Ask Don't Raxus-picious

[Vayden Q'orr]

Q'orr backed into the empty corridor, his yellow eyes meeting as many of the pairs staring at the two of them in horror as he did so. Some averted their gaze, most didn't know what to do with themselves and stared back dumbfounded at the scene playing out before them. As soon as they were clear of the threshold he raised his weapon and fired. The door controls were ruined and the door immediately hissed shut.

Okay, next matter of business was getting out of the building altogether. He had hoped to maybe procure a hauler of some kind and escape by vehicle but getting spotted so quickly ruined any chance of that happening.

As he stood there trying to think through what their next move would be he saw D'Avignon attempting to rip a pipe out of the wall. What in Malachor's name is she doing?!

He grabbed her arms and pulled them off the pipe with an incredulous look on his face. It was a miracle they weren't dead already if this woman's idea of self preservation was trying to bar a pneumatic door as if it were an archaic hinged one. If his eyes were screwed into his skull they would've fallen out several times over with the amount of eye-rolling she'd induced.

"This way." Was all the direction he afforded her. There was no greater plan to his words this time, but it was best to think and walk and the same time rather than wait to be cornered.

He didn't like this one bit, this tunnel was leading them in essence to the main lobby of the building. Walking out the front door was the exact opposite of what he had hoped to do. Nothing to it but to do it, he thought to himself in resignation.

They reached a windowed door, allowing them the privilege of looking out into the lobby at just how many people would see them instantly. By now the guards they'd encountered earlier would have relayed to the others what had transpired in the storage room. That meant his little hostage situation bluff wouldn't work twice.

Think, Vayden, think. He studied the layout of the lobby and the positioning of the exit in comparison.

The door they stood behind was off to the corner, purposely out of the way so as to not attract the attention of guests. In other words, a good place to camp out in case of a firefight. The other important piece to the puzzle was that all of the buildings outfacing walls were made of some kind of green glass. It was indeed one of the plans of all time.

He locked eyes with the panicking envoy, coming to grips in that moment that he was putting his life in the hands of this shaking mess of a human. "You will leave out this door alone. Walk briskly and straight out of the building. If you encounter no resistance I'll do the same. If you hear blasterfire run. Get one of those speeders outside, crash it in here and together we'll fly out of here."

In the back of his mind he knew all the ways this could go poorly. Most likely of all scenarios in his mind was the envoy getting to a speeder and deciding not to go back for him. It would be difficult but he was already mentally prepared for such an outcome.

At least then he wouldn't have her in tow slowing him down while he found a different escape route, and he'd technically have completed his mission getting her out of there alive.

So he watched as she walked out into the lobby through the door, entering an angry nest of security ordered to shoot on sight. With baited breath he watched her get surprisingly far, halfway to the main entrance/exit when one of them identified her. Firefight it was then. He opened the door, using as much of the frame for cover as possible and shot the first guard dead.

Then everything was chaos. Some fled, others looked around in confusion, and the most dangerous variety provwd to be the eagle eyed guards that quickly pinpointed where his covering fire was coming from.

He lost visual on D'Avignon almost immediately, blinded by the deadly lattice of blasterfire returning his way. The frame was already scorched black and smelled of burning debris within seconds after the first shot.

There would be no way out of the lobby without outside intervention, pinned down in his position as he was. He couldn;t be sure if she'd made it out alive, or if she was coming back for him. In his mind there was a timer of only a couple more seconds before he retreated back into the depths of the building to try and find another way out.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Heather's desperate attempt to provide some kind of additional slow for their pursuers was relatively in vain as he urged her forwards and she was, once again, left without a choice. Maybe the envoy had also been so severely out of her element that she had missed the fact that the pneumatic of the door would have posed a much more severe issue, but it didn't matter now anyway.

She followed hastily, her feet already in slight pain after the continous running. They were also a minor detail that didn't fit her disguise, but in the storage room, no one had seemed to be that observant - mistake, Agent Q'orr would have never made. She was certain about that.

Panting and her head still all over the place, they finally came to a halt that allowed them to peer into the lobby. Chaos was still all around, which made her want to carry on, but she also knew it was simply a matter of time until they'd be sandwniched in the narrow maintenance tunnels.

Panic-stricken and desperate, she met his gaze so as if he had a solution to their impossible escape, all color still absent from her generally pale face. He had a plan. It caught her off guard severely, after a few moments of blinking in disbelief, she nodded her head. Then the full realization hit her thought. Was he placing his life in her hands now?!

Shakingly she threw another glance out of the window until her gaze met the huge window front of the entrance, realizing that those glass could indeed be shattered by a vehicle, probably regardless of whether it was a speeder or a ship. She glanced up to him, one final time before she let out another breath.

"At least we'll die with style". Her words completely surprised herself, but the desperation made her do funny things. She obviously went how they'd at least die fighting, or rather trying, instead of fried on a chair like the others. The image of the fidgeting Imperial emissaries made her stomach turn and amother shiver ran down her spine, but before it could freeze her, she simply pushed herself out.

She walked briskly as if followed the evacuation order all workers had received at some point while apart from the alarm, angrily screaming guards drew her attention. She avoided eye contact and simply walked straight towards the exit, her posture also as straight as still possible and suddenly she was convinced she'd make it.

However then she heard someone shout "IT'S HER! GET THAT BITCH" and without thinking twice, she dove for the ground, throwing herself over a couch of the lobby. Blaster fire erupted all around, however, she soon realized that it wasn't all aimed at her. Q'orr. She immediately kept rolling and pushed herself of to her feet again and started running.

Perhaps it was luck, perhaps it was his distraction, but while she assumed she'd find herself in terrible pain just a few seconds later by a blaster bolt that would meld right through her middle, none such a thing happened. She jumped into the door, shoulder first and busted it open while she headed right towards the very first vehicle she saw: A hovering, relatively sturdy looking landspeeder.

A relatively well fed man with a stupidly expensive robes was casually alighting, apperently completely oblivious to the fact that chaos had erupted within the building he intended to enter. His service droid was just about to help him out while she never slowed down. She blacked out the pain and like a speeder bolt rushed towards them.

They had intended to finish them off inside without having the public know for now and so outside, there was no resistance just yet, but as she tackled the bipedal, however frail droid aside, a blaster bolt missed her by an inch. "OUT!" she loudly yelled, roughly yanking him aside to before she just slipped into his expensive speeder and slammed the door shut. Here goes nothing.

Without thinking twice, she grabbed the controls and gave full speed, steering right into the massive glass front ahead. As if it helped, she closed her eyes just a second before impact, bracing herself by lowering the head as the huge, however apparently solely decorative window of the entrance shattered into a thousand pieces and hed own panicked, high-pitched screaming filled the passenger compartment.

