Ask Asteroid Terror

[Thel Xeros]

Hoth Asteroid Belt

The erratic asteroid belt in the Hoth and Anoat systems had long been a refuge for all manner of criminals. The various deadly creatures and constant collisions between asteroids made it a no-go area for most forms of authority. This was the place that imperial knight Kalique Demici would have to try and venture into. A week earlier, a ship containing a high-ranking imperial officer had gone missing. The last trace of it was a distress signal sent out a few days later. The signal originated from around the area of the asteroid field. How had the ship ended up so far out of imperial space? Demici had been sent to investigate.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

A missing Imperial Officer was never a good sign. Pirates? Criminals? Sith? Random insurgents wanting some leverage? The list was long and she didn't like it. All she wanted was the Officer back in safety and so she was adorned in her armor with both lightsabers dangling from her belt.

She was on direct course towards the asteroid field where a last signal had been picked up. It was weird how he and his ship had ended up here, yet she was pretty sure he hadn't deliberately chosen to get stranded and vanish, so as her ship entered the area she watched the asteroids passing by closely while the droid carefully maneuvered her through.

"Keep that course...I'm picking something up ahead". It was a living presence, still quite a distance away but it was at least something. She needed to find this ship or maybe someone else was around, but she definitely had to be prepared for any possible scenario.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Darkness. Thel shuffled around uncomfortably in the cramped smuggling compartment, his limbs aching. He had tracked the pirates for days and eventually found an opportunity to sneak aboard their ship on the planet Nothoiin. He had lost track of the time he had spent stuck in the small space. The only brief respite being when he lifted the hatch to poke his head out, in order to keep his eyes somewhat adjusted to the light. Not that there were many opportunities to do that. There constantly seemed to be sounds of feet thudding around the ship.

Not long ago, he had attempted to conduct business with the pirates. They were led by a Weequay named Netro Za. Za was offering a rare antique vase; reasonably priced. If it’s too good to be true…

A fake. He admonished himself for making such a stupid mistake, but he wasn’t going to let them get away with duping him. By the time he had tracked down the small pirate group, Za didn’t seem to be amongst them; he would find him. Za would pay him back or face the consequences.

The journey was bumpier than he thought. The ship rumbled and shook at regular intervals. Strange. Thankfully, things calmed. The ship began to slow and he could just about hear the familiar sound of a landing gear extending. Within a few minutes, the ship landed with a gentle thud. Finally.

Listening to what was happening above, he could hear the pirates’ footsteps and their muffled voices.

“You two, carry that.”

“I tell you; we better get paid today. I’ve got Sabacc debts piling up.”

Gradually, the ship emptied. Silence. It was fortunate that there were only a few pirates. Any more of them and sneaking aboard the ship wouldn’t have been so simple.

He climbed out of the compartment, shielding his eyes as they took a few seconds to adapt to the light. “Uh.” Finally, he could stretch. He looked at himself. His black robes and cloak were rumpled. He took a bit of time to tidy himself up, thinking over the events of the last few days as he finished brushing his clothes down. He didn’t know where the ship had landed, but he was sure he would work things out. Time to get started.

Little did he know what he had stumbled into.

-

(Command Deck)

The command deck was quiet. A tall Rodian sat in the command chair, checking over a datapad. The others in the room sat checking over scanners.

"Sir, Za's ship has arrived."

"Is he with them?"

"Apparently not, sir."

"Shame... that sleemo owes me some credits."

Bleep Bleep

A Patrolian called out to the Rodian. “Sir, I’ve picked up something on my scanner.”

“What is it?”

“A small ship. Imperial.”

“Damn. Send out droid fighters. The quicker we deal with it, the better.”

(OOC: The droid fighters.)

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Following that faint presence she did sense, it didn't take long until the radar picked something up. It was something large, in the midst of an Asteroid field, but while this was still a little off, the little dots on the radar weren't. Incoming fighters.

Kriff...She obviously had basic training and was always decent with flying, yet she was absolutely no expert when it came to air battles. "Outmaneuver them! We'll still approach the big fleck on the radar, I'll man the cannons!" she instructed the droid as she sprinted down, wondering what the kriff she was now dealing with.

