Ask Nar Shaddaa Stealth and Secrets

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled as relief flooded her body- maybe this wouldn't be so hard. She unhooked the rifle and held it loosely in her hands, finger resting on the trigger. She left her ship behind, and strutted towards the fighting pit with confidence. She had mastered this walk- the way her hips swayed, the way she tilted her head down but looked up, and the way she casually held her rifle but was ready to shoot at a moment's notice. She reached the door and banged on it with the butt of her rifle. A slot was opened and a robotic eye stuck out, looking them up and down. "Got a new prisoner," she said, grabbing Kat's cuffs and jerking the girl forward. The robotic eye blinked, and disappeared back into the door, the slot closing. With a resounding boom, the door slid open. The hall was empty, but Lore could hear the shouts of a fight happening upstairs. She gave a salute to one of the officers that peeked their head out of a room along the hall. He eyed Kat and his eyebrows went up at her size and obvious muscles. He saluted back and disappeared again.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

It wasn't hard for Kat to act as a slave, nor was it hard to act like a 'prisoner.' Much of her life had flitted between those two positions at some point or another, whether for labor or transport. She glared at the guard with all her malevolence, squaring her shoulders and standing tall.

She didn't have to fake being angry at Lore. She didn't appreciate being put in this position without knowing the entire plan but considering everyone she had seen on this planet was shorter than her; she wasn't worried. She could fight her way out. At least, that's what she told herself. The door at the end of the hall had a two-tone light, currently glowing with a dull red. It flashed green a moment later, and a scratchy intercom sounded from the guard's room. "Follow the path upstairs; no funny business."

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore acknowledged the voice over the intercom with a nod, before pushing through the doors. She walked up the stairs, her boots echoing in the silence. They reached another door, and behind this one Lore could hear the shouts of a fight. She turned to Kat. "Here's what you do- look for a human girl about your age with dark brown hair and green eyes; this is the person we need to get out of here. She is most likely in line to fight next; so do whatever you need to get her out of here. I will drop you off with the prisoners, and someone over there will remove your cuffs. I will be sitting with the crowd. Signal me and we can get out of here with the target," Lore paused. "It would be even better if we freed everyone in here; make it look like a prison revolt rather than a targeted kidnapping," she said. She had done a lot of things similar to this that slightly changed the missions she had been given to help people whenever and however she could. Yes, she was involved with not-so-great people and their not-so-great business, but that didn't mean she couldn't have her own moral code, and do things her own way. "If you need to mention me at all, use my alias- Black Moon." she finished.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat let herself be led and nodded along as Lore talked. Brown-haired girl, green eyes, and around Kat's age. How hard could it be to find a young girl forced to work for the amusement of sleazy criminals in a place like this? It was very hard, as it turned out. Girls flitted about, bringing drinks to rowdy patrons, others sat on laps, and others worked a small bar.

Ruthless folk clamored loudly at a cage where two figures were fighting—a Twi-lek man in dancer garb and a porcine Gamorean. Kat didn't need to see the fight to know the outcome as she trailed on behind Lore. They stopped by a lazy-looking fellow smoking a cigarra, "Yeah? The hell do you want?" The guard said, leaning against the door that apparently led to the prisoner's area.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore walked through the fighting pit, making sure to make eye contact with anyone who looked at her wrong. Her finger tightened over the trigger. When she reached the guard in front of the prisoner's space, she clicked the safety on her rifle off, making sure he heard. "Got a new prisoner for you," she said, pulling down her hood.

The guard turned his bored gaze to Kat, looking her up and down. The girl's muscles were hard to miss. He turned back to Lore. "You found a good one, Moon," he said, standing up. He fiddled in his pockets for his keycard. "You sure you don't want to fight today? The normals like a good fight, and it's harder to find people," he said, scanning the card and unlocking the door.

Lore glared at him. "No, your filthy pit isn't worth my time," she said, her voice laced with disgust and contempt.