She ran over several armored guards that were basically swallowed beneath the vehicle, but as she lifted her head again she was forced to hit the breaks fully as she was already close to the nearest wall. Thanks to the flat, aerodynamic built of the speeder, her windshield was still intact, but she doubted this would be the case much longer as she was already under fire.

Still, her maneuver had caused enough mayhem and destruction that Vayden would, if he was fast, somehow manage to reach the door and hop in. She herself didn't even see the full extent of her maneuver, but blood was smeared across the floor and the speeder's front, bearing witness to her incredibly reckless try.

While she waited the few seconds for him to hop in, she ducked once again, hoping the controls would offer enough protection from the blaster bolts that could possible shatter the windshield, but they also proved themselves to be much more resistant and apperently more hardened than expected.

Regardless of which door her chose, the moment his last body part entered the speeder, she switched gears ans reversed at full speed, turning the speeder in a full, however relatively uncontrolled, skidding, approximately 180 before she shifted gears again and hit full throttle. Now, she saw the dead, or at least fatally injured in front of her widened eyes, which made her lips quiver and another desperate cry escape her.

"WHAT DO I DO?!" she helplessly cried, trying to stay in control as they somehow made it out of the building at least. Only now did her adrenaline filled brain register that she would have already been far away if she would have just taken the speeder and left...why the kriff had she even returned? Somehow, all she had been capable of doing had been to follow his command, just like earlier. Maybe now he'd realize that his manipulative strategies and been severely effective...

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

Mental clock ticking, enemy fire intensifying, odds of survival dwindling. It was time to leave. Only his escape would be much more motorized than he had steeled himself for.

The sound of blaster fire was interrupted for a moment by the sound of all kinds of impacts as a speeder tore through the lobby. Screams and orders to move out of the way. Waves of glass shards cascading across the ornate floors. Bones crumpling under the stress of high speed vehicular manslaughter.

She had actually done it, half of it at least. He ran to the driver's side and yelled "Stay down!!" A simple order, but he wasn't about to risk having her peek above her windshield to see him only for some errant blaster bolt to undo all the hard work he'd put in today. With the speeder hovering in the air between them and the remaining guards he decided to use the cover to his advantage.

A quick squat to peer from under the speeder revealed assorted legs locked in place while firing in their direction. He fired several shots, not all of them hitting their mark but enough to alert the guards to their kneecaps' newfound danger and to seek cover.

It was this mad dash he caused that give him the window of opportunity to get in the speeder that threatened to take off before he was even inside.

He kept his eyes trained on the outside as she swerved out of the building once more, firing away with no real target, only trying to dissuade any overzealous pursuers still on them. Once they were on the main lanes out of there he answered her question with "Keep the speed at maximum, I'll steer!"

And so he did. Reaching over with one hand from the passenger seat, using his previous memorization of the city grid to get them as far away from their supposed burial ground as possible.

He could hear the sound of control vehicles in the distance, a clear signal it was time to ditch their current ride. He pulled them into an alley and got out, motioning D'Avignon to follow. He continued on, deeper into the crevices of the city until he felt far enough out of everyone's way that they could take a breather and assess the situation.

Adrenaline slowly drained from his system, letting him appreciate the wounds he'd accrued on his way out. He was sure to be littered with bruises by day's end. Not to mention dropping to a knee on a floor littered with broken glass turned out to be a very good way making said knee a bloody mess.

But, they were alive. Those wounds would fade with time. As long as they did in fact find a way offworld before they could be cornered by those wanting them dead.

Finally turning his attention outward once more he acknowledged the envoy and asked "What are your injuries? Will you be able to keep pace and abstain from medical attention until later?"

He was already thinking several steps ahead, how they'd need new clothing once again, a place to stay, a theft-worthy ship capable of at least sublight travel. But all of that was dependent on how limited she would be physically after their near-death experience.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

The Imperial Envoy was heavily traumatized and basically just functioning like a machine for as long as she had a task to focus on. For now, this meant escaping, and as he urged her to let him take over controls, she didn't resist.

She kept the vehicle on full throttle while he was reaching over and actually maneuvering through the streets while she just panted and dug her nails into the seat, eyes closed and internally praying he knew what he was doing.

She couldn't believe that they had gotten out, but the adrenaline wasn't yet fading. As she opened then again, they found themselves in an alleyway and she pulled the speeder to a halt as he motioning for her to do so. Stiff like durasteel she climbed out, her muscles fully tensed up and her body ice cold while she still mananged to follow him.

What now? Again, she had no idea. They were obviously still on their tails and they wanted her dead at all cost before any news could spread or before the Imperials would send backup. It was basically a race against time and again, she wasn't sure whether they'd be on the winning side.

Heather was heavily traumatized. She slowly tilted her head as he adressed her, her gaze completely absent before she carefully looked down. Her uniform was all creased and she also realized she had been grazed by bolts twice, apparently, but it felt like nothing had happened despite some scratched skin.

Her feet hurt from the shoes and her knees were in pain from where she had thrown herself to the ground, but the adrenaline still fully numbed the pain. "I'm...alright" she quietly replied, her gaze involuntarily flinckig down on him.

"Are...are you?" afraid of the answer, she almost didn't even dare to ask. He looked quite beaten up and thus not okay in her eyes, but as simply everything felt surreal right now, she was in no position to actually judge his state. "Oh...you're bleeding" she noted, pointing a shaky finger at his knee before she slowly stepped to the side, leaning against the nearest wall for some support.

The images off the people she had just ran over flicked through her mind and now that they were finally slowing down, it hit her all at once. Without being able to stop it, the insides of her stomach decided to come back out right now and she was simply glad she missed both her hairs and clothes as she threw up into the gutter next to her.

Coughing and gasping for her, she looked up a few moments later, wiping her mouth with the hem of the uniform they needed to get rid off asap and pushed herself of the wall. "I'm..I'm sorry. I-I couldn't". No. She couldn't afford a mental breakdown and yet she couldn't help it. "I...killed those p-people. I killed them. I...killed-" she trailed off into sobs, her voice shaking and her widened, watery eyes helplessly meeting his gaze.

"I'm...so sorry. You've saved my life. Thank you...really. Thank you. You'll...get paid or whatever but" realizing she was randomly rambling, she dug her nails into the flesh of her own palms. "I'm so sorry...we have to move. Hide somewhere. Lay low where they don't expect us" she pressed forward meekly and obviously all over the place. This had gotten so severely out of hand...

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

The fact that she didn't have any grievous injuries was certainly a plus. If only he knew how to treat what came next. He saw it coming from a mile away of course.

He saw her shaky hand, her gaze lingering on his shredded knee, the draining of color from her face. All he could do was take a step back and wait in silence as her insides revolted from all the stress of the day's events.

