Ask Keeping up Appearances

[Celeste Stythani]

The bountyhunter impressively dealt with the remaining thugs and Celeste allowed herself a slight breath of relieve, but once the air left her lungs, she immediately regretted it. She tried to hide her upcoming emotions as best as possible but it was definitely a disadvantage that she wasn't the one wearing the visor.

It was not only the ripples in the Force that told her about the looming danger, but it was also the faint roaring of engines in the distance that made the pit of her stomach stir. She was still trying to hide that uneasiness, but when she looked back at Null, there was some definite concern in her features. "Yes, we need to hurry" she gasped a little breathlessly, slightly exhausted from the previous combat, but it seemed like they had to start right away.

Engines were no good sign. Whoever was coming, this had to be planned. She was certain that the approaching engines were a definite sign of reinforcement and it was most likely that they had to outrun now. She could sense that the bountyhunter was already on edge as well, but they had no choice.

Fleeing was normally nothing she would do deliberately, but it just felt like they were already caught in a very precarious situation. "Run" she instructed him curtly, nodding into the direction of a little opening in the canyon, but as soon as she turned her head, she could see several metal ropes dropping down from the cliffs edges and not a second later more men appeared on the apparent descenders. They all had their blasters ready and more and more faces popped up on the cliffs, pointing readied snipers directly at them.

That was bad. Very bad even. Her thoughts were spinning and she was going through several possibilities in her mind, but the first thugs of the new wave had already set foot on the ground and so it was definitely too late for running. "This won't be pretty" she growled fiercely, her spirit still unrelenting. They wouldn't kill them. And neither would she let them take the bountyhunter and herself.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Tch!" Null clenched his teeth and spun around on his heels to take in the rest of the developing situation around them. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he realized they'd already been surrounded by overwhelming forces on all sides. Sometimes it was better to surrender than fight, and though this was beginning to look like one of those situations, the boy had never actually been captured before.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." A timid gulp came from the bounty hunter as his persona began to break down further. He wasn't sure what to expect if these people got their hands on him and Celeste, but it was likely that if they continued to resist then one of them might get seriously injured, or worse. Then again something could happen like that if they were helpless in the enemy's clutches.

Null hesitated, and struggled with indecision as he tried to hold back his natural instincts to fight. He was nearly back to back with the senator as he turned his chin toward her and spoke under his breath with a hint of fear. "What will they do to us if we play along for now, and appear to submit?"


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Her heartbeat accelerated involuntarily as she began to realize that this ambush was definitely bigger and more planned through as it has seemed before. One specific word couldn't leave her mind. Betrayal. She was so certain that there must have been a mole and this whole thing was all set up because some information had seeped through. And she would kill every last one of those that were responsible for that, once this was over.

She could feel the bountyhunter's growing nervousity and that's why she tried to be the one keeping her cool, still keeping up her appearance, but the fassade started to crumble as more and more engines roared, gradually coming closer. She could clearly hear them coming from all directions and she knew that they had no chance to escape now anyway.

Fleeing was no option. It's never been an option anyway. She swallowed down the rage that was slowly starting to boil up again while she looked around, considering his remark. "I don't know" she lied, her voice growing a little desperate. She knew. Or at least she could think of a few horrible things they would do to them, as she knew the Rattataki people and she had also heard lots of stories about their target. Surrender was not an option for the Rattataki. They might not kill them, but they already knew that this was not an assassination anyway. The warlord wanted to capture them and this was possibly worse.

"But do we still have a choice?" she then added, her voice slightly sarcastic. Now they were extremely outnumbered and there was no way they could deal with all of the reinforcement at once. Reluctantly, she lowered her blaster and let out a huge, desperate sigh. They didn't have much time for a discussion, but there was one last thing she had up her sleeve. "I feel like we don't. But let's play along for now. I've still got a surprise for them, so wait for my signal".

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Null tightened his grip on his weapons. His muscles tensed as random images of beatings and torture passed through his mind, something he had little experience enduring. He wasn't sure exactly what would come of this, and suddenly felt the urge to summon his ship for cover fire and a quick escape.

