Ask It's All Part of The Job

[Jackie O]

He had lost it all. Everyone's luck ran out eventually, and apparently, the sense that told people to walk away while they were ahead had beaten out Jack long ago. That's how he found himself in the employ of a rather distasteful Zygerrian. Jack could deal with distastefulness, but slavers put him on edge. They reminded him of his whole upbringing, but he owed the Hutts money, and if he didn't pay them back, he would find himself with his own collar. So if he had to endure being a little uncomfortable, he would.

The job itself wasn't bad; act as muscle and thrashed the occasional patron who wanted to get handsy before paying. The pay wasn't too bad either; if he could keep himself away from the gambling table for a few months, he would be back on his feet.

Jack leaned against the wall, the same music pulsing that he had heard night after night. A whole galaxy of music and this place played the same 15 songs over and over. He sighed as he stared down at his chrono. There were still several hours in his shift, and the last few hours of the evenings always tended to be a bit rowdy.

 

[Zira Suvan]

Tonight was a big night - a Hutt that was in control of several weapons stockpiles was coming for a visit. Her master was eager to please the slug and hoped to score a deal. As a result, security was heightened and special performances were scheduled. Zira was bought for her dancing skills, and she would deliver.

The lights were dimmed and the stage was set. Induparan music began to resound throughout the establishment, the patrons cheering and clapping. A lithe, graceful Zygerrian stepped out onto the stage, a coy smile on her face. She began by twirling her wrist and swaying her hips, a lot of work put in to fix up her hair and cover up signs of her always being in chains.

While she dazzled the patrons with her moves, several new attendees slinked into the cantina. They were hired men from a rival gang that planned on sabotaging the performance so the Hutt would refuse to deal with the slaver.

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

Jackie certainly understood the appeal of the dancers but never could quite figure out why the Hutts were drawn to them. Thinking about it grossed him out, so he forced it out of his mind as the Hutt entered the club and the lineup of special shows started.

Jackie knew enough that tonight was more than just making money for his boss. He was trying to get something from this Hutt. He was here to ensure nothing got the night too off the rails. The music shifted as a Zygerrian took to the stage. The lights dimmed, and the crowd shifted their attention to the lone dancer. Jackie forced himself to continue scanning the room, though trying to make anything out in the hazy darkness was difficult.

He wasn't so much looking for sketchy people; the room was filled with him. Instead, he looked for things that just seemed out of place. A man talking to a droid in the room's far corner caught his attention. The droid didn't look like the ones his employer used, and they didn't let other droids in usually. The man clearly wasn't paying attention to the show, which made him stick out; after whispering something to the droid, it took off toward the area where the lights and music were being controlled.

Still not overly on edge, Jackie intercepted the droid as it neared the booth. "Hey!" he whispered. "What are you doing?" he questioned the droid. The droid let out a series of nervous beeps. "No, you don't look like any of the serving droids. You need to come with me," he said. The astromech droid shifted before extending a stun baton out of its body. "Shit!" Jackie said, jumping backward.

The music was loud, and they were toward the back; so far, the show would be uninterrupted. At the same time this was going on, smoke slowly started seeping from underneath the stage.

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

The droid had no qualms with starting a fight, moving to brutally hit Jackie over the head. Within seconds, he would find himself surrounded by two more people that looked unfamiliar. They tried to remain discreet, attempting to grab the Chiss by the arms to shuffle him away and out of the scene.

Meanwhile, the smoke looked like it was part of the performance, so the patrons weren’t riled. Even the other dancers weren’t fazed by it. Zira, however, had performed enough to know that the smell was off. This wasn’t simply for effect. She began to tactfully dance and withdraw back from the front of the stage.

Moments later, there was an explosion and the entire front of the stage was ablaze. Screams erupted all around and patrons sprang to their feet. The slaver was mortified, screaming at everyone to stay put and calling on his guards.

The Hutt was furious and flailed uselessly as he demanded to be taken out of the establishment.

Zira coughed and wheezed through the smoke, unable to see anything. She was stumbling through the back of the stage, trying to find her way to the main floor. It was clear that the infiltrators switched from Plan A to Plan B with Plan B consisting of taking out both the slaver and the Hutt in one fell swoop. Another small explosion erupted in the cantina.

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

The droid didn't stand a chance against Jackie, that is, until both of his arms were grabbed up by two men that had come up behind him. The droid surged forward, a stun baton jabbing into Jackie's side. He convulsed before going limp, starting to be drug away by the thugs.