He wore an expression as impatient as he felt as he waited for her to finish. Once she did he stated matter-of-factly "Yes, you killed them. They would've done the same. I guarantee you the galaxy will not remember their loss. You hold a position of power and thus influence in the galaxy. Something all those middle-class lackeys combined would never reach."

Maybe his words would help, maybe not. In his world, lives were not of equal value. The fact that his appraisal of his own life's value was lower than average was part of what drove him to seek a higher status.

It also made doing what needed to be done much easier when it became a simple mathematic equation as opposed to some moral dilemma. Those never had a correct answer anyways.

He rebuked her gratitude, countering "Your life isn't saved yet. If you want your words to hold any meaning you'll stay focused until we're back under imperial jurisdiction." He allowed her a moment to collect herself and nodded when she spoke of needing a place to hide. Good to know she wasn't startled enough to lose all sense.

"We'll find what we're looking for this way." They started their journey through the urban sprawl once more, this time slower and with greater caution. Timing sprints from alleyway to alleyway so as to not draw attention or have eyes on them in general. Along the way he did get them some souvenirs to remember their time on Horuz by robbing the homeless.

He ordered the clothes off a homeless woman's back at blaster point and gave it to D'Avignon to blend in. Unlucky for him but lucky for all the men they passed by he didn't see anyone that would be his size. So he had to settle for stealing someone's cloak and used it to cover the majority of the maintenance uniform he still wore.

The longer they walked the darker the city would become. The people would become sparse and the state of the streets and signage would deteriorate. He was leading them to the rougher side of the city. The kind of place where people wouldn't ask questions.

Several minutes of wandering later he spotted what seemed to be the appropriate place to lay low for a night. A building that would've appeared to be entirely out of commission from the outside.

The faded paint in one corner implied there had once been a sign, perhaps providing a name for the establishment, but it was long gone. Only its weathered ghost remained.

The aurebesh letters were just legible enough to understand that it was a motel of sorts. Speaking to his charge he said "This is where we'll spend the night. Rest, recover, and formulate a plan of escape in the morning."

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Psychology said, crying help, and somehow, her little breakdown did at least result in slightly less shaking hands. Also, the numbness took over as the trauma still ran deep, but after the little outlet off emotions, she had at least gotten a part of her chest.

She felt terrible embarrassed that she had fully lost control of her body and composure and thus avoided eye contact at all cost, she was however more than positively surprised that he didn't yell at her judgmentally or even shout at her to keep it together.

He said something in response to her emotional collapse, yet even if his words kept responding in her mind, there was little she could give him as an actual answer as her own thoughts were still too wild and convoluted.

Surely, he had a point, as they have had countless guards and she doubted Sir Osmann didn't even know the names of ten, yet she still didn't fully share his completely cold, heartless opinion on how their lives didn't matter at all.

What she did agree on though was how they weren't far from being in safety or even in a position that would claim they had made it, so she forced herself to some more deep breaths before she nodded.

She quietly followed him, her gaze finally clear as she had at least gotten her tears back under control, but while she had no issues with keeping up, she expected blaster guns aimed at them after each and every corner before a hail of incoming blaster fire would end their desperate journey.

She followed close by, however as she started robbing homeless, she was hit by the realization that even though he had chosen to save her, he was a cold blooded jerk. Did they have a choice? It was partly a moral dilemma, but even if she usually kept her safe distance from homeless people, she grimaced as he actively threatened them.

Reluctantly she started changing right in the alleyway and slipped into the ragged, rather dirty clothes. She was disgusted, not just by their looks, but the smell was actually much worse and so was the realization that others had literally worn it not long ago.

She could blend in more easily afterwards, yet she felt absolutely terrible and fell back into this shock stasis that obediently made her follow, but not even think for herself anymore. They kept going and going and even if she had even received a different pair of shoes, her feet were sore and painful.

She still carried on, knowing damn well that this was far from over and tried her best to simply focus on his tall, broad shouldered back. "Don't you think...these people could talk and tell the authorities what we took?" she suddenly blurted out as her brain finally responded again.

She had no idea, but assumed those kinds of people didn't usually cooperate with the government, but perhaps they were yet another risk. Or well, maybe the governmental security wouldn't even bother asking them. As he suddenly stopped though, she was thrown out of her confused thoughts and slightly bumped into him from behind.

She followed ahead with her gaze until she her mouth flapped right open as yet another shiver was sent down ber spine. "W-We...no. We can't. This place...looks like we'll just be murdered in the corridors" she muttered, completely appalled.

She wouldn't set in a foot in there. Couldn't. Under no circumstances. They get infected with whatever lived there and it was the most shady place around. She had never seen something so terrible and sleazy in real life before, only in holos or documentaries, so that every fiber in her body was screaming 'no'.

"There must be something different...another place that accepts cash" they could only pay with what he had stolen from the people he had ruthlessly robbed as it was better not to leave any potential digital traces, but even as shem tood here, arguing, she could feel how her strength was simply fading and how her body would soon just give in.

Now that they stood, her vision already blackened and she began to stagger slightly as she grabbed his arm to stabilize. "Sorry" she muttered apologetically, her voice quiet and gaze going down again while both would realize she probably wouldn't even made it any further.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

In response to her concern about possibly being reported to the authorities by those they had robbed on the way he said "Remember what I said about some lives mattering more than others? Vagabonds are about as low on the list as you can get. Even if they decided to seek help for what happened, I guarantee you law enforcement won't be welcoming to deranged nudists on their doorstep at this hour."

He was fully intending to keep walking and give her no choice but to follow him into the motel. And he would have, if she hadn't continued on to talk about cash and finally wore out the last of her welcome with the agent. He whirled on her with an intense fury in his eyes he felt no need to hide anymore.

It was only the deep sense of self-preservation that kept his voice low so as to not draw attention to themselves while he said "How dense are you? Really, it truly baffling. Do you think the credits we have on hand are really enough to find a decent place to sleep? They aren't even enough for this sorry excuse for a motel."

His hand suddenly flashed forwards towards her throat, luckily for her it wasn't to harm her in anger. No, instead he snatched the jeweled necklace around her neck and snapped it off with one strong pull.

He held it in front of her face almost mockingly and continued "This is our saving grace. Or at the very least, mine. I'll be staying the night here, and as such your odds of survival will increase if you follow me. But the choice to die alone in an alleyway is yours all the same."

Whether she followed him or not he'd cross the street towards the motel and walk inside. The only "staff" to speak of was a Gran standing near the entrance who held a box of keycards in one hand and a vibroknife in the other. A telltale sign for a classy establishment.

He'd hand him the necklace as trade and took the keycard with a designated number on it, following it to his purchased room. It wouldn't be a pleasant stay. Even studying the keycard that granted him access showed as much. Aside from the number it seemed entirely identical. Just to prove his theory he tried using it on an incorrect door along the way and sure enough it opened.

