Trando's on a Transport

[Jabonicus]

The transport ship hung in the sky in a similar fashion to how bricks don't. Asheek had certainly wished she had not chosen this day, and this ship to move from one planet to another. At least she had two of her friends, Kai and Ellenel. Standing next to them, she obviously stood out, her skin a bright red color in contrast to the pale tan the two humans had. That was only the start of differences, but she simply rid her mind of those thoughts, and sat down next to Kai. She was wearing a pelt with a hole in it where her head went, in seemingly similar fashion to a poncho.

The passengers alongside them crowded in, obviously as bemused and annoyed as they were about the situation of the transport. Closing her eyes, leaning her head back, the Padawan decided now would be a good time to practice clearing her head an-

Yank.

With a small yelp she looked down, just in time to see a young Togrutan, no older than eight looking up at her with large, friendly eyes. Her hands had grasped and pulled on one of her headtails, right as the mother, a Togrutan with a lime green skin tone, noticed that her child had wandered more than three feet away. As Asheek smiled at the young, curious child, dressed in modern clothing, her mother scooped her up, giving a scattered apology to someone she obviously held some respect for.

Smiling to herself, happy to have had something interesting happened, her head leaned back once more, resting against the smooth white wall behind her. The transport had several rows of seating, several compartments where droids dictated who would go where, adjusting seats if large groups approached. The ship itself was quite large, and in the lower and upper chambers, sat several rooms of large storage boxes.

Within a few minutes, the crowd had settled, and the transport began to move, set upon a course considered more dangerous than some. To compensate for the journey through Outer Rim territory, the ship was accompanied by three guard vessels, in perpetual orbit around the oblong transport.

One of the transport advisors walked through the cramped spaces, making sure that everyone was in order, than no one had managed to sneak on without paying. That was when, as he passed by the three Jedi, one of the protocol droids scurried up to him.

"Sir? We have a small... Issue. The gentlemen paying for the transport of the six large boxes of titanium ore never boarded." The droid reported, holding a chart in his hand.

The large creature of an advisor grumbled, taking the chart, his beady eyes going over it before handing it back roughly. "Just drop them off at his stop, put his name down with the security offices." His jowls were quite large for... Whatever he was. And with that, he stomped off to continue his personal inspection.

@Arclight @Ral Aran

 

[Arcangel]

Pushing her way through the bustling crowd, Ellenel shrank away from every touch, the multitudes of bodies and minds overwhelming her. She breathed a sigh of relief as the trio of Jedi found their seats and were given a respite from the transport’s crowded aisle way. Taking a seat in between Asheek and Kai, safe from the jostling elbows and curious children that inhabited the aisle at the edge of their seats, Ellenel tried to take a moment to gather her thoughts. Closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, she reached within trying to find some peace within the turmoil outside and in.


She was halfway to a meditative state when a droid reported a missing passenger to one of the transport advisors. As they exchanged words Ellenel felt a dark shiver in the force, her eyes bolting open, her hand reaching out and lightly touching Kai’s wrist. “Did you feel that?” she whispered hesitantly to the Jedi Master, surely if she had felt such the tremor in the force than the more experienced Jedi must have felt it too. But her fear wore off, quickly replace by embarrassment. Blushing, she was about to remove her hand when a loud bang reverberated through the transports hull, the ship shuddered and shook violently. Her hand quickly reversed direction as her fingers dug into her arm rest and Kai’s arm, knuckles white. “Surely you felt that!” She yelled over the panic that was enveloping the cabin.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Feeling the anxiety roll off Ellenel as they worked their way through the crowd, and seeing it written all over her face whenever she looked at him, Kai placed a calming hand on her shoulder to help her relax a little as they made their way to their seats. Looking to his longtime friend Asheek, Kai teasingly remarked, "You just had to pick the transport ship that was the most packed, didn't you? It's like you're trying to get me to start having a panic attack and a bad case of claustrophobia." He grinned playfully as he turned to Ell and have her a kmowing wink. Continuing he added, "You know, next time if you let me do the travel arrangements we won't have to worry about getting packed into a tin-can of a ship like some kind of small fish! What are we doing on here anyways?"

Once they got settled in their seats, Kai wiggled his hips a little bit to help himself settle better whilst Ellenel closed her eyes to meditate, and Asheek closed her eyes to... relax? He was apart to make another wise crack remark when a young Togruta girl arrived from another aisle and yanked on poor Asheek's headtail. The Togruta seemed to have terrible luck with people grabbing them; they seemed to sensitive. Tangentially, his mind wondered if massaging them would feel good to a Togruta, like massaging a tender, nerve-rich area on another humanoid. It was something he'd have to look into later. Maybe he could ask Asheek or Saana to experiment. Kai's train of thought was quickly broken as the girl's mother came by and apologized to Asheek. "Well that was interesting. Makes you wanna have a kid of your own as well, huh?" Kai asked teasing Asheek.

