotten at the bottom of a lake somewhere. Asyr just assumed Flitch was jealous that he'd been left in the living room while he and his partners had their romp. Where he not out of it and occupied with lighting up a cig, he might have noticed that Flitch's wings had shifted from their usual white to a wary pale yellow.

He also might have picked up on the fact that he was walking through a dark section of town, even on a night where the entire city seemed to be ablaze with light.

No, for once, Asyr, who was usually quite aware of what was going on even when he'd been drinking a lot, was quite out of it.

That was when they struck.

-------

Memory grew hazy and faded then. He couldn't remember what had happened, only that there'd been a lot of them. I shouldn't have tried to fight. I wasn't in any condition... Asyr sighed softly in the darkness. It was too late now.

Now he didn't know where he was or where he was going, beyond the obvious facts that he'd been captured and he was not on the Bohemian.

Slavers, maybe? He wondered as he leaned against what he assumed was the wall behind him. Contact irritated a bad bruise on the back of his shoulder and drew a sharp hiss of breath out through his teeth. But he settled against the wall again and made himself ignore it. He'd had worse before.

He could remember first waking up. It had been dark too. Until someone opened the door long enough to toss some goopy, tasteless food in for him.

How long have I been here? Asyr swallowed. Or tried to. His throat felt like cotton. And where's Flitch?

What would happen to him? How had the crew reacted to his sudden absence? Too many questions, and no way to answer them.

For a while, he just sat in the dark, curled up on himself and thankful they'd at least let him keep his own clothes, even if his weapons had been confiscated. It was long before he heard activity.

At first he thought someone was coming to him, but that wasn't it. Loud footsteps indicative of running echoed from the deck above him, and he could make out vague shouts. The ship suddenly shuddered, and the way it did made him look up, as if he could see something.

I know that shaking... Feels like the Bohemian when we latch for a raid. His brows knitted further, and he ignored the way it made a bruise on his face hurt. Are they pirates?

What's going on?

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa Therani had been napping when it happened. In this case, 'it' was hardly what she'd been expecting, namely an abrupt reemergence from hyperspace and into real space. Now, napping at the controls was hardly out of character for the Mirialan ex-Jedi, she was a pilot, not a droid, and that meant she needed the occasional cat-nap when there was nothing else to do. And she'd fully been expecting nothing to do for another two hours, which was their expected arrival time at Toprawa.

The crew of the Unfortunate Tease had wound up on a very simple cargo haul to the Republic world of Toprawa. It wasn't even that long of a trip really, a real cake walk by any standards. Which was just why fate had elected to throw up a massive roadblock in her way.

The proximity alarm blared, waking Ervisa from her light nap and putting her onto full alert. Sure enough, looming ahead of them was an asteroid. Just small enough to be moved, but big enough to pull their freighter out of hyperspace. Either they had some maintenance work to complete on this route or...

The ship was jolted roughly in what Ervisa recognized as a tractor beam. She wasn't surprised to be honest, dragging an asteroid into the lanes to force shipping back into real space was an old pirate trick. One still in use apparently. Of course it was her responsibility to not let the ship be captured without a little resistance.

She put all power to the engines and pushed hard, giving everything the Barloz class medium freighter was capable of. But seconds passed without any progress, and assorted gauges started to turn red. That, in Ervisa's experience, tended to be a bad thing. She shut down the engines and reached for the intercom. Time for a little advance warning for Pala and Morwynn.

"This is your pilot speaking, if you'll look to the hatches, we're about to be boarded by pirates."

The Mirialan woman flipped off the comm again and started running through her options. Someone had to solve the problems here, and she did have the advantages of being an ex-Jedi. That meant she was a bit more qualified to pull off a daring rescue. Not to slight Pala or Morwynn, undoubtedly they could both handle themselves well. But this was going to be her time to shine.

For starters, she had to hide. And that was the easy part, since she'd been imagining a game of hide and seek since about her second day on the ship. And with the cargo on hand, it was even easier: just that many more places to hide. And with her flexibility? No worries there.

She sped back from the cockpit, through the living area and out into the cavernous hold, stacked with crates and barrels carefully held down with webbing and straps. And up above... Overhead there was a maze of pipes and lighting elements, the perfect place to take cover in for those rare few who could reach it. Ervisa was proud to count herself among those.

She sprang up onto one of the taller stacks of crates, then gauged the distance for her next leap. When she was satisfied she had everything worked out right she pushed off from the crates and grabbed a hold of one of the pipes with both hands. With great strength, she swung her legs up and around it, and then she contorted herself around to rest on the top of it. Once there, she proceeded to inch her way over to a much thicker central pipe, flanked by several smaller ones.

She rested on top of that one, peering through the gaps down onto the cargo bay below. She was quite safely hidden from prying eyes, and it would take a scanning crew to figure out where she was.

[Harmony]

"Harkin, I'm on the way back to the ship now, expect me in about five to ten."