He was most likely going to barricade the door regardless but having solid confirmation of how little security the room would afford made it non-negotiable. Inside the room was a simple full-size bed and a nightstand that had clearly seen more than anyone would want to know. At least the place had 'character'.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Standing there helplessly, he took advantage of the situation again as he went for the throat again. Just like a dog, he seemed to revel in what this did to her. A gasp escaped her, but this time she didn't even flinch as he quietly exploded again. Why didn't she just hold her damn tongue? He dominated the conversation and she was too afraid to answer or explain herself and so she simply didn't.

Frankly speaking, she couldn't even do so much as to imagine how much a night in such a horrible location costed or whether you could just walk inside and sleep there as she had to admit to herself that some of the darkest corners of the alleys they had passed had looked more appealing, but staying in the open would be foolish.

She stayed behind for a few seconds, a new wave of desperation washing over her before she could overcome this heavy inner reluctance to set herself into motion. She kept her head low and avoided eye contact while he did the talking with the owner, feeling so terribly embarrassed for how she looked like and incredibly guilty after what she had done.

The lump in her throat was constantly growing and the shabby atmosphere felt so oppressive that she found it hard to breathe again. What she could smell was terrible enough to make her vomit again, but as there was simply nothing in her stomach, she only had to surpress the gag.

They reached their room and the fact that he could effortlessly open other doors with his card didn't really help with feeling any more safe than outside, but here they could at least build some kind of a barricade to buy themselves time while simultaneously resting a little.

The pain was still numbed by her dizzy state and after they had entered, she immediately took hold of the run down sideboard next to the door and intended to pull in it front of it, but she lost her grip and slipped down as the exhaustion washed over her like an inescapable tidal wave that simply consumed her.

On the ground, she was just blankly staring at the ceiling while she tried to process any of what had just happened. Again, tears silently ran down from the corners of her eyes, but she was not losing herself completely again, which was at least some progress.

She tilted her head to locate Agent Q'orr as she quietly asked, "Your...wounds mind need cleaning" was the water even clean though? "Can I assist you somehow?" she desperately needed a task, something to keep her mind from wandering into dark places. "Please...I'm really decent in terms of first aid".

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

The next couple days would go by with an agonizing crawl. That first night had been a rough one. He did his best to make sure the traumatized politician didn't lose her mind in the meantime, but it was no easy task.

He had let her at least attempt to clean up his lacerated knee, not that she could do much besides take out any remaining fragments of glass. He also gave her small tasks to complete each day: studying arrival and departure times for the spaceport, insignia and rank distinctions for the planet's law enforcement and military, imperial emergency coded messages etc.

He had also done those things so he wouldn't need to depend on her knowledge, but it was an exercise that would serve the both of them well. While she focused on those tasks and anything else she wanted to accomplish with her time, Q'orr was making small moves towards getting them off planet.

He'd gotten word back to the ISB via a jacked holoterminal arranging for a rendezvous just outside of Horuz space. This would give them a little more leeway in electing a getaway vessel, knowing they wouldn't have to travel very far after the fact. He'd followed an unobservant worker trying to get through the end of their shift at closing to get into an apparel store to secure them real clothing this time.

To the benefit of the employee they hadn't gotten a look at Q'orr's face, which meant they got to survive the encounter. With the newfound freedom to return to the heart of the city with his new disguise he managed to get his hands on a schedule for upcoming arrivals to the spaceport. In his hands it would become a grand theft starship menu.

The longer this process dragged on, however, the more pressure he felt to leave. He hadn't gotten much indication that their pursuers were closing in on them, but playing mind games against himself he knew that his movements could be tracked eventually.

The various crimes he committed would fall under a certain radius despite his best efforts to spread out their locations simply because he had to return to the motel every night. Had he been on the other side of the equation, he felt he would've found himself already or at the very least narrowed down an area of potential hideouts.

So, with all that pressure on his shoulders, he decided today was the day. He led them to some corner café not far from the spaceport. In fact he had chosen this establishment specifically because it gave a good line of sight on arriving ships.

Giving her a rundown as they sat at the table on what to keep an eye on he said "We're waiting for a freighter, class 4 hyperdrive with a red and white paintjob. Should arrive in 20 minutes, but if it's early or delayed we'll need to adjust accordingly."

This seemingly innocuous pair sitting outdoors with morning brews in front of them would have the next couple minutes as a sort of calm before the storm. The storm would be one they initiated, and one that would rob a lot of the people around them of their calm as well.

If the envoy wanted to use this time to converse, she'd need to make the first move. As always Q'orr was content sitting in silence waiting for the time to come.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Over the course of the days, she had grown oddly fond of their little routine. Not only had she learnt how to accept his company and not feel uncomfortable all the time, but she was also not as afraid of him any more as before.

While she hadn't slept a single minute in night one, the exhaustion had swept over her on day 2, so that she had allowed herself to finally drift into sleep, thus bringing herself in an even more vulnerable position with him again, but as she had woken up, she had been relieved by how he hadn't taken advantage of the situation again.

He instructed her to do her research, familiarize herself with their environment and time tables of scheduled flights, so that their plan was finally coming together. She spent most of the day inside the room as well, too afraid to step out without protecting whenever he was gone and used the time to take a shower instead.

She was also getting more used to the room, not finding it as completely horrible as before, but she was still disgusted with whatever she touched, smelt or saw and was more than happy when the day of their escape finally came. Their wounds had healed and they had gotten as much rest as possible, giving their scenario, but she was quite anxious the moment they stepped out in the open and kept close to him because of that again.

As they sat outside the little café, they appeared like a fairly normal couple, but what she had already learnt from him was to how to stay away of your surroundings while appearing as inconspicuous as possible. While she sipped the coffee (that was nothing but a straight insult to her tastebuds), her blue eyes scanned the crowd around, but everything seemed fairly calmed for now.

He had mostly been working on the plan alone and she had already assumed he had been rather busy whenever he had left the room, but now as he finally let her in, she was relieved by how productive his trips had apperently been. As she listened intently, she immediately memorized all the details before she slowly nodded.

"I'll follow your lead" she had also learnt not to ask any questions and obediently follow his instructions now that she had realized that they were normally her life insurance. She stirred her coffee creation slowly, keeping her heartbeat as slow as possible, but the nervousity had already settled in the pit of her stomach as she knew their luck would run out at some point and if didn't make it off now.

Still, they had a little time left as it seemed and after everything they had been through together, there were a few things on her mind and who knew? Maybe this was their last conversation. "Can I...express my gratitude somehow? You hardly know how much you've helped me get through this all, and I know my words matter little, so if there's anything else I can do, please tell me". She kept her voice low, given their open surroundings, however what now bled in was a genuine softness.