The uncertain boy hesitated. He couldn't just leave Celeste alone, especially when he felt there was a possibility that he could save her, redeem her from the nonsense that was the dark side of the Force and any brainwashing that she might've received from the misguided Sith cult.

But he hadn't been able to accomplish such a thing ever before, even though it was the one thing he wanted to do most. To redeem the skewed Sith, as he'd learned had been done with Ben Solo and even Anakin Skywalker.

"Hm." The bounty hunter gave a solid nod and grunt to the senator, the only person he felt he could rely on at the moment. They were already heavily outnumbered, and he'd already used one of his best tools to balance those odds, but if she still wanted to make one last stand then he was going to have to trust her, and follow her command.


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste was very on edge, but she tried to suppress it as best as she could, trying not to reflect anything onto the outside. She looked around, her gaze growing darker and much more serious while she was realizing that they were basically screwed. She gritted her teeth but let the blaster fall to the ground. The backpack was still on her shoulder though and it was her plan to use it as soon as the apparent leader of this ambush would show himself.

More and more engines came audibly closer and while the tension was rising uncontrollably, it didn't take much longer until the first vehicles came into sight. Now she let out a frustrated sigh while she tried to control her wrath. She knew she had to keep her cool or else her little plan wouldn't work. Internally, she kept telling herself to wait for the right moment and be patient, but her instincts told her to start her surprise attack now. In the end, however, she managed to wait until the six loudly roaring engines came to a halt just few feet away and now she was only hoping that the one behind this ambush would show his face.

The speeders' doors hissed open almost fully in sync while a dozen of additional thugs revealed themselves. They were so strongly outnumbered that Celeste began to doubt that her attempt would be successful, especially when she considered the numerous men above them, positioned at the cliffs' edges. Her heart was unrelentlessly pounding in her chest but her face wouldn't show any sign of intimidation or surrender yet.

"Oh would you look at that! Aren't you a tough one? You must be such a fearsome warlord if you need around fourty men to surround us two". Her voice was half icy, half sarcastic while she addressed the apparent leader confidently. The tall, broad shouldered man in the gold-plated armor was unmistakably their target. The man, they've actually wanted to assassinate. "Oh I've been told you were a feisty one", he answered with a smug, dirty grin and Celeste wanted to rip it off his face immediately. Patience, she told herself again, as this was not yet the time to strike. "Are you still trying to fight or can I assume you surrender?", he went on quite triumphantly.

With a short gestured for the man next to him and he immediately jumped back into the speeder, just to come out with two shock collars a second later. She swallowed hard, but her face remained the same. She was throwing him a deadly, feisty look but she knew she had to be persuasive now. Reluctantly, she nodded, quickly looking back at the bountyhunter before she slowly stepped forward. The warlord's ugly grin widened while she closed the distance between them, but just as the lackey with the collar stepped closer, she was close enough to strike him, and so she looked up with all the fire in her eyes and stretched out her hand to summon her lightsaber right into her hand. She would have immediately stabbed him right through the chest, but before the lightsaber even reached her hand, the massive man stepped forward swiftly, much faster than expected, brutally grabbing her wrist and pulling her close.

Her rage had gotten the best of her and she hadn't seen it coming. He spun her around so quickly that there was nothing she could do to stop him. He brought both of her arms to her own back before she could even try to break free, and then he was already pushing her downwards with immense pressure, so that she was forced on her knees. He fixated her arms on her back with just one hand while he apparently pulled out a knife that was soon on her throat, the cold metal blade pressing against her pulsing veins. She stared straight ahead, her eyes widened in horror, right at the bountyhunter because she knew that they had just lost their very last chance. His grip was so tight that she couldn't even move at all and the sudden surprise had left her speechless. She had underestimated him. And she had made a mistake back at the Cauldron, otherwise they wouldn't have been in this situation now...