"Understood," the droid responded from the other end of the connection. Harmony stowed the comm device back in one of her jacket pockets, and slung the bag on her shoulder back around into her right arm. She had just left a shop where she'd managed to find replacement parts for the all-too-moody engine of her ship. Maybe with luck they'll last a little longer this time...

As she came up to the main square leading back to the docks, she noticed that the crowd had nearly tripled in size since she arrived. There was no way she was going to weave through such a mass of people. Looking around, she spotted an alleyway off to the side that appeared to lead in the direction of the docks, and she proceeded down it.

As she approached the end of the alleyway, she became aware that she was not alone. Glancing behind her, she saw two thuggish-looking men following her. Deciding it was best she not engage them, she picked up her pace, thinking that once she reached the docks she'd be decidedly safer. She crossed over a small intersection just before the end, however, and glanced to her right just in time to spot a large man with a heavy metal pipe swinging at her head.

She ducked and was quick to strike out, her fist making solid contact with the man's ribcage. As he stumbled backward briefly, she drew her blaster from the belt at her waist, and proceeded to shoot him in his upper leg. He fell, but Harmony could already hear several footsteps behind her. Turning around, she spotted five men running toward her from separate directions. As one took a shot with a blaster, Harmony reached into her jacket and grabbed her lightsaber.

The men didn't show any particular surprise at this sudden development, as Harmony deflected the shots that were taken at her. She paused to wonder if they had already known what she was. She wouldn't be given much time to wonder, however, as a blast of nearly-deafening sound sent her to her knees, and her hands fruitlessly covered her ears. Damned sonic weapon was her last thought before she was struck in the side of the head and the lights went out.

__________________________________

Things began to come back slowly as Harmony regained consciousness. She could feel herself being dragged across a floor, and could hear the breathing of the two men doing the dragging, but she couldn't see. After a moment of panic, she realized that she was blindfolded. Only seconds later, the two men grunted as they threw her, and she tumbled until slamming against the wall. She briefly cried out in pain, then heard the distinct sound of a heavy metal door being slammed shut. She scrambled to remove her blindfold, only to find that it helped her exactly none; there was absolutely no light in the room for her to see with.

After a brief moment to recover, both from having been unconscious and her impact with the wall, she sat up and tried to assess the situation. Too dark to see, but obviously locked in a room. She couldn't gauge the size, but determined that she was the only one in it by the fact that she couldn't sense anyone with her. Reaching her hand up to the side of her head, she felt the area she'd been struck. Tender, most-likely bruised, but the skin wasn't broken.

Harmony stood up and walked forward, hands out in front of her. When she reached a wall, she turned and followed it. Sure enough, alone, and the room was rather small. It also seemed as though it was a solid room, no windows or gaps or anything. She sat back down, assuming it to be the same position as before, and noticed that she was quite tired. Thinking about it, she figured it was probably the blow to the head, but despite her better judgment she soon found herself out again.

When she next gained hold of her senses, it felt as though she was in a very different place. Not the room, necessarily, but she could feel a distinct rumbling beneath her. A ship! When she'd been thrown in the cell, she hadn't noticed, perhaps because they were still at dock, but now the feeling of the engines subtly causing the ship to vibrate was clear. There was also another feeling, something she couldn't readily identify, maybe a tractor beam? It was hard to tell.

In addition to that, she now felt clearer than she had before, more awake. She checked her waist, and the inside of her jacket, but her weapons were obviously gone. She got up, and felt her way along the wall over to the door, and pounded it on it.

"Hello, is anyone out there?" she called out.

[10Tickler]

The Flaming suns? the captain of the Unfortunate Tease inquired, to no one in particular, as her eyes opened, a rather wonderfully short nap interrupted by the tinny voice of her Pilot over the ship's Comm System. Forcing herself into a sitting position, the Twi'lek's eye twitched a little. Pirates, what a droll proposition, but not too unexpected, considering their current status as a cargo freighter.

Pushing up, to a standing position, Pala'aola strapped on her twin hand-cannon slugthrowers, ensuring with quick, sure fingers, that they were both loaded properly, and that the speed-loaders she had for them were full as well.

To hell with it...I don't hide, not from Losers she said, out loud, neck cracking as she moved to the door, opening it and standing out in the hall, waiting for the boarding party that would likely be coming.

[Charlie Sharper]

Of all the places Morwynn had been in her life, this was by far, not the worst...Not the best, obviously, but not the worst and that had to count for something, she supposed. She didn't have much of a medical bay yet, but it would come in time, she had the essentials and that's what was important. She remembered the words of a friend she hadn't seen in fifteen years, 'One could spend eternity worrying on what you don't have...' Morwynn didn't find herself agreeing most of her life, but if there was ever a time to change, now might be it.