The first explosion jolted Jackie back to consciousness. The second blast went off way closer, the two men that had grabbed him getting hit by some of the shrapnel. When Jackie opened his eyes, he saw the dead stare of one of his attackers looking at him as they lay on the ground.

His ears rang, head swimming as he pushed himself to his feet. He looked around, confused, as the room became more filled with smoke. As his hearing returned, he made out the screams of the patrons as they all scrambled to get away. Blaster fire started crossing the room as the club guards, those of the Hutt, and attackers all started firing. He needed to get to his boss; protecting him was the only way they would see any money at all from this.

Jackie reached for his blaster and made his way across the room, but it was gone from its holster. Whether it had fallen out during the blast or if it had been taken from him was largely irrelevant now. His senses returned as he ducked behind a table, blaster fire cooking the air above him.

As he neared the stage, several of the dancers were coming out onto the main floor. At the same time, one of the gang members wielding an auto rifle also stepped into sight. Leveling his rifle at the dancers, Jackie used his momentum, leaping at the nearest one and tackling the Zygerrian as blaster bolts struck two of the dancers behind her. A second later, a stray bolt took out the attacker.

"You gotta hide!" he whispered above the chaos as he took cover behind the stage. He peered over the stage, trying to look for the Zygerrian slaver.

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

Zira was used to sudden violence, so she kept a cool head despite the heat and chaos. Unfortunately, everyone else around her was in a panic. They blocked her path, bumped into her or just plain screamed so loud she couldn’t focus. She was coughing as she made her way through the smoke, not spotting the rifle being leveled at her. Out of nowhere, someone tackled her.

She landed with a thud, glaring up at the culprit - only to recognize the blue guard that was recently hired by her master. A tilt of her head revealed that the two other dancers went down. She gasped at the sight, having just gotten to know them. Her ears were still ringing as she looked back at the man.

“I know an exit!”

Zira didn’t look to see if he followed - it was self preservation that allowed her to survive this long as a slave. She knew the path to one of the VIP rooms in the back of the stage. Usually the master took his favorite girls there for some fun times of his own. Zira had been subjected to it herself a few times, but she had long since grown numb to such things.

If Jackie followed, he would be led into a dark room with purple lighting. There was smooth jazz playing and there was definitely a particular smell to the room that no one needed to explain. Zira paid none of it any attention, opening a door to the side that led into a hallway out of the building. She kept running until she came across a door, but it had a terminal for a keycard.

“Fuck!” She hissed. Only employees had keycard access. Technically Jackie was an employee…

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

At first, he didn't pay much more attention to the slave. He was trying to save his quickly dwindling chances of getting paid. He peeked over the stage and was met with blaster fire spraying splinters of wood in his face as the stage was shot up. He ducked back down, hearing the girl talk about an exit. His survival instincts started to kick in. A payday wouldn't do a corpse any good. Jackie took in a breath and bolted for the door to the back.

The girl was fast; they bolted through one room and then another. The club wasn't massive; sooner or later, their attackers would make their way back here if some hadn't already.

Jackie almost ran into the back of the Zira as she stopped, standing before the locked door. He pushed past her and swiped a badge he had been given. The door led to the back parking lot, and the slaves defiantly weren't allowed out the door. Jackie didn't care too much for those rules.

"My bike is over here!" he said, jogging over. The distant sounds of blaster fire continued inside, a plume of smoke starting to rise from the club's roof.

Jackie jumped on his bike before looking back to Zira. "You are either on your own or coming with me." he said, motioning to the back seat.

****

Inside, the rival gang leader stood in the main office, scanning through cameras. He had just wanted to stir up trouble between the two factions, but this had played out perfectly. This might even though the whole sector into chaos, and chaos meant more opportunities to rise.

A back parking lot camera showed the Zygerrian woman running outside. The man cursed as he picked up his comms. "Kid, you were supposed to get the girl. She is running out of the back now! Don't let her get away!" he spat as he radioed his son. The plan all along had been to try and snatch the slave girl. Her master, well, former master, had done the perfect job of parading her around enough for her to gain a reputation.

He had given the task to his son, an easy task. He had obviously fucked it up somehow.

****

As the attack still went on the inside. Several gang members ran out as Jackie tore out of the parking lot. They would be hot on their tail.