"Also..." before he'd get the chance to answer, she'd lean a little closer, not wanting their conversation to be overheard. "You had...well, many chances to run. Your chances alone would have been better" the only thing that had made her valuable had been her necklace...and his prospects of still fulfilling his mission, "but we're both still alive...and I truly appreciate your efforts". She still knew as emotionless as he was, she might as well keep those words to herself, but it felt good toget them off her chest.

There were however other things on her mind and so she dared to raise a question. "You don't have to answer. I know you have your secrets...but I was wondering: Have you ever been in a situation asdire as ours had been?". Surely, his life was much more exciting than hers, but she doubted whether it always went like this. Or...did it? Maybe that's how he had turnt in such a cold, ruthless, simply functioning individual.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

He wasn't all too surprised that someone with a career dependent on interaction wanted to break the silence. What did surprise him was that for once he was legitimately interested in what she was saying. Expressing gratitude was something he never expected from her kind. This could prove to be interesting.

He cared little about the sentiment itself, but it could potentially open several different opportunities for Q'orr. His mission in fact was to find dirt on the D'Avignon family and hadn't anticipated the legitimate threat against her life that ultimately was. Technically speaking he was simply waiting to complete the task. Turn in his findings, leave it in the hands of the ISB and go on his way.

Such a mark against the family would surely bring ruin. They'd be outcast and stripped of their wealth and status for holding back from the Empire. This particular D'Avignon would be out of a job, he could already imagine what a mess she'd be, basing it off of how she'd dealt with stress these past couple days. But would that be of benefit to him?

Surely it didn't hold the same weight as a life debt, but at the very least he had a politician in a position of relative power and connections to a family with even more expanded reach that was now indebted to him. He was already thinking ahead to how he could use this to his advantage. The kind of people he could rub elbows with if he managed to attend some more upper crust events through them.

He'd still need to give the ISB something, however. After several years of being passed up for promotion he had little faith that even a rousing success like this mission was shaping up to be would gain him the favor of his superiors. Returning empty handed however would be a surefire way to lose all progress he'd made to that point.

He'd need to play his cards carefully. The path he saw ahead of him would be walking a fine line between the family and the ISB. He could tell his superiors that he'd need more time to find the information necessary, but that he now had an "in" with the family thanks to his thwarting of the attempt on Heather D'Avignon's life.

He could then ingratiate himself to them, using the opportunities they'd provide to make connections with those in high places. Then, once he was satisfied in that department he could turn over all the additional information he could surely dig up being so close with them.

All of that would start with the woman in front of him. His mind was still racing through all these thoughts when he replied "I'm only doing my job. Once that job is over and we're both safe we can disuss gratitude."

He could sense the intent in her question, and normally he would've dismissed it without a second thought. His natural instinct was to respond with something long the lines of the answer not being relevant to their current situation. However, given the plan forming in his mind, he decided that perhaps extending an olive branch in kind would serve him well.

It couldn't be wildly out of character, though. Come on too strong and she'd know there had been a shift. "My previous experience does lend itself to my line of work, if that answers your question. Near death experiences are more in line with work place hazards to me. Should be avoided whenever possible, but not unexpected when they do occur."

He then purposely shifted his posture in his chair. It was subtle, but he had leaned forward slightly, communicating through his body language that he was at least mildly engaged in their conversation. "I'm sure you have your secrets as well, Miss D'Avignon. Tell me, why would someone that already has all they'd eve need financially choose to live a life as stressful as that of a politician?"

Q'orr couldn't be certain yet that he could follow through on his hypothetical scheme. For now he'd lay the ground work, trying to understand the woman's motivations, in the event that he did go down that path.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

In her mind, the memories of that fateful chamber meeting in the grande hall was somewhat blurry and confusing. She couldn't really remember what the representative had said and thankfully, her mind had forced her to forget about the looks on her companions faces while they had been fried to death.

What she did, however, vividly remember was how the strong arms had grabbed her from behind and yanked her out of the seat before anything had happened to her. The same muscular arms had then yanked her out of the way of several bullets and had carefully guided her out of this death zone.

Those memories sticked. She was deeply indebted and knowing that she could never repay him in a similar way nagged at her. What could you do for someone who had actually saved you like this? Maybe she'd find an appropriate way, maybe she'd always remain in his debt.

He played down her gratitude again by abruptly interjecting it was nothing but a job, but this time he did also offer some kind of a prospect. Also, the answer he gave her next did actually disclose something that sounded slightly less vague than before with him even seeming ad though this time, his one and only goal wasn't simply to keep her quiet again, but he was actually letting the conversation continue instead.

Her eyes slightly lightened up as he returned another question to her, but not because she was delighted. It was rather the feeling of getting caught, not because she didn't have a honest answer for that, but rather because it seemed as though this had been on his mind for a while.

She knew he was calculating, always watchful and analyzing and thanks to the ISB, he probably knew more about her than most of her most trusted friends, however, and this was the very interesting part, was that he asked for her motivation.

Her innermost believes, convictions and the motives that drove her were one of the very things he couldn't simply acquire like the other Intel he was potentially always gathering, so that she wondered whether he was simply doing it to complete the pieces of the puzzle he already had in terms of her or whether it was genuine interest reflected in the cold man's heart.

By answering, what would he gain? Or how would it serve him? Was he simply testing her loyalty or was he, for once, making genuine conversation? "That is an interesting question and funnily enough, only few people have asked so far".

Most didn't care, either because they weren't intelligent enough to know that she didn't need this money or whatsoever as they failed to connect certain dots or, as superficial as most people were, they simply didn't care to surprass the normal small talk. He though, and this still surprised her, was perhaps raising the very first question that potentially wasn't just aiding his goals...

"You're correct about how money isn't what drives me...it's more about the impact. I can aid the Empire by serving them like I always have. I do want help by offering my talents were they are needed, but as you might know, such endavors usually don't go so terribly wrong". Here, she hadn't even gotten to work. He, in contrast to that, had never caught any breaks. "How long have you been with the ISB?" she knew agents usually didn't talk about that too often, but perhaps he'd at least give her something approximate, like he often did.

She took another sip of her coffee before she took a breath, once again calming herself as another question that constantly circled in her mind was even more difficult to ask. The first time you've...killed someone. Did you regret it?". This memory was also rather vivid and not much less traumatizing than it had been a few days earlier.

Would she ever get over this? Should she even care about those strangers who had wanted to murder them without hesitation? Have they possibly even deserved to die, giving all the blood they hand on their hands? She wasn't overly philosophical and knew he definitely wasn't, yet somehow, she was curious to learn about how he handled this all.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

He listened carefully but still kept his eyes trained on the sky as she spoke. Not only did it ease his mind bout potentially missing the hip's arrival, it served the secondary purpose of maintaining a sense of distance between them despite the deepening conversation.