As the signal became stronger, she could make out the base, learning that it wasn't just a ship, but while she couldn't be sure it was where the Imperial high ranked officer had been stranded, it seemed pretty likely. With gritted teeth she started firing, her mind racing as the droid skillfully outmaneuvered the droid fighters in their way and with Kalique even blowing a whole bunch of them up.

"That went...well...Keep course!" she called up again, wanting to deal with the remaining ones on their tail in case they starting firing, but they were also dangerously close to the base already. Now that she knew she had to infiltrate a whole base to check on the Officer, it literally dawned her that they everyone knew she was approaching and it was even too late to turn back now, so actually, she had to come up with something else quickly...

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

(Hangar Bay)

One of the pirates had returned to their ship. A mistake. Thel’s interrogation was swift. The pirate, a Duros, didn’t offer much. They had landed at a place he referred to as “the sanctuary”. Za wasn’t onboard and he didn’t know where he was. The Duros did say that the other pirates had headed to their living quarters and that one of them might know of Za’s whereabouts. If he was telling the truth, they would be Thel’s easiest route to Za. With a swift strike from Thel’s saber, the Duros was impaled through his chest; the body dumped in a storage cupboard.

-

(Command Deck)

The Patrolian called out to the Rodian in the command chair.

“The imperial ship is evading our fighters!”

“Is it in range of the tractor beam?”

The Patrolian hurriedly checked the control panel and looked up with a smile on its face.

“Yes, sir.”

“Pull it in. I suppose we could always ransom off any of the imperials aboard; alongside the one we have down in the cells.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Send a group of guards down to the hangar, to welcome our new guests.”

-

(Hangar Bay)

Thel couldn’t sense anyone in the immediate proximity of the ship. He slowly stepped down the hatch. Looking to his right, he could see across the hangar bay and out of the magnetic shield. Another ship, some distance away, was moving towards the hangar from space. He couldn’t quite make out the specific type of ship.

“Move, we got a ship coming in!” A voice called out from the other direction, followed by the sound of boots stomping across the hangar. Fortunately, they were around the other side of the ship, so Thel didn’t have to hide. Leaning forward, he could see a group of armed pirates moving towards the magnetic shield.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique noticed how the fighters didn't immediately pursue them, yet with the outmaneuvering she then found herself relatively close to the base. The asteroids floating around didn't allow for a sideways evasion and regrouping with the reinforcements in hours, so she had no choice but to fly past it now and try to take some of their defensive forces from a distance.

The problem was though, that she didn't expect a tractor beam and before she even managed to zoom by, she was suddenly getting pulled in. Fuck. Another change of plans it seemed. Hurrying back to the storage room and quickly changing into a regular uniform, she safely hid and stored away the Knight's armor and the lightsaber. They couldn't know they'd be dealing with a Knight, so she intended to give them more leverage in form of a soldier.

This was just the backup plan though. Plan A was to catch some of them by surprise by finding a tactically advantageous waiting spot right next to the ship's ramp to ambush those who dared to enter first and so she immediately got into place. The ship entered their hangar and Kalique held her breath. They already had the ship's systems overwritten and the droid disabled so that she waited...

The ramp suddenly hissed and announced it was being opened by their slicer, however, she soon realized that it wast fully opening and no one was lurking inside. Instead, two grenades came flying in that immediately spread smoke through the entire entrance area. Knowing that not even the force would keep the poisoned air off for long, Kalique tried to bring as much distance between her and the initial grenades, yet there was no way for her out or a chance to slip into an air-tight compartment and she couldn't even get back to her armor - which would have provided some safety - as she didn't have that time.

All she could do was use the Force to create a safe bubble and hope they wouldn't toss in more, yet the clanking of metal against metal already told her that they wouldn't hesitate to ensure everyone aboard the ship was down. The smoke was so thick she couldn't really see and slowly but steadily her stamina was fading. She could hold her breath no longer as she was even running out of power and so she had to realize that she would have to stick to plan C. Let them take her and fight her way towards the missing Officer then...

Gasping for air, the inevitable happened as she could no longer hold the gas away and her vision almost immediately blackened. All she could hope was that they wouldn't find her stuff, but as the dizziness overwhelmed her there was no way she could ensure that...Kalique fainted and was in their clutches until reinforcements would arrive much later...

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel observed from the hatch as the pirates charged towards the edge of the hangar, seemingly waiting for the arrival of the other ship. As it drew closer, it became apparent what it was: an imperial shuttle. Stolen, perhaps. It was far from imperial space.