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

'So the big boss man himself decided to come...' The young bounty hunter twitched his muscles as he tried to act in unison with Celeste, desperately eager to get out of the situation they were about to be trapped in. But it was no use. She had quickly been countered and overwhelmed before he could make much of a move, leaving him with little options as he watched their target put a blade to the senator's throat.

"Tch..." The wary boy growled hesitantly as he struggled to make the best decision he could in the moment. These men were all huge, most of them much larger than himself, and the distant snipers... It looked like the two of them weren't going to be able to fight them anymore. He wasn't about to take the chance that these men would kill her, even if it had seemed at first like the goons were only trying to capture the pair.

'Uh oh...' Null reluctantly eased his tense muscles, listless as he slowly released the grip on his blaster and vibroblade. He'd gotten too distracted with the idea of what might happen to them that he didn't even notice the large fist from his side that hooked around and slammed into his gut.

"GHH!!" He spat out as his upper body bent forward from the hard impact. He could feel the wind knocked out of him in an instant. He gasped for air until he felt the hand from another one of the men surrounding them grab the back of his head, which was swiftly followed by a foot to the back of his knee, forcing the boy to grunt and collapse to both knees.

The top half of Null's helmet and visor were yanked back, suddenly releasing his sleek jet-black hair. The boy's raven bangs swooped down longer than the sides and back to cover his eyes. He trembled as the men snickered and sneered, eyeing him up and down like he was nothing to them.

'No...' He thought he heard himself say. He wouldn't be able go stop them from pulling down the rest of his mask to reveal his identity. His cover would be blown, and he'd be exposed. Of course they would've removed it, he suddenly realized, he should've considered that before. He'd have to resort to using the Force, it was the only way to save them, and to keep his identity safe.

The bounty hunter felt a swelling tide rise around him as he altered the ebb and flow, then thrust his left hand out to the warlord, tightening the ethereal essence on the bulky man to lock him in place with Stasis.

But he should've gone for the men that flanked himself instead. His concentration was almost immediately shattered from the heavy boot to his back.

"Gahhh!!!" The boy cried out with his soft tenor voice as both of his arms were grabbed and yanked back from two of the larger men that flanked him. His chest lunged forward, his body arched nearly to its limit from the pressure being pulled at his arms and pushed against his back. It had taken three large warriors to restrain him, but now that they had, he wasn't going to be able to resist them any longer.

A whimper escaped through his clenched teeth as his lithe frame shook from the forces stretching him beyond what he could take. He tried to endure the pain from the way he was being contorted by his captors, but it was something like he'd never experienced before. Sweat trickled and gleamed down the edge of his face that he shyly tried to keep hidden from the curious thugs that had conquered him. His bright blues dimmed and peeked up through a crack in his bangs, then briefly trembled as he focused in on Celeste who was as helpless as him, if not worse.

His efforts to protect and save her would go in vain.
He hadn't known her for long, but he did know one thing.
He failed her...


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste was fuming, her eyes searching for the bountyhunter whose eyes were still hidden behind the visor. She was still trying to shake the warlord off, struggling vehemently in his strong grip, but before she could warn Null that he was being targeted, she witnessed that the bountyhunter was already assaulted. The thugs had closed in on him, one punching him right in the guts before they were already forcing him down on his knees and then busy removing the top part his helmet, revealing his sleek, dark black hair.

So there he was. At least she could see first parts of him..But admittedly, seeing through the mysterious man's cover was the least of her concerns right now. The warlord might have been in control of her body and he kept her from striking him with a lightsaber, but she still had the Force, but right when she was letting the darkness flood back in, something very peculiar happened: The inconspicious, yet secretive bountyhunter suddenly realized yet unknown powers himself by locking one of the thugs in a stasis. She slightly gasped in disbelief, completely startled by the sudden realization that she had apparently not been the only one hiding not only her alignment, but also guarding the secret of Force sensitivity.

She was so shook by this realization that she missed her chance to Force Push the huge, bulky man pinning her down away and so a second thug approached her quickly, snapping the shock collar right around her neck. "NO", she gasped desperately, but it was already too late as the first wave of electricity shot threw her body, causing her comparatively delicate silhouette to collapse and shake uncontrollably.