She spoke of impact but not necessarily of what kind. After all impact could entail anything from a motivational speech to a speeder crash. It was a frustratingly imprecise answer, one he'd expect for her ilk normally but not in the given context. Maybe he had overestimated how much sway he had over her if she was still being guarded in her speech.

Not satisfied with the answer he followed up with "You use words like help. Those are words used in dreams not goals. What is your end goal in your career? The ideal legacy you leave behind when all is said and done?"

When she asked a question of her own he responded truthfully "I've been an agent for a year now, but I've served the Empire all my life." He left it at that, though the way his response hung in the air it was clear there was more to the story. He'd left out the Sith entirely, the main driving force for his entire life both positively and negatively.

Her next question was one he hadn't expected at all and actually garnered eye contact for the first time. An interesting query. He thought about it for a moment and said after formulating his response "I did not regret killing them, no. My only regret was that I couldn't kill the one more deserving of it."

He thought back to those early days as a peacekeeper. The first time he'd lost a brother in arms was a shock to his system. It had filled him with a desperate need for justice. An insatiable hunger that led him to hunt down his prey with a fervor he would learn to replicate many times over during his time with the corps.

Much to his dismay, he never got his hands on the murderer of his comrade, only some of his accomplices. Theirs had been the first on his list of faces caved in "off the record". Even now he felt the polar opposite of regret, his fists clenching reflexively at the thought of being able to do it again. It had been well deserved in his eyes.

Returning his focus to the present he asked said "If you believe in your vision, the impact you want to make on the galaxy, then you prove it by not letting anyone get in your way. Because you know those in your path don't have the same drive as you, will never have the same hunger you do. Once you understand that everything becomes simple. Letting them stop you would be a disservice to yourself and the galaxy as a whole."

It was a very self-centered viewpoint, but one he firmly believed in. The future is everchanging and if one wanted to be part of the select few that helped shape it there could be no room for self-doubt.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Again, his response surprised her. He seemed curious, perhaps slightly obsessed with gathering more of an actual answer and she found herself swallowing harder this time. He was demanding like he always was, however kept pushing further with more questions.

"I-". What would happen? What could she entrust him and how did it serve him? Would he use this in his report? How would he frame this all in general? It had been fairly obvious she had been completely out of her element and she had acted like an idiot, or well, actually, like a normal human...

She tried to withstand this inner pressure that was slowly building, however, she couldn't resist him for long. He still had this effect on her...maybe now even more than ever because she was greatly in his debt and those last days in the small hotel room had annulled every remaining inch of personal privacy that had still remained.

So why not? He was in full control of whether they'd survive and what would happen afterwards, so she gave in. "I want to continue by serving like I do right now. Leading negotiations, convincing other systems of our changed course and having them join us. I can see me doing this for a while...or let's say I used to" a sigh involuntarily escaped her, because somehow, this trip had changed everything.

"After all of this, I might reconsider and change into...maybe helping to govern a planet" she admitted, however quietly. "It would be a different work environment, but instead of doing the diplomacy, it would be more about administration...which I'm also quite good at".

Her gaze trailed off and she cleared her throat. That was enough of an answer, wasn't it? She looked back up to him, another question just ruhsing out. "Do you see yourself in the same line of work until you retire or would you consider switching departments again?".

He told her he hadn't had any regrets back then and while it was incredibly hard for her to comprehend how one could just be like that, it fully made sense for the impression she had gained of him. She nodded slowly as he met her gaze, the image of him ruthlessly robbing and shooting and murdering in general...his life had just been so different.

She doubted he had grown up in an environment as privileged as her, but this question she didn't dare to ask just yet. She noted how he clearly viewed himself as being able to judge whether someone had to die or not and while she didn't even fully disagree, she knew he was constantly making such decisions in a rather active way. It was part of why she still found him intimidating and how she was roughly reminded of how she had to keep herself valuable, so once again, something close to fear was mirrored in her blue eyes.

He suddenly offered her something that sounded like a piece of genuine advice, but what was reflected in it was his brutal ruthlessness. Bluntly, he basically told her that she basically had to assert herself and seize her chances regardless of what was in her way, but obviously, he saw it from his point of few only. "I...yeah...you're...probably right" she muttered, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind.

Would she dare to speak her mind? Almost every fiber in her body screamed "no", yet, somehow this sudden deeper engagement lend her some confidence. "I understand where it's coming from...it's still different with diplomacy in some regards. But you have a point. Sometimes I tend to forget how cruel this galaxy truly is...". Horuz and him had taught her that.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

There it was. Catching a glimpse of the red vessel far in the sky past D'Avignon's shoulder. That was their ticket offworld. They were now on the clock. Yet he didn't move. Not a word about it despite every nerve firing in his body pleading for him to get a move on. His discipline won out however.

This conversation was a critical juncture and one he couldn't end abruptly even if it meant less time to get their plan in motion. It did at the very least mean that his method of responses had reverted back to small nods at best and reactionless at worst. He wouldn't cut her off but he certainly wasn't going to encourage a further deepening of their conversation either.

The one question he couldn't answer with a simple yes or no was that of his career goals to which he gave a full response "Retirement is not in my future. I will serve the Empire as long as I breathe and at as high a level as possible. That includes levels above the ISB and their work."

Then he signaled with a glance towards the spaceport and stood up from the table. "Time to move." As they made their way over to the spaceport the only thing on Q'orr's mind was the hope of maybe, just maybe, having a less intensive departure than they had an arrival.

The plan was relatively straightforward by design. It needed to be simple enough for the envoy to recall the steps even in the case of crisis. Such a stressful time hardly lent itself to careful recollection.

D'Avignon would enter the spaceport alone and go through security just as any ordinary traveler would. Meanwhile Q'orr would circle around the back towards one of the junction boxes, keeping their comlinks open so he could hear her interactions.

If all went smoothly at the checkpoint she would then shed her outerwear to reveal a worker's jumpsuit underneath and get Q'orr in through one of the many access routes. On the other hand, if security caught on to her ruse it would be on Q'orr to cut the power to allow her to make it past them in the ensuing confusion.

The trickiest part of the whole ordeal would be the pilot of their targeted vessel. They'd need the pilot's codes in order to undock the ship, but they had no way of knowing where they would be.

Q'orr had chosen the ship not only for its specifications but because of its large entry on the manifest. It was his belief that with that much cargo to offload they had a better chance of catching the pilot in or near their landing bay.

Either way it was going to be close, not another second could be wasted. Once they were practically at the entrance of the spaceport he turned her to him and placed something in her hand. "We will survive as long as we execute correctly. Trust your vision." With that he'd part ways with her into the pathway behind the building.