She sat in her room readying herself to present Pala with a proposal to convert half of the machine shop into a medical bay when Ervisa came over the comm. "This is your pilot speaking, if you'll look to the hatches, we're about to be boarded by pirates." "Great..." Morwynn sighed to herself. She reached down and unclasped her side holster and ran her fingers over her blaster, the Enforcer. She then grabbed her medical bag and headed out of her room in search of the other crew members, who were no doubt preparing to fight as well.

Morwynn ran down the hallway past the common area when she found Pala, awaiting the pirates with hand cannons in tow. No telling where Ervisa was, but Morwynn was sure that she'd make herself known when she was needed. So Morwynn hunkered down and readied herself for the inevitable fight with these pirates.

[Rugs]

Something was definitely going on. The whole of the vessel shuddered again, and Asyr could make out the muted sound of movement interspersed with faint, muffled shouting coming from the deck above. Yes, he had a feeling whoever crewed this ship was up to no good at all.

As if gettin' jumped and kidnapped weren't big enough hints.

Asyr was curious as to what was going on. Down in the belly of the ship, in his small little room with what he presumed was a rather solid metal door and no windows, he had no way of knowing what was going on. The absoluteness of his confinement also meant, of course, that he wouldn't be finding out very much beyond his own guesses unless his captors decided he needed to know something. Pity.

Not any sense worryin' about it now, he told himself as he used the wall to help push himself to his feet. A sharp pain shot through his stomach as he was about halfway up, making him wince in the darkness and suck in another sharp breath, but he had physical discipline in spades, if nothing else, and forced himself the rest of the way up.

The first order of business would be trying to figure out what kind of condition he was in. Of course, without light that would be a bit more difficult, but movement and some prodding would suffice. He could already tell the back of his left shoulder was bruised, and touching his face led him to believe he had a few on his right cheek and another up near his temple.

His fingers found their way to his hard stomach, testing where the initial shot of pain had come from, and found it was quite sore. Very sensitive to the touch. Some light would likely show some pretty bad bruising, ruining his relatively perfect pale skin. "Greeeeat," he muttered, voice lined with annoyance.

Beyond those, there wasn't too much else to worry about. He had a few bruises on his back and sides, but those were negligible, really. And his legs had gotten away in pretty good condition, save a bit of sore spot on one of his shins.

Must'a put up a hell of a fight when they went after me if they had to do all this. The Echani smiled in spite of himself. Least I'm doin' Mom and Pops proud one way.

The best thing he gathered out of it all was that nothing was broken, so far as he could tell. That was very good; it meant he could fight if he had to. Could he fight at his best? No, but it was better than being stuck with a broken leg or something else that would hamstring him.

With his inspection of himself done, he started feeling around the room to try to get a better picture of it. It was small. Bare. Solid. Spartan. His lips pressed into a thin line as he felt around the door. There's no way in hell I'm gettin' outta this...

"Hello," a muffled voice called. Female, it sounded like. "Is anyone out there?"

Asyr stopped where he was, hands pressed against the smooth metal back of the door. Was it another prisoner? How many others have these guys taken, anyway? For all he knew, he could be on some giant prisoner ship, off to some strange prison or labor camp. He was a criminal, after all, though the methods with which he'd been caught didn't strike him as legal, exactly. But who knew?

"I am," he called out after a few moments spent debating whether to answer or not. His throat was dry, and his normally smooth baritone had grown raspy enough to force him to briefly pause every few words. He hoped she could hear him. "Or... in here, I guess." He tapped his fingers pensively on the door as he considered further. "Do you... have any idea what's going on? I just woke up from a pretty... unpleasant and unwanted nap..."

--------

{Meh, I'm not really feeling this part at all. But I need to get something up so I'm not holding up the rest of you...}


The deck above the Echani's cold, dark prison was a hive of organized chaos as the pirate vessel lurched toward its captured prey with the silent, deadly grace of a spider preparing to feast on a captured fly. Raiders, wielding a variety of stolen arms and armored in an array of stolen armor, lined up in their places, waiting for the doors of the captured ship to be breached.

Into this scene of palpable excitement and anticipation strolled the crew's captain. He was a Farghul, with almond-colored fur and piercing, greedy green eyes. He cut an impressive figure, at six foot three, and beneath his moderate armor and hardy clothing was a body that was hard with strong, lithe muscle.

Jov'an was his name, and he'd captained this particular crew for just over a decade. They'd been in shambles when he took command, nearly destroyed by the incompetence of their old captain. But then he'd lead a mutiny, severed the life from the old fool's body himself, and they'd never looked back.

The years since had been good. His crew had grown, and he'd trained them into a force to be reckoned with. Their coffers were full, and their name feared. Best of all, some time ago, he'd found a lovely little avenue into the slave trading business. Jov'an didn't fancy himself as particularly cruel most of the time, but he was quite fond of credits. So of course he'd taken up the opportunity; why wouldn't he? It gave their prisoners some worth and ultimately kept them from being shot in the back of the head once the raid was done.

It was a kindness, really.