The shuttle descended into the hangar. The pirates quickly swarmed around its hatch, their blasters ready. Whoever was onboard, the pirates seemed ready for a fight. Thel remained vigilant; he didn’t want to be ambushed as he watched how things played out.

Sparks flew from the imperial shuttle’s hatch. A large Klatooinian had begun to slice through it. They didn’t take the whole hatch off. After creating a small opening, a couple of objects were thrown into the ship. Within seconds, smoke poured out from the small gap. “Masks on.” The Klatooinian gestured to the others, as they all put on gas masks.

A few minutes later and the slicing resumed. With a loud clang, the hatch dropped to the ground. “Go!” The pirates, led by the Klatooinian, stormed the shuttle. A short time after, two pirates came out of the ship, dragging a body behind them. It appeared to be a woman. Blonde hair. Garbed in an imperial uniform. You’re a long way from home here.

Time to move. Za was his target. Thel turned and swiftly moved to the closest door, which slid open to reveal an empty grey corridor. He exited the hangar.

-

The group of pirates surrounded Kalique’s unconscious body. A human, with greasy mottled skin and long lank hair, leered over her.

“She’s nice.” He grabbed at her hair.

A small green Rodian nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I like a lady in uniform. We can keep this one for ourselves.”

The Klatooinian delivered a hard smack to the back of the Rodian’s head.

“Shut up!”

The Klatooinian’s communicator flashed and he took the call. The face of the tall blue Rodian from the command deck appeared.

“Did you find anyone onboard?”

“Just one, a female. She’s imperial.”

“Take her to the cells. I’ll be coming down there, to speak with her. Make sure you’re more careful with this one. I don’t want any more distress signals being sent.”

The Klatooinian suddenly appeared nervous. “Yes, sir.”

“One more thing, tell the others to search every inch of that ship. Everything!”

“Of course, sir.”

The hologram cut off.

“You two, come with me. We’ll take her down to the cells. The rest of you, search every single part of that ship. No slacking!”

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

When Kalique woke up, she found herself in a run-down, dirty cell with durasteel bars and her hands cuffed behind her back. She blinked a few times, the gas still making her dizzy before a cough escaped her. Kriff. They had her and she already knew that a tiny cough could raise attention, hence she tried her best to surpress it.

Her head was spinning and her limbs felt numb with no muscles actually responding properly yet, but after a few moments she could at least feel her fingertips again. With gritted teeth she tried to squirm as much as possible, repeatedly blinking the pain and drowsiness away while she tried to assess her situation properly.

She appeared to be alone in her cell, which were absolutely good news for her and the bars didn't look super solid. She still couldn't really use the Force to reach out and check whether there were any presences around, yet it sounded relatively silent for now, but the dim light didn't really allow her to see far anyway.

She tried to sat up as soon as she had the strength and knew she had to get out before anyone would spot her, because only then could she find the Imperial. Maybe he was even in those cells? She was still confused about who exactly her captors were and what this base was supposed to be, but her number one target was to get out before anyone would go check on her...

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

(Command Deck)

The blue Rodian sat back in his chair, his fingers clasped together.

Bleep Bleep

A press of a button on the Rodian’s chair brought up a holographic projection of a scarred Klatooinian face.

“We chucked the female into one of the cells. She’s out cold.”

“Right. I’ll be down there soon.”

-

Thel moved through the corridors swiftly. It transpired that things would be simpler than he imagined they would be. Having ambushed a Devaronian pirate and dragged them into a room for an impromptu ‘chat’, he had learnt more about the space station he found himself on; the so-called ‘sanctuary’. It was a pirate refuge of sorts, that much he had already worked out himself. More importantly, the population on the ship was transient in nature. There were often new faces. Thel wouldn’t need to sneak around. He was just another face, passing though. If he was stopped by someone, he could bluff his way out of it… or resort to other methods.

The last piece of useful information that the Devaronian divulged was that Za and his crew were well-known regular fixtures on the ‘sanctuary’, and that they always used the same rooms in the living quarters. The Devaronian was quick to let Thel know the specific locations of the rooms. Za’s crew would surely recognise Thel, once he found them; unfortunately for them, it would be too late by then. Once he had what he wanted from the Devaronian, he disposed of them unceremoniously.

