Crash-Landing

[Gunner Stahl]

GALACTIC SPACE, OUTER RIM
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Prelude: This takes place after the events of One Man's Trash

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He took a deep sigh inwards, leaning against the cold and unwelcoming wall which was nestled behind him. He was alone in this small cage, held like an animal, though he bore his captors no definite ill will. It was a risk of the mission and as long as the corporal got away safely, he didn't mind being sacrificed for the greater good of the Empire. Luckily he had been captured by shipyard security and not republic judicial forces, otherwise, he probably would have been executed by now.

He was still in his Republic pilot's uniform, a counterfeit production though it was still dashingly stylish and fit his lithe frame well. Clean shaven face now sullied with stubble as his hair accumulate grease from being unwashed for several days. He was a prisoner aboard what appeared as an independent shuttle vessel, likely contracted with the Republic to transport criminals still awaiting prosecution. In the cells next to him were several other suspicious individuals, most of them humanoids though an occasional twi'lek, a wookie, and an unsavory Gamorrean were noticed.

The gentlemen directly across from him appeared to be chuckling, derogatory and rude jokes aimed at what appeared as the singular peace keeper aboard the ship: A young Jedi Knight, @Sigal Adi Chume'da. Gunner barked at them, "Quiet down, and play nice with the fairer sex...She's beautiful". The last part was meant to be silent though it slipped out with the other verbage. He knew the Jedi were his enemies, though it was difficult for him to bear hatred towards a being he hardly even knew. In the past, he was a soldier doing a job.

He was unaware that the prisoners around him also wished him dead. After all, they were just lowlifes, he was the only high profile individual on this transport, an Imperial Officer. He wondered what the prisons in Republic territory would be like. For now, he attempted to glance at the ceiling, flirting with drowsiness as he prepared for the long journey ahead.

@Esther Nyx

 

[Sigal Adi Chume'da]

The council were punishing her, that was the only logical reason. Why else would she be ordered to escort this transport? Full of criminals and convicts no less. How demeaning. She was a Jedi knight, not a glorified security warden. Still, the Hapan had learnt there was simply no arguing with the council -not for lack of trying on her part-.

So, Sigal resigned herself. She would bite her tongue and suffer this disgrace, perhaps she could use this experience as leverage for a later favour. An unlikely plan however. The council, as unreasonable as they were, were not ones to make deals and barter in favours. They instructed, with the expectation they would be obeyed. No matter how long she had served with the Jedi, Sigal never quite accepted that fact. Hapan were a notoriously matriarchal people, with males being the utter dregs of society. Their xenophobic attitudes certainly didn't help either, especially as Sigal still internalised some of those views. They had got her in trouble before.

Still, she would not tolerate vulgarity, especially from these caged animals.
"Fairer? No, no, no. There I must rebuke you." Rising from her meditative seat, Sigal sauntered down the row of cells, each step measured and poised until she came to the human's singular holding pen. Amethyst eyes regarding him for a moment, their veiled gaze haughty with amusement, "I am the superior sex. And I don't play nice..."

With that the Jedi activated her saber, skewering her narrowed glare towards the vile animals in the other cells. She had to endure their incessant chattering since take off and she would not tolerate it for another moment longer. Even a saint has only so much patience. "The next wretch to open their mouth and annoy me will soon find themselves relieved of a limb. Consider this your first and final warning."

She waited, ensuring her message was met and understood. With that, she sheathed her blade and stalked away, flicking her hair in a diva like gesture, the movement creating a subtle trail of flowery scents. Indeed, the Hapan was as vicious as she was beautiful.

 

[Gunner Stahl]

He chuckled at the fiery temper of the Hapan, admiring a woman who could defend herself against these brutes. He glanced at her as she threatened the lot with her lightsaber, his coy smirk still continuing as she spoke. Turning away, he extended his legs over the bench he was seated upon, placing hand-cuffed arms behind the back of his head as he attempted to gain some shut eye.

"Hey guard!" The Gamorrean captive yelled out to the Jedi, sticking his hand-cuffed hands out of the bars he eyed the Hapan. "I need to use the bathroom." Motioning to the singular prisoner powder room that was at the back of the vessel. One of the other guards stood up, being only two on the ship along with the Jedi to keep peace over at least 8 captives. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it". He said to the Jedi, moving over to the Gamorrean's cell and preparing to unlock it so the creature could relieve itself.

As the guard managed to unlock the cell however, the Gamorrean showed his deception: The handcuffs were already unlocked, a tiny needle sliding between his teeth as he flashed a grin at the orderly. The Guard's eyes lifted open, "KRIFF!" He yelled, just as the criminal smashed his skull against the metal doors and hurled him across the hallway, blood spurting from the wound. It seemed as tranquility was lost aboard this ship, as the Gamorrean had managed to free his cellmate as well, a smaller humanoid who darted out of the cell as the guard was shoved away.

There was a master switch that kept the prisoners in their cells at the back end of the console, the prisoners being closer to it than the Jedi and the other remaining guard. If they managed to reach it, all hell would break lose...