In more recent times, they'd expanded to outright kidnappings when they could get away with it. Jov'an cared little for who they caught, so long as the credits continued to flow.

They'd found a good haul recently, with the Echani and the Force-wielding woman. Once they were done with their current business, they'd do some runs to sell the prisoners off, offload any extra loot to some of their fences, and begin the process anew.

But first came the business at hand.

"We're docked!" A pirate further down the corridor yelled. "Jus' in time, cap'."

Jov'an stopped, his tail flicking behind him as he thought. "Good. You know the drill. Where are the first boarders?"

A group of pirates stepped forward, with the foremost raising his hand to catch the Farghul's attention. "Aye sir, we're here." They wore masks, and were fairly heavily armed and armored.

"Good," Jov'an said again in his lilting voice. "Get in position. Await the breach."

They did just that, waiting as a different group of raiders worked to get through the doors of the captured vessel.

"You all remember procedure," Jov'an said, addressing the group of pirates at large while they awaited their chance to surge aboard and pillage to their hearts' content. "Take prisoners if you can. Nets us more credits in the long run. But, if they choose to be stubborn well..." He laughed cruelly. "Be sure to let them know they had a chance before you send them on to the next life, eh?"
"Captain! We're about to breach!"


Jov'an nodded and motioned the masked boarders into position. "Make the first run. Give the signal soon."

The breach was made, opening the way into the freighter. The sextet of armored men swept into the ship, checking through the dark engineering bay before they found their way to a set of doors. These were forced open, revealing the vast cargo bay beyond.

The group moved in together, then split into two groups of three and started to move deeper into the hold. As they pressed in, their leader reached to the comm on his belt and pressed a button on the side. Two beeps were sent back to the waiting pirates--the signal for them to come flooding into the ship.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa lay flush with the large pipe, watching the pirates enter the bay. She counted six of them for the moment, all heavily armed, armored, and well trained. Well, she presumed well-trained. They moved with a deliberate sense of purpose rather than a lax nonchalance. That, in the Mirialan ex-Jedi's experience, was an indicator.

Lightsaber or not, she didn't want to tangle with those guys. However, she was going to have to do just that. Of course she still had the hopes that not all of them were so professional. Any pirate crew big enough to raid a medium freighter was bound to have a wide variety of people employed, and only the very tip of the spear would have the impressive equipment. Not that she'd ever been a member of a pirate crew, although she had to admit the notion of 'Ervisa Therani, Pirate Queen' was a little bit badass. But it would totally go to her head, and she'd probably erect a throne on the bridge of her ship...

Nah. Fun passing idea, but not a practical one. Undoubtedly managing a pirate crew had lots of numbers and management abilities, skills Ervisa had never mastered. Piloting and cooking was pretty much all she did, though she did both well.

Her grey eyes stared down on the pirates, and her senses reached out to Pala and Morwynn, hoping they'd be safe. The Zeltron doctor was the more sedate of the two, and likelier to submit to capture and be rescued later. But Pala, fiery as she was, was likely to fight it out. If that happened, Ervisa hoped their weapons had stun settings. Or that Morwynn was capable of working wonders.

[Harmony]

Harmony waited to hear an answer, strained to hear anything outside the door for that matter. There was a lot of movement upstairs, but she couldn't hear anything on her own deck.

"I am," she heard, somewhere nearby. The voice sounded weak, not just dim in volume, but strained. "Or... in here, I guess." It wasn't a captor, but a prisoner; Harmony had briefly wondered which it might be. There was another pause, this one slightly longer, then the man continued.

"Do you... have any idea what's going on? I just woke up from a pretty... unpleasant and unwanted nap..." Harmony had to listen closely to understand all the man was saying, as his voice seemed to wane in strength at times.

"I... I'm not sure what's currently going on, no. I've also been subjected to a nap against my will. I was attacked in an alley on the way back to my ship by a group of men, they were... skilled, professional, maybe mercenaries." Harmony paused, taking a few deep breaths, "as far as I've been able to discern, we're on a ship in flight, probably one of the lower decks. The engine feels heavy, powerful, the ship's probably large enough to house a sizeable amount of crew and cargo. There are no visible gaps in the walls of the cell or the door, and it would probably take more energy than I've got available right now to bust it open."

Harmony once more took a break from speaking, allowing the man to absorb what she'd said, likely being as foggy-minded as she was. "That's about all I've got... did I miss anything?"

[10Tickler]

Thundering into the corridors of her ship, first a small group entered, clearly scouting, moving in an actual tight formation. So, they were trained, and decently at that. Soon after, however, more men flooded into the ship, causing Pala to fall back a little, hiding in her darkened cabin, the corner veiling her form from casual glance. If possible, she'd prefer not to shoot, at least not yet. Her Slugthrowers were loud as can be, in comparison to a blaster, and would alert pretty much everyone around as to her location.