 

[Zira Suvan]

“What?” Zira stared at him in confusion. Get on a bike? Run away? The thought sounded preposterous. But there was no time to think. She sprang up on the bike behind him, gripping him tightly as she waited for him to kick off and leave. Of all the things that happened today, running away from her Master ranked at the very top of terrifying things. She still had her collar on her and slave bracelets around her wrists that very clearly spelled out what she was. She wouldn’t get far. She had no money, she had nothing. And now she was allowing this random Chiss to take her away.

She gazed over her shoulder, wincing as blaster bolts peppered towards them. She flinched as one of them almost hit the Chiss, “Duck into an alley! We’ll have to be on foot to throw them off!” Hiding in a building or dropping into the sewers was the only surefire way to throw them off the trail.

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

The road was narrow, causing him to weave in and out of traffic. It only took seconds before they had a couple of thugs on their tails. Blaster fire filled the air around them, one of the shots cooking the top of his jacket.

He could lose them on the busier streets if he could make it to the main roadway. As more shots came, Zira yelled out. She was correct; they were never going to make it. They would need to get somewhere to lay low.

"Hold on!" he shouted as he pulled out in front of another vehicle and turned in front of it into an alleyway. The vehicle spun out and clipped the back of the bike. Jackie only narrowly recovered at moved down the alleyway. The crash would buy them only a few seconds.

He ditched the bike and started jogging down the alleyway. He didn't have time to be choosey for hiding spots. He tested one door, and it was locked, but the next pushed open. "In here," he whispered as they stepped into the abandoned apartment building.

He started climbing the stairs, hoping to go up a few flights before hiding. "You know how to fight?" he whispered to the girl as they rounded the next flight of stairs. He wasn't hopeful; it didn't make sense to train your slave how to fight.

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

Zira didn’t get the memo that he planned a crash as a diversion. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, fully expecting a terrible end. They spun out and the bike came to a halt. Her ears were ringing, and she felt dazed. However, the Chiss was already up and moving, and she stumbled along behind him.

The abandoned apartment building offered a temporary hiding spot. Thankfully, she was light on her feet and nimble and kept up easily enough. When he paused to ask if she could fight, she was taken aback, “I know how to dance and fuck,” She replied honestly. She hadn’t been trained for much else. The thought of being taught to fight sounded absurd.

She could hear voices outside and she shoved him to move faster. Zira arrived at a door and reached up into her hair to draw out a pin. She crouched down and quickly began to work on the lock. It was an old fashioned one and that worked great for what she could do. After a moment, there was a resounding click and she was able to open the door and gently close it behind her after dragging him inside.

The inside of the apartment was furnished and clearly hadn’t been used in a while. For now, Zira remained quiet, doubting that their pursuers would bother with opening up every door.

–​

“Dad, she died in a crash,” He reported back to his father. He and his henchmen by where the bike went down. Of course, none of them found the bodies, but he just plain didn’t want to keep chasing. He only hoped his old man would believe the story and get off his ass, “What do you mean? There are a gazillion Zygerrian whores out there we can pick up,” He said angrily as he rolled his eyes and motioned for his men to do a courtesy sweep of the nearby buildings.

 

[Jackie O]

Jackie sighed.

"Of course you do," he said with more disappointment than anyone else should have when hearing those words. He went up one more flight of stairs and moved down the dark hallway before stepping into an abandoned apartment, praying they wouldn't stumble upon some spiced-out idiot. His head throbbed. He probably had a concussion or some shit. "I should have called out sick today." he said, quickly scanning the apartment.

"Sit over there." he pointed to the far wall as he held an ear up to the door, listening for anything. Nothing for now. He let himself slide down the wall by the door. "Shit. shit. shit." he murmured. He pulled out his comm. He typed "yo tigz...u good?" before hitting send. Tigz was one of the other guards who had gotten him the job. Back in the club, Tigz phone would vibrate on the floor next to Tigz's corpse.

–​

"Is that right?" the gang leader asked, raising an eyebrow before throwing a fist at the kid's face sending his son crashing to the floor. "Then explain this!!" he hauled him to his feet and pointed to a data screen that showed Zira's location. The gang leader had found it in the office. Most people tracked their expensive slaves in case they happened to wander off.

"You take your dumbass friends and you go find that girl or I'll glue fucking cat ears on you and sell you!" he spat, fury in his voice. "You got that?!" he screamed. His son nodded, which only angered the gang leader further. "ANSWER ME! YOU. GOT. THAT?!" he yelled, veins bulging. "Y..yes sir." his son answered weakly.