@Esther Nyx

 

[Sigal Adi Chume'da]

The Hapan scoffed at the Gamorrean, clearly not willing to allow him the luxury of urination. She was content with returning to her meditation. Let the pig man suffer, clearly he had done some wrong in his life -why else would he be here, if not for that?- Sigal thought a little punishment was more than fair. She just wanted to return to her meditation. It was the only way she could pass the agonising time on this accursed assignment.

But the guard accompanying her seemed more empathic. He moved to deal with the prisoner and Sigal didn't stop him. She simply kept her eyes closed, willing the force to preserve her sanity. Then she heard, the expletive of the guard, the sickening crack of his skull as it met the door. Sigal leapt to her, quickly scanning the situation. Not good. The guard was down and the Gamorrean was loose. Worse still, another prisoner had scampered out of the cell as well. "Insolent curs!"

The Jedi reached out through the force, attempting to halt the pair's movements. Goddess damned, the pig man was struggling, his mass making it impossible to him. She had to incapacitate them, regain control. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The Gamorrean was closer to Sigal than the smaller humanoid; the Hapan would neutralize him first. Releasing her hold on the force, Sigal dashed forward, drawing her blade once more; except this time, she intended to use it. With one definite cut, she sliced through the Gamorrean's meaty arm and waiting for it drop to the floor, much like the pig man mourning his lost limb. Sigal was unrepentant however, "Well, I did warn you, didn't I?"

It wasn't over yet. There was still the humanoid to deal with. He seemed frozen, mere inches from the master release switch, yet his eyes were glued on his -disarmed- friend. He was tentative, unsure. And Sigal played on it. "You fate shall be much worse, I can assure you of that. Surrender."

Yet already the Hapan knew what the prisoner's choice would be. When faced with the prospect of freedom, they'd be desperate enough to try anything. He reached for the control, just has Sigal screeched at him, "Fool!" and flung the Gamorrean's severed arm at him with the aid of the force. It struck the humanoid with a mighty thump, but it was too late. The control was released and indeed all hell was about to break loose.

"Pilot, take us down! Now! Now!"

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[Gunner Stahl]

Eyes were closed, head nestled back against the cold and unwelcoming wall as he rested. His conscious was not with the ship, its inhabitants, the pretty Jedi, or with his capture. It was drifting in thought, pondering the decisions he had made until now that got him here, and the decisions he would go on to make if he were to ever escape. Suddenly however, a Gamorrean and his midget friend changed the course of those ponderings.

He quickly snapped back into focus, eyes glancing at the events as they unfolded in front of him. The Jedi was undeniably outnumbered at this time, with only one guard in the room with her to defend against the platoon of criminals that would soon be let loose. He wasn't expecting to see a severed gamorrean arm fly across the hall and into the body of a humanoid, though desperate times did indeed call for desperate measures. The yelling was from both sides, more of concern from Sigal while it was cheering from those as they exited their cells. His own caged door soon unlocked, sliding open as he tasted his first sense of freedom in nearly 48 hours.

He remained in the cell for a moment, seeing as the captives rushed outwards. They were a sadistic group, numbering close to six individuals. The remaining guard attempted to draw his pistol, however he was rushed and tackled by the largest of the rebellion. The others now shifted their focus upon the Jedi, advancing towards her with malice in their hearts. Shifting his attention to the near dead guard that lay on the ground in front of him as well as the pistol that was still holstered to his side that seemingly others had forgotten exist.

Perhaps he would let them kill the Jedi, afterall, he was a sworn Imperial. But something just didn't feel right about that, as his eyes continued to stare at the firearm.

Decisions...Decisions...

@Esther Nyx

 

[Sigal Adi Chume'da]

There was no possible way this situation could get any worse. Prisoners loose from their cage, running riot on the transport. The two guards had proved themselves incompetent. Now the task for restoring order fell solely on Sigal's shoulders. And she would accomplish that task, even if it meant a couple more limbs would be severed in the process.

"Scum..." She hissed towards them, her saber raised once more. She would not suffer such insolence, not from such dregs of society. She would show no mercy.

When once convict made a brazen move, the Hapan flung out her hand, sending the force out like a wave. It floored the first criminal, and shook the whole hull of the transport. She hoped it would be enough to make the prisoners hesitate, to make them rethink of their current course of actions. Truth be told, even if she did cut them all down, she would have one hell of a time trying to explain to the council. She had incurred their wrath on numerous occasions, she certainly didn't need it again.

Yet again, another felon decided to try their luck. A Zabrak. He charged at Sigal, also feral with intent. She could have simply lashed him across the chest and be done with him. Yet at the same time, she hesitated. Instead, she opted for jabs, one grazing his shoulder and lower leg. The transition was flawless and fluid, like a well practiced dance. It was the elegance of Form II, Makashi. Precision over power. Motion rather than strength.

The transport was descending to the ground. Mere minutes away infact. Still, a lot could go wrong in that instance. She had managed to wound two of the assailants. Still, four remained.