"You and You, check down that corridor!" a rough voice commanded down the way from the Unfortunate Tease's captain's cabin. "This ship doesn't have much in the way of cargo, but with how pink it is, should be some pretty slave candidates" he said, encouraging them as the man turned away from the two he'd sent towards the front of the ship.

It was with some irritation, actually, that the two finally moved, grumbling between themselves, forcing doors open and peering in, not really checking too hard, but still, doing what they were told.


In her cabin, Pala weighed her options, thinking seriously, before moving. Tossing her two guns into her small box, she instead took a knife into hand, concealing it on her arm, in a small sheath that hid rather easily in her sleeve. Rather than wait for the two bumbling fools assigned to check her room on their way down the hall, she decided to...take the fight to them, in a way.

Opening the doors, she stepped out, into the hallway, stretching luxuriously and letting out a yawn. "Hey" she called out, "What's all the racket? Do all of you Freighter Crews have to be this loud?" she inquired loudly, as though expecting an answer.

For the two men who'd been assigned the corridor, there was a moment of surprise. Who the hell was this bumbling idiot? Apparently, some sort of Traveler. In any case, she was a good-looking specimen, that much they could tell, and lifting blasters to level them at Pala's head, the two men grinned. "Don't you worry about no Ruckus now little lady" one said, moving closer. "Just come with us calm-like, and there won't be no problems, kay?"

Turning to look at the two, Pala faked surprise at the Blasters, and the men holding them, wearing simple body armor and a look of general ruggedness. "My goodness" she replied, lifting her hands in surrender. "Alright, I guess I have no choice, do I?" she added, the question completely rhetorical.

"That's right" The one who spoke replied, moving forward and gripping her hands roughly, his face a mask of delight. "The Captain will give us a hefty bonus once you've sold, and that'll be after we're done with you, heh" he told Pala, turning her roughly and marching her down the hall, headed towards their own ship.

[Charlie Sharper]

(I know it's short and not too timely, but here it is)

As the pirates flooded Morwynn observed Pala go back in her room, only to come out *Without* her twin hand cannons...Perhaps this threat was greater then she first thought. The Zeltron doctor decided to take the hint and spirited back to her room to hide her blasters, perhaps more 'Precision' was necessary. Morwynn assumed Pala had a plan, but one never knew with her, so she took a scalpel just in case of the worst. She came back out of her room as the pirates were taking Pala captive. "...Will give us a hefty bonus once you've sold, and that'll be after we're done with you, heh" The sharper of the two pirates noticed the Zeltron as she came out of her room. "Hey! You there!" He yelled. Morwynn turned to run but a blaster bolt hit right in front of her. "Don't move." He smiled wide.

The pirate walked over to Morwynn and grabbed her arm. "A pink skin....This will be fun!" He leaned in toward the Zeltron and she could feel his hand on her rear. "Oan! Not until we've cleared the ship!" Yelled a Farghul that Morwynn assumed was their leader.

Once we are sure that everyone is taken, feel free, but until then...They are off limits. He said before walking past toward the bridge. Oan looked at Morwynn and smiled wickedly "He just wants you first." He roughly pulled Morwynn back toward the docking port, she fought the urge to knee him in the groin as they walked, it was sooooo tempting, but it would only cause more trouble. She looked back at Pala and watched, waiting for the cue to make a move, hoping her plan was a good one. She hadn't seen Ervisa for awhile, hopefully she was somewhere lying in wait to attack. Either way, she saw the look in the pirates eyes as she passed, and it was one she was far too familiar with, and she remembered the promise she made to herself all those years ago. One way or another she wasn't going let them have their way.

[Rugs]

A few seconds passed in silence. Then, an answer.

"I... I'm not sure what's currently going on, no. I've also been subjected to a nap against my will." Asyr pressed his ear against the cool metal of the door, straining to hear the woman's voice through the layers of metal that stood between them. "I was attacked in an alley on the way back to my ship by a group of men, they were... skilled, professional, maybe mercenaries."

Asyr's brows knitted in the dark. She was attacked away from her ship too? Something was obviously afoot, but what? Who where the people that had captured them, and why take prisoners like this? Are they collecting bounties? It was entirely too possible in the Echani's mind that someone had put a bounty on him, given his current line of work. But it wasn't something he'd settle on just yet. Not until he knew more.

"As far as I've been able to discern, we're on a ship in flight, probably one of the lower decks. The engine feels heavy, powerful, the ship's probably large enough to house a sizeable amount of crew and cargo. There are no visible gaps in the walls of the cell or the door, and it would probably take more energy than I've got available right now to bust it open."

He nodded in quiet agreement. Unless their captors had been kind enough to stash some explosives in their cells, they weren't going anywhere. "No," he called back with a rueful laugh on the edge of his voice, "no, you've about got the full of it." He wasn't sure if the thought of being taken by some bounty hunters or worse was better than the prospect of getting hauled off to a prison or labor camp. Both sent ripples of worry through his stomach.