Having reached the living quarters, Thel approached the room of one of Za’s men. A tall powerfully built Falleen. The corridor was empty. Standing in front of the door to the room, he ignited his saber and plunged it into the lock. Pulling back, he then reached out in the force and slid the door open. The Falleen desperately lunged for a blaster on a bedside table. Thel thrust his arm upwards, using the force to fling the Falleen against the ceiling. They landed flat on the ground with a heavy thud.

“Ugh. Look, it wasn’t my idea to rip you off. It was Za’s.” He stared at the crimson blade pointed straight at him, pain etched on his face.

“Where is Za then? Make things easier for yourself.”

“He didn’t tell me. You want to ask someone? Ask Annoz. That guy is Za’s right-hand man. He’ll know. Just… let me go. I don’t want any trouble.”

“Where can I find Annoz? His room?”

“No, he went down to the cells to rough someone up who owes him some credits. He won’t be long though. I’m sure. Just let me go. I’m begging you. I told Za we shouldn’t mess around with a Sith. I told him. You’ve got to believe me.”

Thel knew the Falleen would alert others if he let him go. Even knocking him unconscious presented a risk. There was only one way to guarantee that he wouldn’t talk. With a swift slash from Thel's saber, the Falleen was silenced. Nowhere in the room to hide the body. I’ll be gone by the time his body is found. Thel left the room, to make his way to Annoz’s, sliding the door closed behind him.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

With the sedatives in her system, she was still relatively inhibited when it came to her strength, yet a plan was at least forming in her head. She had no weapons and she dearly hoped they hadn't found her secret hiding place, but she was still a powerful force user and was confident she'd get out here quickly.

Judging from her restraints, they didn't know about her being a force user just yet and so the Knight began to focus. She breathed slowly and drew the Force in before she busted her cuffs open with a little blast. The metal broke and luckily she wasn't dealing with stun cuffs, so she went for the bars next.

She could feel how she was far from being at full strength, yet judging from the relatively cheap durasteel bars, investing in keeping cells for actually holding long-term captives wasn't their main goal. She expected an interrogation next and they'd then probably decide what to do, yet for now she was relieved about not having to face any electron walls.

With her eyes adjusting to the dim light, she could spot more prisoners in the cells across from her, yet no one had noticed her just yet and she didn't mind keeping it that way. Coiling the Force around her again, she focused on the little lock that kept her cell sealed until she felt like she could muster enough strength to blast it.

Despite her weakened stage, the rather frail lock couldn't resist the sudden invisible Force targeting it and sprung, this time however causing more noises and alerting some of the other inmates. Most seemed relatively shocked about the woman who had woken up and blasted her way out, yet their initial surprise prevented them from acting just yet.

There was one who called for her in a hushed voice, but she paid him no attention just yet. She looked around for anything that seemed like a weapon, yet it seemed like it was just her and the Force for now. Letting out a slight frustrated growl, she started passing the other cells and checking for the missing Officer, the image of him and his face memorized in her head.

"Get me out!", one ragged Zeltron demanded, his voice now almost a little raised, so that her eyes immediately narrowed. There were too many witnesses already, so she decided it was best to finally vanish from plain sight and figure out where the Officer was before any of them would be on her tail.

"I might if you keep your mouth shut" she hissed, contemplating whether they could be off help in getting of this ship, but she didn't trust them a single bit and before she'd get spotted, it was time to leave now anyway. Heading towards the only door she could spy in this tract, she prepared herself for possible encounters, looking to gain a sense of orientation as quickly as possible.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

(Cell Block)

Two Weequays on guard duty strolled through the corridors, between the cells.

“I hate doing this.”

“Yeah, as you keep saying. You don’t shut up about it.”

“Well, I just like my feelings to be known.”

“Right…”

“How did that story end. The thing about the card game. You were telling me earlier, but you didn’t finish.”

“Oh yeah. Well, I didn’t like the way the other guy was looking at me after he beat me. So, I shot him.”

“What?”

“I shot him. What’s the big deal?”

“You’ve got issues, pal.”

As they rounded a corner, they caught sight of Kalique.

“Hey, you! Stop.” One of them pointed their blaster towards the imperial knight, whilst the other dashed over to the wall and slammed down on a button. An alarm began to blare out loudly throughout the cell block.