In her hands was his blaster. He anticipated she'd have much higher odds of needing it given that his part of the plan wouldn't require direct interaction with anyone who could identify him. It was also a measured move to further the supposed connection and by proxy debt between them.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

She didn't miss how his yellow eyes quickly flicked over to something that was probably behind them. He gave no other cue to end the conversation just then, but as soon as he gave her another rather short, calculated reply, he moved. Was it time? She soon gained that clarity as he urged her to move.

She immediately got up and took another deep breath. That was it. Their final chance. The details just had to be right, but if they were, they'd be safe soon. Truly safe. And this horrible trip would be over. Their plan was risky, yet she had sworn to herself that she'd keep a positive mindset.

As she began to walk his last words echoed through her mind. So he had very high ambitions...perhaps that was why he had needed her to stay alive so badly...the reason why he hadn't just left her behind. Casualties probably never looked good, so perhaps that was the whole reason behind it.

Maybe their dynamic was at least more the reciprocative then she had first expected. If they would make it out alive, there was no doubt in how he would come out of it as a hero. She was curious to see how this would continue and hoped she'd be alive to witness it.

She followed him towards the entrance where they'd then part and she suddenly found his hands on her shoulder again as she turned her to properly face him and shield their exchange from outsiders. "Yes...it's over soon" she tried to sound confident and optimistic, yet it was still rather hesitant.

Her blue eyes wandered down towards the blaster and she accepted it gratefully. He gave away his valuable weapon, well aware of how from a distance, this had been his only chance of quickly killing someone, but this was also part of her life insurance now. She was thankful that she entrusted her with it and yes, it did make her feel safer, but she dearly hoped she wouldn't need it.

"Thank you...take care" she knew he would, but she was used to such politeness. She still gave him one last smile and the slightest smile tugged at her lips before she went off. First, her part began and she had to keep it together. She immediately went in, her steps brisk but not hasty.

She had no troubles with the checkpoints, which was extraordinarily relieving and so as soon as she was through, she casually disappeared in one of the rest rooms. She peeled of the first layer and tossed it into the trash bin, assuming no one would stumble upon it and be suspicious before she tied her hairs into a bun and made her way towards the access routes.

It was lucky for them that they had taken a hat from one of the homeless that was now convering her face and as a relatively short woman who was pretty good at making herself disappear into the crowd, she could easily get to the doors without raising any suspicions.

She kept Q'orr informed about her precise location until she unlocked one door that was particularly well hidden, accessible from the outside and the security guards in the area were relatively busy with a heated debate about whether a plant-based diet was suitable for their wives' Lothcats, so that Vayden might manange to enter.

However, that was when troubles for her started. She was pretending to be busy examining a pipe that was sticking out until suddenly, she was grabbed at her elbow. "You. We need a mechanic right now". A middle aged, green skinned man with a fluffy mustache barked at her before she dragged her away.

She was staring at him wide-eyed, blinking a few times while her feet carried her her onwards until they reached a ship around the next corner. Waiting in front of it was a Twi'Lek woman in a similar blue overall, a wrench in her hand. She wasn't sure whether Q'orr had already seen her being led away, but as the man began barking instructions about what was wrong with the deflector shield, he'd at least know what was happening. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I'm afraid that's not my area of expertise" she stated, her voice firm and confident, but all he answered was, "you don't talk back to me girl! You'll go try anyway". Perfect. So she had him to deal with for now as well.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

Q'orr walked through the back alleys calmly for a time. He knew that the queue for entry would take a while for D'Avignon to get through regardless so going at a faster than normal pace would gain him nothing and only risk exposing himself to passerby.

He passed all kinds of species that were working on the backlot of the spaceport. An Ugnaught trying to repair some ship part, a Rodian arguing with his supervisor about some mix-up in the baggage department, and a plethora of pit droids threatening to trip people over with their ever present scurrying about.

He navigated them all until he was eventually in position, posted outside the door where he'd arranged for his partner to let him in. Before that moment came though, another worker caught sight of him and said "Ey, you! This ain't break time, get back to work!" Q'orr held back his stare best as possible while he weighed his options in the moment.

He could very easily dispatch of the human barking the order, but out here in the open with attention already called to them it would be impossible to have it go unnoticed. So like many underpaid workers he dragged his feet and found something that at the very least looked like he was getting work done.

Really he was just rubbing a single spot on a piece of metal as if that would somehow clean it. It was enough to satisfy the human though who had already found someone new to yell at, that plus a telltale hiss from behind Q'orr signaled it was time to break the façade. He looked back to see the door had indeed opened and he walked through.

He didn't see D'Avignon at first which was incredibly odd. He'd assumed she'd wait by the door and they'd walk together. A quick glance down the corridor saw her being dragged away by some Mirialan man yelling. Not good. Q'orr burst into a sprint believing the green man to be on to them somehow, his step faltering only when he got within earshot.

Picking up on the Mirialan's treating her more as someone who could fix his problems he stopped giving chase and thought for a moment. He could help her out, but there was still the need to track down the pilot. Surely she'd dealt with worse in her time as a diplomat than some entitled customer before. He figured that much at least she could handle on her own.

So he went the other direction towards the landing pad holding their intended getaway vehicle. Bad news. The cargo seemed to have already been unloaded and the bay void of any sentient life. No time to lose, then. He ran towards the food court hoping that the pilot had been getting peckish by the end of their journey.

More standing and staring ensued when he finally got a good look at the food court hoping to see anyone that matched the look on the schedule. There. A Wookiee with reddish brown fur wearing a mossy cape of some kind. Approaching the pilot he began "Excuse me, Mr. Rykyk I presume? There seems to be a problem with your ship."

The Wookiee was a very large creature, even Q'orr himself looked small by comparison. Rykyk responded in the guttural growl associated with his people's language, one Q'orr had zero understanding of. Playing the part of a dockworker simply trying his best he stammered and said "Sorry, I don't quite understand. If you'll just follow me--"

Before he could finish the impatient Wookiee shoulder-checked him as he walked by in a huff back towards the landing pad. Good. Q'orr followed behind projecting as much meekness as possible so as to not tip off the Wookiee in the meantime, time he'd need to think of what to do once they got there.

There would be no problem with the ship and no droid to translate and back up his story. He would have a very small window to subdue the pilot, which in and of itself was no small feat. He was confident in his own abilities sure but part of true confidence is knowing your limitations.