Sighing, he turned around and slid down to the cold floor, leaning his back against the door behind him. Time. He needed time. And light. Though his eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness, all he could make out was the dark lump of a sad little cot a few feet away from him and the darker areas of the corners of his cell. He didn't want to think about how he'd use the bathroom in here.

"Well," he finally said with a sigh, tipping his head back against the door, "I don't know where we're goin', but I don't really plan on findin' out." Asyr fell silent for a few moments, considering how to phrase what it was he was going to say next. It would be revealing, or at best, hinting at what it was he did for a living, but given the circumstances, that didn't seem like as a big a thing to worry about as it normally did.

"Listen," he started slowly, stopping to cough violently and clear his throat, "I don't know if you felt it, but I know the way this ship has been moving. I know it well." He sighed, putting a hand to his throat and coughing again. He'd kill for some water, or anything to sooth his throat and make it easier to talk.

"I think this ship has docked with another one. I can't say why, but if you listen, you can hear movement up on the higher decks. Somethin's goin' on. Might just be a stop, or we might be at the end of our journey here. We want any chance to get out..."

Then now's our best chance, he finished silently. The most immediate hitch in that plan were the great metal slabs keeping them in their cells.

"Man I'd kill for my droid right now..." Asyr muttered, closing his eyes. If he could only find a way to get through the doors. If he could move, if he could fight, he could at least have hope.

~~~~~~~~

{For sake of the consistency of the character, I'd like to ask to leave Jov'an, the pirate captain, to me. Any of the others are free game, though}

As more of his crew pushed into their captured vessel, Jov'an remained behind, near the dock point that lead back to their ship. Not all of the pirates would be going, of course. No, a remnant would hang behind in a few areas, keeping an eye on the prisoners they already had and on the cockpit, along with some who were just there for extra security. He still remembered a raid under the old captain years ago, where they'd nearly lost the ship because they all went rushing in on the raid and two clever little merchants decided to try to steal their ship while it was empty.

That had been the last straw, before the mutiny.

He stood calmly, watching as his men forced open some crates stowed away in the cargo hold and looked at what was inside. Supples. Nothing to scream about, but things that they could use, before selling off whatever extra they took.

But it wasn't the material things that interested him here. Not right now. It was the people that were brought to him. Crew members. There were two--a Zeltron woman and a Twi'lek.

The Zeltron was the first he saw. She was brought back with Oan, lecherous imp that he was. He inspected her and, on determining that she was a good catch and reminding Oan of his duties, sent her back onto their ship. Once he was on the other side, Oan would be met by a few of the other pirates that were still onboard and the woman would be checked for weapons, put in cuffs and hauled down to the cells.

The next one that came was a Twi'lek woman. Her captors stopped her before him, and he inspected her as he did the other woman. "What fine catches," he muttered in his lilting feline voice. "Take her across. You know the drill."

"Oh," he added, looking at the Twi'lek with a subtle smile, "do try not to do anything stupid. You are ours now, but, if you behave, we may find you a kind buyer." He chuckled as he waved the pirates away and they started hauling the woman off. "But it would be such a shame if we had to kill you."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa watched from her hiding place as first Pala and then Morwynn came out from the forward areas of the ship, at blasterpoint. It wasn't good, but at least they were alive and well. And with a little time she'd see to it they were safe. After all, they were her crew, and she felt loyal to them.

Loyalty. Now there was an odd concept for her. She'd been extremely familiar with that virtue in the Jedi Order, with the opportunity to practice it every day. Loyal to principles, loyal to people, loyal to the Republic. Those had gone from firm and rigid to rather flexible. She did a lot of less than legal things since leaving the Order. Jaywalking, smoking in a no-smoking zone, drinking in public, oh, and arms smuggling. Did that hurt the Republic too? Well, yes. It did. Of course it wasn't as if she was working for the Sith, but it was a massive difference from her Jedi days.

Of all those, people were the only ones she still felt any real loyalty to, and she was trying her best to break that by never getting close in the first place. All the people she'd met... Shine, Asyr, Pala, Morwynn. Others. Some were closer, and some were just like roommates. Really she'd only drawn close to one of them, the rather dashing Echani with abs that seemed to be etched of marble. But in a mixed blessing there was a little something more there than passing contact. If she was smart she'd rid herself of that.

Well, unfortunately she wasn't that smart. She was flawed. Loyalty was just one of her vices, like smoking or drinking. Only this was one she'd been trying to quit. Only without much success. She could easily drop down, kill the guard, close the hatch, and make a run in the ship. Instead what she'd be doing would be breaking into the ship, sabotaging their tractor beams, and rescuing her crew. Guess that makes me a schmuck.

Ervisa closed her eyes and started up a special little skill she'd learned, Force-enhanced hearing. It didn't take much time to reach out with her senses, and the sounds of voices wafting up to her hiding place became crystal clear. There was someone with authority with an odd accent she couldn't recognize... And he gave her the answer to the puzzle. Who were they? Slavers.