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

Zira did as she was told, sitting down where he directed. She quietly observed him, her brows furrowed, “Why are they chasing us this hard?” She asked. Her Master must have been the target and he was still back at the cantina. And the Chiss was just hired muscle. Why were they pressing this so much? She looked around, absentmindedly scratching near her neck. Her claw brushed against the collar and her eyes suddenly widened.

“This collar can be tracked!” She called out suddenly, standing up.

“You should leave,” Zira said, “They most likely just want to take me back to my master.”

The logic would likely floor him, but she had only own life as a piece of property and nothing more. Her life had always been relinquished to someone else. She could only hope any death would be painless if it came, but she couldn’t fathom being in any control of her destiny. The thought of taking the collar off didn’t even cross her mind.

Meanwhile, the son was now making his way up the stairs, fired up by being embarrassed in front of his men. He was going to torture that stupid bitch when he found her and would ensure none of her injuries were visible. He made that promise to himself.

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

He texted person after person and got no response. They were probably all dead. His head continued to throb. Moments passed; maybe it was longer. "What?" he asked, confused when she finally spoke. Each of her words sent another spike through his head. "I don't fucking know," he answered. "You're worth a lot of credits, I guess," he said absently.

"...and you're just telling me now?!" he said, raising his voice but wincing at the loud noise. He grew quiet with her following words. He could leave. These thugs didn't give a shit about him, didn't know who he was. He was in a lot of trouble money-wise, but he would figure something out. What was the play here? There was a deep part of himself that hated he grabbed the door handle. "She will be fine!" he thought, trying to convince himself.

Yeah! He was out. He opened the door and saw the lights coming up the stairs. He closed the door again. "Shit..shit..shit.." he repeated. Looking around the room. There were no windows and nowhere to go.

"Hey, we aren't going to hurt you." someone called out from the hallway. Just before they opened the door, he ducked into a closet. Zira was still sitting on the floor. Jackie tried to hold his breath. The gang leader's son had brought only one other person, his best friend. If he was going to rough this girl up, he didn't need anyone running their mouth to his dad.

"Big mistake running away..." he said, stepping into the room and seeing her alone. Confident the lackey from the club had ditched her long ago, because who wouldn't?

His promises earlier fled as rage filled his eyes. "Hey Bruce, maybe we found her dead, cut up by junkies," he said, pulling a knife from his belt. His friend laughed. "Ain't that a shame," his friend added, pulling his own knife.

Jackie closed his eyes. He had planned on letting them take her, but he couldn't just listen to them murder her and do gods know what else. Could he? Sure, he could. Fear gripped him as sweat rolled down his neck.

She was just a slave....just like he was.

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

Zira nodded as the Chiss walked away, only to pop back in and jump into a closet. She eyed him curiously, but otherwise turned to the door as the two goons walked in. She heard them muse aloud and looked at them.

“My value is far higher if I am unharmed,” She said as she smiled at the two, “If you’ve spent this much effort chasing me, wouldn’t you rather get a cut of the money from selling me?”

Zira walked towards them, “And I can throw in a good time for you..” She said in a sultry tone, her gaze flicking between the two men, “Both of you.”

“Shut up bitch!” The son slapped her across the face, sending her tumbling to the ground. Bruce grunted and placed a hand on his buddy’s shoulder.

“What if she has a point? You know the boss is gunna get pissed at us for not bringing her back alive. We just have our way before handing her back, and everybody wins.”

There was a bit of back and forth squabbling going on between the two men. At that point Zira realized her lip was bleeding, and it was the first time she felt a surge of anger. Her face was damaged and her work was compromised. Her punishment never happened to her face, because it meant a loss of profit. The rage built up and she grasped a nearby lamp, hurtling it directly at the son’s head. It was a surprisingly solid hit, slamming into his head and dazing him.

“What the hell!?” The man cried out, “GET HER!”

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

Maybe she was going to talk her way out of this. He peeked through a crack in the door, seeing the exchange. They had slapped her, but it looked like they were leaning towards bringing her in alive. This was good. Jackie's conscious, weak as it was, would let him live with this.

It was all going to work out.

Then he saw her reach for the lamp. "Ohhh shit." he mouthed as she hurled at the guy's head. It hit him square in the face, sending him sprawling. She was going to get killed for sure. He wasn't really sure what prompted him to move, but he found himself running out of the room towards his friend.