She gritted her teeth, trying to endure the pain as best as she could, but she couldn't believe that this was actually happening. They had not only been successfully ambushed, but also overthrown. The warlord, who had momentarily released her from his grip while she was being shocked, wasted no time in grabbing her again, pulling her up and forcing her back on her knees again while he was grabbing her chin with one hand, forcing her gaze back on the bountyhunter who was now also approached by the one thug with the shock collar. The man used the bountyhunter's current helplessness to snap the collar around his neck, ensuring that he would also be prevented from using the Force.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"...I'm sorry..." The trepid boy weakly let out as he watched the woman who hired him get overpowered and dominated while he was powerless to help her. He couldn't help but tremble as the shock collar came towards him. He struggled, but his quickly fading strength was nothing compared to the broad men that restrained him. He closed his eyes to try one last desperate attempt to focus, but the moment he did his arms were yanked back harder, and the boot against his upper back pressed further against him, stretching the boy beyond his limit.

"AHHH!!" He cried out, only to be collared a second later. He couldn't hold back his fearful gasp as the mechanism clicked and locked around his neck. "No -- please!" His persona was broken. All that was left was the mask covering the bottom half of his face, until he felt a thick finger wrap around the top of it, and rip it off.

Kyosuke Yamato let out a shocked whimper as his youthful and attractive features were exposed to the surrounding men, and Celeste. The look of failure and defeat on his face intensified as he dropped his gaze and hung his head, eager to hide his face and expression from all of them. The men chuckled among themselves. A couple of them even whistled suggestively at him, not that the innocent boy understood the implications. "...no..." A soft whine escaped the captured Jedi.

"Mmm!! My my!! Who would've known the senator would keep around such pretty company?!" Boisterous laughter ensued from the thugs after one of them grabbed the upper back of his hair and pulled his head back for everyone to get a good clear look at his cute face. Kyo grunted and whimpered as the men dominated his posture and controlled him.

"Ohhh! Looks like we got ourselves a new slave!" Another of the men growled, then snapped his teeth next to the boy like he wanted to take a bite out of their new catch.

"N-no...!" Kyo faintly squeaked in protest, but none of the men seemed to care.

"Silence, whelp! You're ours now!" The shock collar around Kyo's neck suddenly activated, sending painful jolts throughout his weakened body. The boy screamed loudly and collapsed to his hands once the men finally released him, barely still holding himself off the ground as he heavily panted and gasped for air. The laughter echoed around him. His mind began to numb and daze as everything became foggy around him.

There was nothing he could do.
There was nothing either of them could do.
Whatever it was this gang wanted from them, they'd have it.

"...no..."


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste was partly caught in shock, partly still wanting to fight against them all. But it didn't make any sense. They were outnumbered and this warlord had been way to organized to overthrow him here. Especially now that they were collared. They were not completely helpless and all she could do was watch while the bountyhunter was being tormented.

It had been he'd fault, hadn't it? Maybe she shouldn't have brought anyone with her. Maybe she shouldn't have hired someone to deal with these scumbags. And maybe she should never talk to anyone within the Cauldron anymore as someone had just been extremely disloyal and if she hated one thing, it was disloyalty.

She was contemplating whether she should shout anything to distract them and stop them from humiliating the boy, but she figured that this would just be a very bad idea as this would even put him more into this helpless, vulnerable, imposed submissive position. So she remained silent, still twisting and struggling in his unrelentlessly strong grip as she watched the bountyhunter - the light sided force user - getting mercilessly umasked.