Then he threatened Pala.

Dumb slavers.

Well, that settled any doubt. Ervisa was done fighting the good fight, but this was something she couldn't simply let happen. Slavery was bad. Very bad. The time to act was fast approaching. Five minutes for them to leave, another five for them to get far enough away, and another five for whatever guards they left behind to get complacent.

The Mirialan woman closed her eyes and silently counted the time. It was something almost like meditation, a skill she'd picked up among the Jedi. You could tune everything out but what you wanted to focus on, which was time in her case.

Her grey eyes opened at the right time, and she sprang into action, dropping from on high down onto the deck, lightsaber in hand. A few quick slashes and she was through the guards. And then onto the ship.

[Harmony]

The man agreed with her, and there was a period of extended silence, in which Harmony stood still, silent, listening to the noise being made on the upper decks.

"Well, I don't know where we're goin', but I don't really plan on findin' out," the other prisoner finally spoke again, and drew Harmony's attention back to him. Once again, it was silent for several seconds before he continued.

"Listen, I don't know if you felt it, but I know the way this ship has been moving. I know it well." Harmony thought about that for a moment, unsure of what he meant. "I think this ship has docked with another one. I can't say why, but if you listen, you can hear movement up on the higher decks. Somethin's goin' on. Might just be a stop, or we might be at the end of our journey here. We want any chance to get out..."

Harmony had definitely heard the flurry of movement, and felt that the prisoner might be right about their docking. If they were going to be transferred now, then the chance to escape would be upon them. Then again, Harmony was without a weapon, and likely the other prisoner was as well, and the two of them would probably be facing a great deal of enemies in order to commandeer the ship.


"I don't think we should act too hastily, especially not without more information. We don't know how many of them there are, or even the layout of the ship, putting us at a tactical disadvantage as well as undoubtedly outnumbered and outgunned... If we strike, we must do it at a time when the most impact can be made, not at the first opportunity."

Harmony took a few breaths, considering the best way to phrase the next sentence without assaulting the man's pride. "If... if we do strike, will you be able to fight? Are you a skilled fighter, or...?" her words trailed off, hoping he would complete the remainder of the sentence on his own if he was not.

[10Tickler]

Chi'kan! Pala spat, lekku twitching with rage as she left a glob of Saliva and Mucous on the boots of the Pirate Captain. Why don't you go and shove your entire ship up your stern, you slime-covered, parasite ridden piece of p- suddenly she was muffled, as one of the pirates who'd brought her slapped his hand over her mouth, dragging her away.

Ervisa had better have a damn good plan for this... Pala thought to herself, struggling, but not too much. If she'd wanted, she probably could have gotten away, but for right now, that wouldn't work out in the end, not all that well, at least.

[Charlie Sharper]

Morwynn fought against her captor as he pulled her toward the hatch. She heard Pala yelling at the pirates before she was silenced. Morwynn couldn't see her, so she struggled against Oan, breaking his grip on one arm and then struck him in the face with a palm strike. He grabbed his nose and yelped, Morwynn looked back out toward the Tease and saw Pala being dragged over, kicking and screaming. She attempted to rush the pirate(s) holding Pala, but before Morwynn reached them, Oan's hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. His nose was leaking blood and there was a very upset look in his eye. "I'll do you for that!" He said as he grabbed her again, she slid the scalpel out and stabbed his wrist.

Oan screamed in pain and backhanded Morwynn across the face. She had been in fights before, but when he struck her she fell to the ground, the scalpel flung out of her hand. Oan then kicked her in the stomach. "How do you like that?!" He yelled. Morwynn clutched her stomach after she rolled over. Oan pulled out a knife and walked over to Morwynn. He bent down and grabbed her throat, putting the knife up to her face. Let's see how you like it, you Bi-! He said, but was stopped when Morwynn pushed her knee into his groin. He rolled off her and clutched his groin. Some of the other pirates rushed over and grabbed Morwynn, one pulling a sack over her head. She could hear them chide Oan, "She a little much for you, Oan? They laughed. Oan grabbed his knife and began to stalk over to Morwynn, but the larger of the two that grabbed her stepped between them. "Whoa now! Let it go. You can pay her back when the works done." He snickered. Oan angrily walked away, muttering curses to all Zeltrons. The large pirate then turned back to Morwynn and leaned in close. He'll get you back for that, he's a spiteful (Son of a Rancor). You really shouldn't have made him mad." He laughed, knowing the kinds of things Oan did for retribution. Morwynn silently prayed that they didn't catch Ervisa, then at least someone would be trying to save them...

[Rugs]

"Trust me, hon, hasty's the last thing on my mind right now," Asyr answered to his mysterious partner. He relaxed, letting the back of his head rest easily on the solid door behind him. "One way or another I'm gettin' outta here, and I'm gonna be alive when I am."

Another round of coughing struck. He brought his arm up, muffling the sound against his jacket's sleeve. What I wouldn't give for a glass'a some gorram water... Gods. Force... Whatever.