 

[Gunner Stahl]

He couldn't lie, the Jedi was certainly impressive in how she dealt with these scums; hopefully she didn't extend the same feeling over to him. He was an imperial officer after all, and that had to have some degree of clout even in her mind. Now was the time to make a decision whether he would let the criminals overwhelm her or would he consider saving her from their grasp. She was engaged with all six, seemingly as they had forgotten about him when they raided through their cells. Her force powers and saber skills had managed to fend off several, though the odds still appeared against her favor. He could see that the airship was descending in efforts to make an emergent landing and he thus he only need to act in the next few split seconds.

Rolling to the side, he took a grab of the slain guard's blaster pistol and made sure it was armed. A barobel criminal lurked up behind Sigal as she was busy fending off against the others. The slimy creature lifted up its paws, attempting to strike her down with razored claws when a bolt of plasma seared through his left knee. It roared out in pain behind the Jedi, dropping to the ground before a second bolt exited through its chest with a gruesome open cavity. Slumping over dead, Sigal could see that the lieutenant was behind this murder.

His eyes briefly made contact with hers before he turned his blaster pistol upon the criminals that the Jedi had not managed to slay, firing several well aimed shots to eradicate their resistance quickly. She may have been conflicted about using deadly force, but he knew better and thus had no reservations, at least not on this lot. As the chaos settled, he aimed the blaster upon the girl. Why wouldn't he? She was a Jedi, his empress had a bounty out for their heads, and beyond all that, he was true and loyal to Andraste. Emotions were conflicted as he struggled with the decision, the firearm visibly shaking in his grasp due to his indecisiveness. However, in the end, he lowered it.

"You okay?" He questioned, wondering if she had sustained injury from the conflict. What a turn of events but things didn't improve for the unlikely duo as suddenly an ion surge washed over their ship and disabled all power systems. The cell holding space turned dark as it seemed the ship stalled in the middle of galactic space. The noise and humming vibrations of a much larger and nearby vessel could be heard.

@Esther Nyx

 

[Sigal Adi Chume'da]

Sigal cursed bitterly, finding the current situation all too troublesome to tolerate. She was still heavily outnumbered. No matter her efforts, the fools vying for escaped simply refused to relent. They came at her like waves, attempting to overwhelm her in a moment of stupidity. Nevermind the fact Sigal was a trained Jedi Knight, fully capable of wielding her saber.

To Hoth with the reports, she thought in a flurry of vexation, Time to deal with this insufferable rabble.

When one escapee came within range, Sigal cut him down. It made the mass pause for a moment, perhaps reassessing the risk of their decision. Hopefully, the blonde beauty could push this to her advantage. She forced the remaining thugs back, crippling them into submission. With any luck, order would finally be restored.

But then a shot rang out and it was such a horrible sound to hear. For a brief, horrifying moment Sigal thought she had been the one who had fallen foul of the blaster bolt. But there was no pain, no scorching exit wound.

With violet eyes, Sigal glanced behind her, noting the male from before. He stood there, blaster still aimed at the now deceased reptilian. Shock was evident in her expression, and perhaps a slither of gratitude. If not for the male's actions, she could have very well been injury, or if not worse, killed. There was a pregnant pause, the Hapan not quite sure how to respond. This was a criminal, an armed criminal. Yet he had aided her.

There was no time to consider such things. No sooner than the veil of peace settle did the power sudden vanish from the entire ship. The abrupt jostle sent Sigal staggering. In the darkness of the vessel, she fell onto something solid and warm. A person. Under usually circumstances, the Hapan would rear backwards, utterly appalled at the accidental invasion of personal space. Yet the darkness conjured an instinctive reaction, one that made her cling to the body below her. She sought a moment of comfort, fore fear the blackness would take her. Hapes was a planet bathed in near constant light and because of this, Hapans -over generations of evolution- had failed to develop visibility in the dark. Perhaps that is why Sigal's fear of the dark was so understandable. So paralyzing. She'd rather cling to the enemy for solace than suffer the gloom alone.

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[Gunner Stahl]

.

Well, wasn't this his lucky day, minus the whole imprisonment and capture theme of course. It was a conflicted decision, to shoot down the criminal or allow him to kill the Jedi and then take control of the ship. In the end however, it made Gunner realize that despite all of these missions he had performed for the Empire and everything he had hoped to become, there was a little shard of humanity left in him, that perhaps not everything was as black and white as it seemed. A certain warmth washed over him as the Jedi fell into his embrace, whether it was by choice or circumstance, he honestly didn't care at that point. His eyes looked down upon the blonde beauty, taking a deep sigh inwards as her fragrance was intoxicating but her physical companionship was even more enjoyable.

And so, in the darkness of void and space, he slid his hand upwards to gently tug at the crevice of her back, pulling her closer to him and safely within his protecting hold. That was until the cargo doors shifted open and in came several armored guards. Repeaters and rifles drawn upon them, a Reptilian in golden clad armor merely snickered as he yelled in profanity laced dialect that Gunner could not comprehend.

Shackles were placed upon both of them, and rest would rely on the story to be told.

// end thread