He had a blaster leveled at her. Jackie hit the guy's arm at the last second, causing the blaster shot to scorch the wall next to Zira's head. They struggled for the blaster. Jackie took a punch, sending lights dancing across his vision. At some point in the scuffle, the blaster had been knocked away. As Jackie got knocked to the floor, his hand landed on the guy's knife. Grabbing it, he stabbed the friend's leg. He cried out in pain as he started bleeding out.

Jackie went to push himself up but was knocked over by the first guy, his face dripping blood from the lamp wound. He landed on top of Jackie, pinning his hand. He started to choke the Chiss. Jackie kicked, but the other guy was bigger. His vision blackened around the edges as his struggle started to weaken..

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

Everything was a blur and she was barely aware of the Chiss barging back into the room. She had her back against a wall, watching in horror. The second guy was in too much pain to move from the stab wound and the son was choking out the Chiss. As he was already blue, the Chriss was beginning to turn a shade of purple. She looked around and thought of making a break for it, but it involved passing by the others.

Her gaze landed on the blaster that was just out of reach of Bruce. Zira quickly grabbed it, her hands trembling. She had seen them used enough to know how they worked, but it still made her shake. Bruce was starting to move again and she leveled and fired a shot, putting one through the son’s head. Bruce began to yell and she shot him, missed, shot again and hit him in the chest. Both were suddenly lumps on the ground, a steady pool of blood growing between them.

Zira stood there in shock, the blaster falling from her hands. She collapsed to the ground, hugging her knees and trembling.

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

His mind drifted, no longer feeling pain. Suddenly there was a flash and loud noise as Zira fired several shots. He coughed, not coming back to full awareness until both bodies lay dead on the floor. He looked over next to where his head had been, a scorch mark on the ground. "Fucckkkk," he said, pushing himself up.

He picked up the blaster as Zira slumped to the floor. He surveyed the room, the son's comm going off before he could say anything else. "Hey kid, what's going on? You get the girl?" the gang leader asked. "The kid and his asshole friend are dead, and if you send anyone else, they will end up the same way," he said, trying to put every ounce of confidence into the words.

The comm was silent for a handful of seconds before the gang leader replied. "Look, I don't know who you are. We just want the girl. Bring her to us. We are paying big credits for her." he offered.

Jackie tossed the comm on the floor.

"Assholes..." he murmured.

Jackie ran a hand through his jet-black hair, thinking to himself before turning back to Zira. "Look, you probably aren't ready to make these decisions, but you're gonna make em' anyway. I'll take you back. If they want you this bad, they are going to kill you. You can continue whatever life you have now." he said. "Or...." he continued pausing.

"We figure out how to get the collar off, and you do whatever the hell you want. It fuckin' sucks out here in the real world, but I speak from experience, its a hell of a lot better than being a slave," he said.

She would hear the words, probably for the first time in her life.

"What do you want to do?"

@Sreeya

 

[Zira Suvan]

“I uh…” She looked entirely unsure. She had been a slave her entire life. She couldn’t make such a call on a whim, “Th-They won’t kill me. They wouldn’t pay money just to kill me. I’m worth nothing dead, but alive I can make a lot of money for my Master.”

She managed a smile for him, “You’re a good guy,” Zira reached out a hand and cupped his face, “And pretty cute too,” She gave him a wink.

She looked back towards the door, drawing her hand back, “Take me back,” Zira said, “I don’t think I’d survive out there otherwise.”

@Raydo

 

[Jackie O]

He stood confused as she spoke. It seemed an easy choice, but she didn't sounds excited. When she touched his face, he had never felt a more hallow gesture. He pulled away, red eyes staring back at her.

Jackie had grown up a slave. He had thought of freedom in the mines every second of every day. Nothing was going to stop him from it. Now, he looked down at the Zygerrian woman with a blank expression. She was choosing slavery. The concept seemed unthinkable.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" he spat, waiting for her to say otherwise, but she wasn't. "I stuck my neck out for you..." he added. Jackie had almost died for her chance at freedom.

He stood stunned for a couple of extra seconds, "Here..." he said, tossing her the comm. "Say I killed these guys, and then you were able to fight me off. They will come to get you," he said. He wasn't about to stick his neck out anymore because, unlike her, they certainly would have no qualms about killing him.

Jackie walked towards the door, turning back one last time as he lit a cigarette and shook his head before walking out the door.

"Good luck, doll," he said. He didn't know her name; there wasn't a point to.

@Sreeya