-

Annoz had made his way back to the living quarters, his knuckles bruised from the beating he had given out to a prisoner down in the cells. Unlike the other members of Za’s crew, Annoz was human. Thick set, patchy white skin, a brown beard, round-faced and bald.

He banged on the Falleen’s room door. “Hey, Xarn! You in there?” Looking down, he noticed the hole in the door and the slight opening at the edge. Squeezing his hands into the gap at the side of the door, he began to pull at the door. Eventually, he was able to slide it open. “Damn.” The body of the Falleen lay on the floor. Dashing over, Annoz checked the body. “What?” He had been around the block more than enough times to recognise the wound across the Falleen’s chest. A lightsaber wound. His mind raced. Standing up, he took out his commlink and attempted to contact the other member of their crew on the ship, the Duros. No response. Unfortunately, for Annoz, Thel had already dealt with them. Thinking things over, Annoz soon realised who was more than likely behind the attack. “That Sith we screwed over. He must have got onboard.”

-

Thel stood around the corner from Annoz’s room, waiting for him to return. This was his last chance to interrogate someone about Za’s location.

All of a sudden, he was overcome by a strong sense of foreboding. Something is wrong.

Igniting his saber, he spun around quickly and was just about able to block the shot aimed at him. A group of pirates, led by Annoz, stood with their blasters aimed at Thel.

“I thought it was you who had got onboard. Looks like I was right.”

A wave of blaster fire headed straight at him. Lightsaber in one hand, he was able to deflect a few shots back at the pirates before being forced to retreat around the corner.

The pirates pursued Thel through the corridors. He was able to block and deflect the shots fired at him as he fled, but the number of pirates made it risky for him to stand his ground and fight. “Throw a detonator!” A thermal detonator dropped close to his feet. Reacting instinctively, he used the force to push the detonator back at the pirates. Bouncing back, it exploded at the midway point between him and the pirates. He dived to the floor, as the explosion tore through the air. The ceiling above the explosion collapsed, blocking the path between the pirates and Thel.

Dragging himself off the ground, Thel began to stagger away. He could just about hear the voices of the pirates through the rubble. “Quick, go around!” He began to move faster, looking for an exit. Eventually, he was able to stumble upon an elevator. The voices of the pirates could still be heard; they seemed to be getting closer. He pressed the elevator button repeatedly. Come on.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique started navigating through the corridors until she could feel someone approach. Focusing, she prepared herself to knock the two approaching pirates or whoever this was out, but she could still tell how the smoke grenades had their after affects.

She pressed herself onto the wall to her left and her gaze was fixed on the corner that the two living beings than rounded. Immediately, she could too how they definitely belonged to them, not just because of their unsettling conversation. The first one spotted her and aimed, but the first bolt loosened was instantly redirected with a flick of her hand and pierced the pirate's brain.

The other one was a little luckier as the bastard still mananged to slam his hand into the wall across for him which then triggered an alarm. "You shouldn't have done that" she growled angrily before she yanked his blaster out of his holster and shot him as well. "Kriffing pirates" she cursed under her breath as she started running, keeping her gaze open for the Imperial Officer.

The alarm seemed to mean that guards were streaming into the cell block from all doors, so that she had to knock two more out by dulling their senses with a quick flick of her hand before she said three more on fire with pyrokinesis. The adrenaline was pushing her, yet she still felt weak and thus hurried towards the elevator, needing to leave this lower levels behind and somehow vanish into the shadows for now before she could mananged go gain an actual overview over this mess.

She wouldn't leave this base without knowing the Officer had been here or not, and so she just stormed into the lift for now and caught her breath. She frantically slammed the button for it to go up and fortunately it closed before anyone else reached her, giving her the chance to recover for a moment, but somehow, the was spotting at the next level.

The elevator stopped and she could sense one living being in front of it. She pushed herself off the wall and got into a readied stance, as the door opened, she stood there with narrowed eyes and was ready to kill whoever would try to enter her lift and attack her, but as the mechanic doors allowed her to spot a pale looking middle aged man who somehow didn't fully look like a pirate and wasn't aiming at her, she was a little baffled.