Vayden knew that even on his best day he stood little chance at winning a wrestling matcch with a Wookiee. As they approached the docking bay he could only hope that D'Avignon found her way back towards them so he'd at least have his blaster back.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Vayden didn't show up...at least not that she saw while she was involved in a heated debate with the Mirialian. "Sir, once again, I'm telling you I can fix heating systems and air conditionings, but out of my area of expertise I'm afraid I might cause some irreparable damage". She was giving him her most prettiest doe-eyes then. If logic didn't work, it had to be convincing otherwise.

He muttered something under his breath, clearly Irritated about how no one could help him, but in the end, he at least let her go. She let out a relieved sigh as she turned to leave, however there was no sign of Agent Q'orr and that made her nervous. Had they spotted him? No..there was no fire, no commotion. Everything seemed rather fine.

But was it though?! Or was their plan already endangered before they had proceeded into the most critical stage? Think, Heather, thing. The slightly baggy uniform was concealing the blaster, but if she'd have to use it, she would. This was their last chance, and like he said, nothing could stand in their way.

They needed the vessel, and thus the pilot, however as she was approaching the dock, she was finally spotting Q'orr again, which was a huge relief. Still, she paid him no particular mind as she was sticking to her roll after enough people had seen her. She thus rounded the corner and followed them to the correct ship where she weighted her options.

Without knowing what exactly he was up to, she waited for some confirmation or to overhear anything that proved the Wookie was the pilot while she pretended to check on the ship's outer vent from down below. There were apparently some misunderstandings between the Wookie and Q'orr, but as he let out a complaining roar, he also reluctantly unlocked the ship and lowered the, gesturing wildly.

She was carefully following before she suddenly heard some louder voices in the background and even without spinning around, she knew this wasn't good. The first blaster bolt came rushing in, barely missing her and hitting the ship as her eyes widened. The second one immediately hit, grazing her by the hip and she let outa loud hiss before she started running.

Immediately did she pull out her own blaster, Q'orr's, and aimed right at the Wookie's head. "GET IN!". She jutted her chin up the ramp, grazing the trigger which made the Wookie cry out, but the massive sentient obeyed, rushing inside so that she did the same, joining Q'orr and the Wookie inside.

She instantly pushed the button that closed the vessel and kept the Wookie at gunpoint until he did start the ship, rather in panic. Adrenaline was rushing through her body and as all systems were started, she flicked the switch at the side of the weapon and stunned the Wookie without hesitation, so that he sacked down, before she finally turned to Q'orr.

"Take over....will you?". Now, she pain was setting in and she was shaking. She put a hand on her injured side, only just realizing how bad it stung, but there was nothing she could do about that now as they had to depart right away.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

Q'orr was almost too preoccupied while doing his best to appease an increasingly irate Wookiee to notice the rising volume elsewhere. It was just enough for him to turn towards its direction and see D'Avignon, more troubling than that the hostiles catching up behind her.

He instinctively reached for his side only to be betrayed by his muscle memory given there was no blaster to be drawn there.

He was giving the envoy a death stare she likely didn't notice in the moment as she ordered the Wookiee inside the ship. Sloppy, incredibly sloppy.

How she'd tipped off the guards he hadn't the slightest idea but it annoyed him to no end. Soon enough, he told himself. Just get off this planet and it would be his problem no longer.

He helped get the ship's systems back online as quickly as possible. Every blinking light on the way was at an agonizing ace while blasterfire made a deadly light show across the viewport. This was hardly considered a combat-worthy vessel, so he could imagine that transparisteel wouldn't hold up much longer.

Yelling over his shoulder to her as he yanked the controls and by extension the ship into motion he said "Don't bother stunning him, kill him! The Empire hardly wants a hostage situation on its hands, keep him alive and they'll have reason to give chase beyond their jurisdiction. Send the body out of the airlock when you're done."

He knew it would be a tall task for the inexperienced politician, but he had little time to coddle or reaffirm in any way. He was relying on only their previous discussion and the pressure of the situation to win out and motivate her to do what needed to be done.

He left that in her hands, as his were currently busy fighting frantically to fly away. The exit itself hadn't been graceful, scraping all along the inner walls of the docking bay and taking out more than a couple antennae on the building before finally clearing the spaceport. Afterwards he was only afforded a couple seconds of calm before they had new, airborne pursuers.

For now they'd be local law enforcement, though given the blockade in place over the city he had to imagine the military variety would be joining them soon. At least these lower ranking enforcers could be outrun with ease. Given the freighter was free of all cargo it was deceivingly fast, if albeit unwieldy not being meant to be flown under such lightweight conditions.

Their initial pursuers broke off as they rose further and further from the surface, rapidly ascending through the planet's atmosphere and into the surrounding space. Where are they? He saw no sign of the ship arranged by the ISB to ferry them away.

Chancing a look at his chrono he saw that despite everything they were a minute early. Normally such a wait was trivial, but when they had a squadron of snub fighters approaching them suddenly it was a very different story.

@LadyRen​

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

She was a little bit surprised by her own actions, but literally realized that she was acting under his influence. His words were still echoing in her mind and she simply wouldn't let anything get inbetween them and their escape plan. With a racing heart and dilated pupils, she thus fired the stun bolt.

He barked at her again, but his command made her frown. Kill the innocent pilot? No... or did she have to? He had a point about jurisdiction and thus reluctantly started dragging the motionless body away, but thanks to the rough departure, it was almost impossible to do.

She stumbled from left to right and panted severely as she was halfway there. The tall furry pilot was heavy and the evasive maneuvers and bumps made her falling around. She refrained from yelling back that he should keep the ship steadier, knowing that he didn't exactly have a choice, but at some point she even bumped her head against the wall and toppled over with a grunt.

Her head was in throbbing pain, but she pushed herself back to her feet immediately and continued despite the pain and dizziness. As you as she reached the airlock, she stopped to stare down at the massive Wookie, the blaster shakingly held as she aimed for his head and flicked the switch.

Whatever it would take, she reminded herself as she swallowed and finally fired, before she stepped out and pressed the button that finally ejected the unwanted cargo. Her vision was a little blurry as she made her way back to him and strapped herself into the co-pilot seat. Her gaze was absent, but she quickly said, "It's done" as she began to hold on tight.

They were ready for extraction, but there was no ship in sight yet. Shit. They weren't on schedule yet. Such cargo vessels weren't good for such kinds of fights, so the only option they had was to outmaneuver them somehow until the ISB would reach them. Frowning, she watched the fighters approach, suddenly finding herself reaching over and fastening his blaster back at his hip without restricting his movements while maneuvering.

They already in the atmosphere, but she saw more fighters popping up on the radar and this concerned her a lot as they were approaching them quickly. "We might have to consider it possible that our support might have encountered an issue as well" she bit her lip as her blue eyes flicked over to him. There were no cannons to man, so all she could was to pray the fighters wouldn't get them. Their ship wasn't made for skillful evasive maneuvers, so time was running against them.

@Pazaakly