The crowd began to settle and he finally felt Ell start to relax a bit. Overhearing the droid report to the travel advisor, Kai wondered what the commotion was about, but knew better than to stick his nose into other people's business without good cause or a damn good excuse. And right now, Kai was feeling entirely too lazy, and entirely too interested in spending time with his friends Asheek and Ellenel. Suddenly, a slight shiver ran down Kai's spine and Ell grabbed his wrist asking him if he felt that. Opening his mouth to respond, Kai almost had the words out when Ellenel seemed to change her mind. Then, for some reason, Ell started to blush and Kai raised an eyebrow at her, confused. He was about to speak again when a loud noise reverberated and Ellenel squeezed his wrist, perhaps uncomfortably so, but not like Kai would complain. "Yes I do, I felt them both times, deary." Kai smiled as he placed his other hand on the hand that was squeezing his wrist, trying to get her to relax. "What do you think it was, Asheek?"

 

[Jabonicus]

Asheek had felt bad for her friend. She had picked out the packed shuttle, and no doubt it was causing some anxiety for her fellow Padawan. She couldn't change it now, but she could certainly attempt to make up for it later. Turning to her friends, she had a concerned look on her face as Ell had expressed her worries about what was happening, she had not felt anything out of the ordinary. Then again, she still wasn't well versed on what was ordinary on ships. She decided to take their word for it.

But she did feel the shake, everyone did. They glanced around nervously, quieting down for a mere few seconds before continuing their individual, loud conversations in several languages. Asheek shrugged, unsure of what it was. "I apologize Kai, I don't have a clue." She replied.

----

The ship had taken off, and its orbiting defenders had taken their places. They had made it a grand ten minutes before something truly went wrong. After the shaking incident, not much had happened, the flight had gone off as planned. That was, of course, until the hatches separating the three levels blew up. There were screams, and large, green aliens emerged, hoping down from the top level, and climbing up from the bottom with alarming speed.

The man they had seen before, the advisor with large jowls, he yelled, rushing towards one of the Trandoshans... Before a sickening sound of metal against flesh filled the air, and a splatter of yellow blood went across the ground, followed by the sounds of screaming and the body hitting the ground. Many Trandoshans held large knives, others held guns of various calibers.

"Listen up! Everyone into bottom floor! You are OUR cargo now!" One of the trandoshans shouted, his sickening voice filling the air, moments before he shot his gun for emphasis.

 

[Arcangel]

Things settled down as the transport ship began its departure, but Ellenel couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled deep in her gut. She brushed it off as claustrophobia and anxiety as she tried to continue her meditation. Ten minutes into the flight and she was deep in a trance when she felt a spike of danger. Her eyes shot open just as the hatches exploded outwards, shrapnel flying and cutting into the now screaming passengers. The passenger deck was suddenly overrun by Trandoshan thugs, one of whom chopped down the advisor as he made a reckless attempt at charging the pirate.


As the scaly pirates made their demands Ellenel’s hand had snaked under her robe, hand grasping her lightsaber, ready to leap into action. Looking around the crowded cabin, slavers herding the screaming and crying passengers down towards the cargo hold, she felt a moment of doubt. Glancing at Kai, she deffered to his more experienced judgement. “What do we do?” she whispered, not wanting to be heard by the Trandoshan’s who now held the cabin.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Shrugging back at Asheek when she admitted she didn't know, he looked back to Ellenel and smiled, "I'm sure it's nothing, just try and relax." Relaxing his head against the seat back, Kai tried closing his eyes as the ship took off. Kai didn't mind a little bit of rockiness so long as they go to their destination in time and relatively intact. Of course, he should have known that with his luck that was never going to happen. Once they were well underway, a loud bang resounded throughout the cabin and a lot of screaming followed it as the adviser rushed over to stop the unwanted newcomers who were popping out from the other decks.