Now she had seen it. Him. He wasn't so mysterious and secretive anymore. She had finally seen what was under this mask, but so did they and their comments weren't really promising. While she watched him getting humiliated and treated like that in horror, her body was still trembling and her strength was slowly starting to fade, but then she suddenly felt a warm breath against her ear and a shudder went down her spine immediately. "And you're mine now..." the warlord added against her ear, his voice filthy and deep."We'll see about that" she immediately snarled feistily, not thinking about possible consequences as she was just giving in to her enraged impulses. She expected to be shocked again, but instead, he just laughed in a smug, dirty manner and pulled her up to her feet. "Grab the pretty boy and let's get out of here" the gold-plated bastard barked while pushing here forward already, but this fight was far from over. Again, she tried something very stupid and thoughtless by trying to turn around and grab the remote control of the shock collars, but in her weakened state it was easy for him to quickly overpower her again. He had pressed the button before she could even touch him and so she went to the ground again, her body aching vehemently.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Tears began to bubble up at the corners of Kyo's eyes while Celeste was dominated and shocked in front of him. Regret and guilt filled his heart, forcing it to become heavy and cracked as it sank ever deeper into his chest. "Please stop... I'll do anything you want... Just let her go... Don't hurt her..."

"Anything, hmmm?" The large thug smirked as a low gutteral growl rumbled in his throat. He knelt down to the trembling boy who was still on his hands and knees. "We're already going to get everything we want from you. And besides, she's the one we came for. You're just a bonus prize."

"N-no..." Kyo whimpered, gulped, and hung his head in defeat. His muscles tensed and shook as he struggled to contain his frustration and desperation. The men around him laughed. One of them stomped his side, causing him to let out a weak grunt and nearly collapse. "Ghh..."

Another cry was forced out of him as another thug grabbed the back of his hair and pulled his upper body back once again. "You will r... release us--" The captive Jedi tried to summon the Force, to wave his hand and manipulate the mind of as many thugs as he could, but his concentration couldn't focus, and the moment he tried to conjure the ethereal essence the collar engaged once again to overpower his body with its powerful shocks. "AHHH---!!!"

"That's enough out of you!" His scream was suddenly cut short as a massive bulky hand wrapped around the bottom half of his face to cover the boy's mouth and keep him silent. The goon that had planted his boot into Kyo's back earlier then grabbed his arms and yanked them back hard, forcibly wrenching his hands together just above his squirming hips. Then a snap and click rang in his ears as a pair of stuncuffs locked around his wrists. Kyo's eyes went wide, his muffled gasp became a muffled whine, and the tears that had been building finally began to overflow and streak down his cheeks.

The men snickered and sneered with a twisted sense of delight. A moment later they tried to pull Kyo to his feet, but his reflexes kicked in and he struggled once again. His shoulders barely had a chance to shift before the hand that had been holding his face released, became a fist, and then slammed hard into the boy's core once more. "GAHHhh...." The wind was completely knocked out of him. Stars flickered at the corners of his vision.

"Struggle or speak again, and you'll both be punished." A serious and threatening tone came from the growling thug as he brought his clenched teeth just an inch away from the boy's face, causing him to whimper and slink back against the man behind him. Then the man gave a nod to one of the other goons and held his hand out to take a strip of black tape. "Don't let him speak, or he'll try to put a spell on you."

"N-no-- wai-mfff!!" The tape was tightened across his lips before Kyo could finish pleading with his captors, who seemed excited with the fact he had chosen to disobey them and speak again. An innocent and teary-eyed begging expression took over as Kyo looked up at the man, hoping beyond hope that there was still some chance that they'd be able to get out of this.

"So it's punishment then." The large man's sinister smile extended wide to reveal his crooked yellow teeth. Kyo tried to shake his head in innocent protest, but the grip on his hair tightened and he found himself unable to do anything but release a whimper of submission. The boy's bright blues trembled, then dimmed and listlessly faltered as his gaze sank to the ground along with the last of his spirit. "Good."

The fist pulled back far, tightened, and thrust forward once more, pounding into the already defeated Knight's gut even harder than before. A muffled cry escaped Kyo as his body folded to the massive fist and arm that struck him. Had he not been held by the man behind him, the boy would've collapsed.

"Let's not keep the boss waiting!" The thug grabbed the front of Kyo's collar with the hand he'd been assaulting him with, then yanked and pulled the boy out of the other goon's grasp. The Knight's legs were as weak as the rest of him, wanting to buckle and rest, nearly causing him to collapse had it not been for the tugging at his collar while the man dragged the helpless Kyo toward one of the shoddy looking speederbuses that most of the men had come from.