It didn't matter much as another thought crossed her mind and so she short-handedly yanked him in with the Force, his back facing her front and with a blaster pressed to his temple as she held him tightly. She was forced to stand on tiptoes, yet the Force kept her balanced and he'd be able to tell that even if dulled, her powers were strong as she was determined as ever. "Where is the Imperial Officer?!", she hissed, her tone quite serious. The height difference was slightly comical, yet her cold tone was intimidating enough to show him she wasn't here to play. "Answer me and I'll let you live". Yes, she was the one being hunted, but he was her hostage right now.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

A sense of relief washed over Thel when the glass panel above the elevator illuminated. He quickly checked behind himself to make sure no pirates had him in their sights. Time to move. The doors began to slide open. To his surprise, they did not reveal an empty elevator. Stood in front of him was a woman in imperial uniform. Short. Blonde. The one from the hangar. Before Thel could say something, he found himself being dragged into the elevator. He hadn’t been grabbed or wrestled, however. The force. But how?

The imperial’s grip was strong. Thel could feel the barrel of the blaster pressed against his head. She didn’t seem to have noticed the saber hilt in his right hand, held close to his body. His cloak had probably helped conceal it. Not that he was in much of a position to use it.

“Where is the Imperial Officer?!” It suddenly clicked with Thel as to what this woman probably was. An imperial knight. He hesitated, trying to quickly gather his thoughts. This imperial, if she was an imperial knight, didn’t seem to have her armour. He could try to fight back, but he was already being pursued by the pirates. No need to add to my problems.

“Answer me and I’ll let you live.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I assure you. I was being held captive here. I managed to escape.” Thel did his best to act as flustered as possible. “I’m just an antiques dealer. I’m not with the pirates. You must believe me.” He masked his presence in the force as well as he could.

-

(Command deck)

The blue Rodian rose from his chair. “I’m going to go and speak to the prisoner.” The Patrolian quickly turned to him.

“Uh, sir. We have a problem. Well, a few problems.” The Rodian slowly turned towards his small subordinate.

“What would those be then?”

“The imperial female we captured… has escaped.”

“She did what?” The Roadian’s voice grew louder, a look of frustration etched on his face.

“There is more, sir. We searched the imperial shuttle and found two lightsabers and some armour. Looks like the sort of thing those imperial knights wear.”

The Rodian’s eyes were twitching. His hands curled into fists.

“Anything else you want to throw at me?”

“Uh, well… we received a communication from the living quarters. Apparently a Sith has managed to get onboard somehow.”

The Rodian seemed like he was about to collapse.

“Is that it?”

“Yes, sir.” The Patrolian had a sheepish look on its face.

“Right. Make sure the other imperial officer is properly secured. Put out an alert across the entire base!”

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

With the man safely secured, she was hoping she had a valuable hostage to interrogate, yet somehow, the main claimed to be yet another ex captive. "How can I trust you?! Or even believe you in the first place?" she was in no mood for any games and his excuse was relatively week, yet what was good for him was that Kalique never just murdered anybody and to be fair, he had seemed relatively clueless and perhaps a little rushed himself.

What choices did she have? Knock him out? Fair, but if he knew anything, he'd be useless. Take any risks, no thanks. "Prove it" she demanded, the lift continuing its ascent which meant that they didn't have much time left. If he really was who he claimed to be, there had to be a way that he could be of help after all. "Now". She pressed the barrel closer to his temple, the cold metal touching his skin. Time was ticking and she could already sense a commotion up above.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel tried his best to act fearful as the imperial expressed her doubt at what he told her. “I promise you really. Don’t shoot me. Please believe me.” The imperial paused, seemingly thinking things over.

“Prove it.”

“Now.” He could feel the barrel of the blaster press against his head. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the imperial. He didn’t have a way of proving what he said. Fortunately, the elevator came to an abrupt stop.

-

The doors opened to reveal two pirates: both humans. By this point, the alert had been sent around the base. It would take time for word to filter around completely, about an imperial and Sith being onboard, but these two pirates were amongst those who already knew. The didn’t pay Thel much attention, instead focusing on Kalique. Her uniform made her a more obvious target.

-

“Grab her!” One pirate lunged at the imperial with a vibroblade. The other pirate aimed his blaster at her. Thel seized the opportunity. Quickly clipping his saber onto his belt, he then lunged at the pirate’s blaster. They wrestled over it briefly, until Thel delivered a knee to the pirate’s groin. The pirate slumped to the ground, grimacing from the pain. Thel took aim and shot them through the chest.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

What she really disliked was his hesitation. She could feel the living presences getting closer as they neared the next level and suddenly the lift was rocking. There was brief moment when she toyed with the idea of just killing him, not wanting to risk anything, but in the last second she decided against it. Maybe this stranger could help.