His eyes popping wide open, Kai looked about at the cacophony and the confusion. Growling quietly to himself at the inconvenience of having to deal with pirates, or slavers, or whatever these Trandoshans were doing, he sighed. Motherfraker, I just wanted one relaxing journey where I don't have to worry about anything! Is that too much to ask, Force, is it?" Looking to Ellenel as she grabbed hold of her lightsaber, he placed a firm hand on her wrist. "Wait. There are other alternatives. Let's be cautious, and smart. There are a lot of innocents around here, a lot of potential casualties or shields. Remember, we don't want to be the Jedi that caused a slaughter." He sighed, "Asheek, we're playing the old gambit. I hope you two don't mind looking lovey today. Because you're both going to be my... well, we'll call you 'special friends.'" Placing his lightsaber up his sleeve to hide it, Kai waited for the Trandos to make their way down to them. "Follow my lead," he commented quietly to both of them.

 

[Jabonicus]

Asheek rolled her eyes, he had used this ploy an excessive amount of times. At this point, she wasn't going to question him on it, maybe later, when Trandoshans weren't trying to use them to sell for profit. Whether it be for slavery, for ransom, or possibly both. As the trandoshans pointed to people, motioning for them to move, they seemed far too orderly, far too careful to be on their own. It was hard to tell, but most likely weren't working alone, on their own agenda.

As two Trandoshan guards passed them, they seemed to be speaking to each other quietly. "...-uite a few exotic species. Tell the boss there is quite a lot of slave potential on bo-..." Though they would only catch that little section of the conversation, it was pretty obvious what they were talking about. Asheek gave an agitated glance to Kai, as well as a look in her eye to see if he caught that.

Then, within the same frame of time, the movement of people stopped, as the Trandoshans seemed to receive slightly different orders. In continued once more, but people quickly began to flow in two directions as they were directed either to the bottom floor of the transport, or to the top floor. It was obvious who was being sent where, attractive or exotic species and people were being moved to the top floor, and everyone else was being moved to the bottom floor. A trandoshan approached them, pointing to Asheek and Ellenel. "You two, top floor, you, bottom." He said in rough Basic, flashing his gun as an indication to move.

 

[Arcangel]

Ellenel was agreed that they should be cautious, the last thing she wanted was for bystanders to get hurt. The second part of his plan confused her however, special friends? She questioned in her mind, the inferred meaning causing her to blush once more. Her emberrasment made her miss what the slavers had been saying, up until one of the brutes motioned at her and Asheek to move up to the top floor, while telling Kai to make his way downstairs.


Hesitating at the thought of being split up, Ellenel wasn’t quick to follow the Trandoshan’s instructions. With an angry hiss the Trandoshans hand shot out and grabbed Ell by the wrist, yanking her forward and nearly causing her to lose her feet. “I said upstairs!” Snarling, razor sharp teeth and rotten breath in her face. Shoving her towards the stairs, she was caught up in the crowd as onlookers hustled their steps, their fear bordering the edge of hysteria at the display of violence.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Watching silently as the Trandoshans made their way through the cabin, splitting the group and sending them into the upper levels and the lower levels. When they got to Kai and his two friends, Kai had started to suspect there might have been a pattern to the separation. Seeing one of the Trandoshans yank Ellenel on the wrist to pull her up out of her seat, Kai had to fight the momentary rage that passed over him at seeing one of his friends mistreated. Taking a deep breath, he centered himself, focusing his eyes right on the lizard that had ordered them to move. Drawing deeply on the Force, Kai opened his mouth to speak as he reached out and touched the mind of the Trandoshan that was standing before them, hoping to gain some influence over it.

"You don't want me to head down a level. In fact, you don't want these ladies to head up a level, either. If anything you want to drop your weapons and surrender yourself to me. Then you will tell me exactly what the plan is and why you're having people go to the different levels of the ship?" Kai's voice was calm, but heavy with the Force as he convinced the alien pirate to do as he willed. Keeping a hand on his lightsaber just in case his plan failed and he needed to act quickly.

 

[Jabonicus]

The Trandoshan that Kai had addressed tilted his head, as if he was trying to fight off the influence. Then, as instructed, he dropped his shotgun, and it clattered onto the floor. It made noise, and the noise was noticed. Two other Trandoshans turned to see what had happened, and seeing his weapon on the floor, they held up their own, marching over. Before they arrived, Kai would still manage to hear what the influenced one would say. "...Maximize profits, potential slaves go up, ransom passengers go down." He explained.

The two other Trandoshans held up their guns, aiming them at Kai and his company. "Hey! What's going on?" One of them demanded, stepping forwards towards Kai. The other held his shotgun level, moving its aim from Asheek to Ell. Kai's plan had worked, but, probably not how he expected it to.

Asheek looked between the two threats, and she frowned. She had left her lightsaber in storage, as it was simply too long to keep with her at all times. But now? She could certainly use it. Either way, she would follow Kai's direction.