A moment later the gang was all loading back up into their vehicles. Kyo no longer had the strength or will to fight back. He could no longer keep up any appearance. The thug took one last look at his prize who had been throughly conquered, raven bangs covering his face as he hung his head over again. A triumphant growl came from the man as he brought his gnarled maw and thick warm breath against the boy's face once again. "Your punishment has only just begun, little slave."

A faint gasp and whimper came from Kyo as he looked up at his captor, tears dripping from the corners of his weary eyes once more. Everything swirled in his fading dizzy mind. He'd never be able to help redeem the senator. 'Celeste...' He'd never see his Padawan again. 'Asena...' He'd failed her too. He'd never see his family. Rin. Seela. The few people he'd grown close to over the cycles. He'd never get to see their smiles. To see how they grow and who they become. He'd failed them all...

It was all over...


The man stepped up into the back of the speederbus, pulled his prize up into it with him, and licked his lips as Kyo was tossed in between the hungry looking gang that surrounded him. He lay helpless. Broken and defeated. "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!!"

The men rallied and cheered, and then the door shut, and everything Kyo saw faded to black.


/exit thread/
@LadyRen @HoneyMagpie

 

[Celeste Stythani]

The warlord's hand was still buried in her hair, still yanking her back roughly while she was still forced to witness the horrible scenes in front of their eyes. The exposed bountyhunter was already defeated, but it didn't go unnoticed that he had still tried to mindtrick the bulky thug into releasing him.

A Jedi. How could she have ended up here with a Jedi? Why would a Jedi even disguise himself as a bountyhunter in the first place? Was he sent by the Order because they had grown suspicious? There were literally a thousand questions in her mind, but she knew that this wasn't the time to ask them. She couldn't even fully think straight as her rage was starting to eat her up from the inside. She had not only been betrayed by one of her own men, but she had also lost the fight against the gang.

How could she reach Kat? She could send enforcement as fast as possible, but it was very unlikely that she would get the chance to contact her friend at the Cauldron any time soon. She was extremely frustrated how this had taken its turns and she stated to sympathize with the boy. "Why do you need to lay your dirty fingers on him if it's just me you originally wanted?" she snarled feistily, but there was already a hint of exhaustion mixed with severe frustration in her voice. " They all said you were so clever. I can see that fire they've spoken about, but don't tell me it isn't obvious that we will enjoy your little friend as a sweet bonus", he whispered against her ear again and his hideous voice just sent another shiver down her spine.

She felt extremely bad for having him dragged in this situation but it seemed like there was literally nothing she could do about it, which made her even more furious. "Time to bring you back to your new home" she could hear him say before he was already forcing her to her feet. His grip was immensely strong and rough and she could already feel the bruises developing on her tender skin.

He barked some command to his men and while he pushed her forward, she would glance back another time just to see the Jedi being treated even worse. She wanted to tell him to stop fighting or that they would make it out of here unscathed, but she could neither bear to lie nor did she want to comfort him now, as this would only make him more vulnerable in their eyes. So she played along for now, but her flame was far from extinguished. She would keep it to herself for now though, as resistance didn't seem to be a good idea right now. As much as she hated it, she had to give up now. Even though she wasn't even close to the bountyhunter, she could feel his pain and his humiliation and it affected her immensely. She was still feeling terrible but she couldn't let them know and so she kept her fassade as icy as possible. The strength was fading but once they've reached the speeder, the warlord did another thing she hadn't expected at all. Without hesitation he grabbed her by the head again, brutally hitting her head against the cold metal of the vehicle, not giving her any chance to react. It all immediately faded to black while she completely lost her consciousness. That was it. They had been defeated and would probably soon find themselves in an extremely unpleasant position and Kat didn't even knew where Celeste was. No one would come looking for them and their fate was completely unknown.

@AdventCore

//Exit thread