The doors flung open and the two guards were immediately focused on her. The vibrosword immediately came down and there was only a second to think. She let go of her captive and turned out of the way of the raised blaster, at this point oblivious to how Thel instantly wrestled with him. The blade came down and Kalique coiled the Force around the attacker, immediately switching his lights out with the Force before she realize that the pale stranger had dealt with the other quite effectively.

There was no one else nearby and so for a moment there was a pin drop silence. She stared the man down unflinchingly before she said, "Okay. If you want to get out, then come along. We'll try to shake them off first" she commanded, wanting to keep a very close eye on him but still taking his word for it right now. "Let's head down the hallway and look for a vent". There were no cameras around, at least none she could see or sense. If they found a way to slip away for a while, the ship would still be alerted but the crew not directly on their tail. They had to be calm and smart about it.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel turned towards the imperial once he had disposed of the pirate. She had made quick work of the other pirate. They stood facing each other. She was a force user and an imperial. Thel assumed that she was more than likely an imperial knight. At least she doesn’t have a blaster to my head now. He was braced for her to attack. Not that he wanted her to. The situation was already a difficult one. Thankfully, she made the sensible choice.

“Of course,” he replied to her.

She didn’t seem to have sensed that he was a force user. His lightsaber was concealed by his cloak. At least she’s onside now. That’s the immediate issue taken care of. His thoughts turned to the pirates. The imperial would be useful in helping to fight any pirates they came across. However, he still wanted to extract Za’s location from Annoz. It would be trickier to do that with the imperial around. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

The imperial suggested looking for a vent. He knew it was best to allow her to take the lead. As they turned the corner, he spotted a vent cover. “Look, over there.”

“You know, this is all a bit beyond me. I haven’t fired a blaster since I was a teenager. By the way, my name is Thel. What’s your name?” He tried to appear agitated and uncomfortable.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique picked up that slight relief as he submissively agreed. As he had just proven that he wasn't exactly a full rookie when it came to combat, his story made even less sense, but she kept her suspicions to herself as regardless of who this guy was, he seemed to be rather keen on getting out as well.

They started moving and she kept him in front of her. As he pointed to the vent, she jutted her chin forwards. "You'll go in first" she demanded, not wanting to risk getting him in a literal position to backstab her. If he wanted her help in escaping, he'd have to obey to her terms.

She kept assessing his every move attentively and thus squinted as he talked about how this was beyond him. "Not proficient with Blasters - noted. Quite skilled with wrestling weapons out of an experienced pirate's hand - interesting" she stated rather flatly, her analysis giving away how she wasn't exactly buying all of his story.

"Get inside, there's no one around right now and if we can manange to slip in unnoticed, we might have an actual chance of getting out". She urged him forward a little, her mind still on edge and her senses on full alert. "Good, Thel, get in there". She didn't bother sharing her name with a stranger who could possibly be on their side and so for now all she really wanted was to get out of the danger zone.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“I just got lucky I suppose. Lunged at him without a clue as to what I was really doing,” Thel commented. The imperial was clearly agitated. She hadn’t given her name.

“Ok, I shall go first,” he replied with a nervous smile. He squatted down and awkwardly entered the vent. He started to slowly move forward.

“So, do you have any idea as to where you actually want to go?” He looked back at her and raised an eyebrow.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She straight-up didn't believe him, yet kept it to herself as she soon had him right where she wanted to. She kept a close eye on him while she knew she could snap his neck within a split second, so this also meant that she didn't have to bee too alerted though.

She was a little surprised by how he was so calm while knowing what she was probably capable of and thus became even more suspicious about this stranger, but as he robbed through the narrow vent she was at least deciding that she believed him he wasn't with them. Maybe he was another escaped prisoners?

"We'll hide for a moment but move upwards and to the right" There she could sense the engines so there she was hoping to find answers before looking for a way out. "How did you end up here?" she jutted her chin forwards to motion for him to continue before she added, "be careful not to make any unnecessary sounds", in a hushed voice.

@DMCK