Asyr noticed that he was tensing up again and took a deep breath, forcing the muscles of his body to relax. It was hard not to be tense: here he was, force only knew where, trapped on some strange ship and being shipped off to who only knew where. For the first time in a rather long time, his outlook looked rather dim, but just like all the other times, he wasn't going to give up. He'd made it through the other rough patches; he'd make it through this one.

Relaxed. Body and mind. Clear head. At least there still some things he could thank his father for instilling in him.

"If... if we do strike, will you be able to fight? Are you a skilled fighter, or...?"

Asyr's brow arced ever so slightly. "Me?" A few silent moments passed. When was the last time someone had asked him that? He'd gotten so used to everyone on the Bohemian knowing what he could do and people that didn't know him simply assuming from his appearance that he'd almost forgotten what having that question asked felt like.

His surprise finally passed, followed by a laugh. His dry throat made it rough and raspy, but hints of his normal voice showed. Before he fell into another fit of coughing, anyway.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about me," he said when he'd gathered himself. "I'd wager I can fight better than most'a the goons on this ship, so havin' a fighter ain't a problem." His condition wasn't the best though. That was cause for concern, but conditioning was hardly something he lacked for; he'd push through.

"Wish I had my weapons, but long as I have my body, I'm fine." A gun would be nice, though; he'd have to make it a priority once they were out. He could nab one to use until he found his weapons.

"What about you? Havin' two people that can carry themselves in a rough spot's gonna make things a lot easier on us than if we only have one."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa dragged the guards' bodies back behind some empty cargo crates, securing them from view so as to avoid tempting fate any more then she had to. What she was doing now was stealth. No, Stealth. Stealth with a capital S because it was so very... Stealthy.

The Mirialan woman reached out with her senses as she peered into the corridor. Those senses were what gave her an edge right here at stealth, the ability to tell where people were, to reach out and detect presences in the Force, to detect life in all its forms, because the Force itself was composed of all living things.

The Force was what told her there was a man walking nearby. And her eyes and ears told her he was coming down the corridor crossing the one she was currently in. Hurriedly she keyed open a door and stepped inside a closet to hide from prying eyes until she could feel the man passing by, and then-

Then she sprang out and inched along with her back to the wall, feeling like a secret agent. This was the way those investigator types operated, right? Sneaking around, ready to pull out martial arts moves...

Ervisa put her lightsaber back on her belt in that spirit, and not just because she wanted to act like a space ninja, but because the noise of the Jedi weapon could carry more than she liked, and she didn't want to blow her cover.

She reached the intersection and peered down both ways, verifying visually that they were clear before she picked one direction and followed it until it dead-ended in an alcove with a computer. Now that was convenient, she thought as she keyed up a floorplan. By no means was Ervisa Therani a genius, but she was more than capable of reading a map. And the brig was... One deck down and halfway across the ship.

No problem. Simply take the access hatch a few yards back and...

The metal door slid open, revealing a metal ladder and a narrow metal shaft leading down to similar landings with similar doors. Peering down, it was a very good thing she wasn't afraid of heights. Instead she resisted the urge to whistle as she clambered down the ladder because of Stealth. With a capital S.

And as she came to a stop by the door, she realized the first problem with her plan had appeared. There was someone standing outside the door...

All right. Action plan time. Step one, open the door. Step two, roll out like a secret agent. Step three, chop him in the neck. Step four, stuff the unconscious body behind the door. Annnnnd... Now!

Ervisa slammed open the door while mouthing dramatic theme music fitting a secret agent, rolled out across the floor, and back into a standing position, armed with her fists.

Only the man was lying facedown in the floor knocked out from the impact of the heavy metal door swinging out and bludgeoning him. That hadn't quite been what Ervisa had been looking for, but it worked. She pulled him in behind the door and latched it again, moving off down the corridor into the brig.

[Harmony]

"Me? Yes... I've had a little training, I'll be okay," she replied to the man's question. She was relieved to hear that he could fight, it meant she wouldn't have to go it alone. Feeling that there was not much more for her to say, she stopped leaning against the door and paced along the wall of her cell, listening closely to what was going on outside of it.

There wasn't much to go on, though it sounded like things were calming down now, not so much movement was going on. Harmony paused to consider what her fellow captive had mentioned, docked with another ship. Perhaps most of them are on the other? The less of them, the better the odds for escape.

It didn't really matter where the guards were, though, considering the sheer strength of the door. Now Harmony was just thinking herself in circles. Finding a reasonably comfortable place against the wall, she sat down and closed her eyes, clearing away all thought as she breathed deeply. The time would come, the moment to strike, the opportunity to escape, but she would have to wait for it. For the time being, all she could do is rest, and regain her strength.