"Suit yourself, pretty-face," he said, shrugging, holding the door open. Lore jabbed him in the gut with the barrel of her rifle, then gave Kat a push in the small of her back.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat glared balefully at anyone and everything except Lore; whenever her gaze swept over the other woman, she adopted an appropriately subservient look. She let herself be led around, observing who was dangerous and who wasn't. If real trouble broke out, most of the people here would probably try and run. The only figures of fighting trim were the guards and maybe one or two of the patrons, but Kat was confident they wouldn't be a problem if she managed to get a hold of them.

The 'prisoner's area' was dingy and ill-maintained. The fluorescent lighting flickered, and if she didn't know any better, a layer of scum would stick like a film to the walls. Quickly, they came across the holding area. It was sparse, but other figures kept to themselves, watching Kat and Lore approach warily.

Kat crossed the threshold and spun to face Lore. She gave her a look that said, 'please, hurry this up for the love of everything.' Before sticking her hands out, waiting for her cuffs to be unlocked. If she was going to fight, she wasn't going in handicapped, and none of the others here were wearing bindings either.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore walked over the threshold and then turned to Kat. She pressed a button on the cuffs and they unlocked. Lore caught them before they fell to the floor, and gestured with her head towards the other prisoners. "Give 'em hell," she said, raising an eyebrow before turning and walking out, the door sliding shut behind her. She slugged the guard on her way out, punching him in the gut for staring at her ass. Some of the regulars snickered, but paid no other attention.

Lore walked up into the seating area where the patrons were watching the new fight eagerly. She scanned the heads of everyone in the room, looking for the girl that fit the description, hoping Kat was doing the same.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat nodded, sparing a grin. She massaged her wrists even though they didn't hurt, considering the small amount of time she was wearing them. It was good to keep up appearances, at the very least. Shew watched Lore walk out, pretending to glare before spinning around and studying the room's inhabitants.

She was bigger than all of them, that was for sure. They watched her warily, but none looked her in the eyes. That would make it harder to identify who she was looking for, but such was life. Most people in the room were women, but there were one or two aliens that she couldn't identify.

She couldn't see anyone close to her age, so instead, she started prowling the room, studying all the cracks and rust on the walls. The walls were old, either constructed a long time ago or replaced with subpar materials. She had to scoff as she studied the building. She could build a better place than this in her sleep! And it would have proper lighting! There wasn't a window in sight; it really messed with the room's energy.

Still, if it came down to it, she was confident she could either break a wall or give the rusty door a few solid boots, and she would be out. Maybe the girl is already fighting? Kat couldn't find her here, so the only place to find her would be out on the other side.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore scanned the crowd from where she sat, her mask hiding most of her face. While Kat was with the prisoners, she would do her own work. She leaned over to an alien patron. "You know of Anya Preid?" she whispered conspiratorially. The alien looked at her. He was a Trandoshan and he stunk, but Lore raised a provocative eyebrow at him. "I've heard she has a pretty face but can't fight to save her life," she said, hoping she was assuming right. She must have been because the Trandoshan gave her a toothy grin.

"Yeah," he grunted. "She fights next. Owner said to get her to fight better, if she loses, highest payer gets to spend the night with her," he continued, looking disgustingly happy. It took all of Lore's strength not to reach out and snap the Trandoshan's neck. Instead, she forced out a laugh, turning back to the fight. Her guts froze when the Trandoshan placed a clawed hand on her thigh. "Will you be fightin' tonight, doll?" he said in what he must've thought was a charming voice.

Lore whipped around, grabbing the Trandoshan's face with her hand, squeezing his cheeks and forcing his jaw to jut out at a strange angle. "Lay your filthy hand on me again and I'll cut off both your hands and then your most favorite part of your body," she growled, shoving his head away and standing up. She walked away from the alien, and sat down again closer to the fight, right as it ended with a splatter of blood that got on the first row. Lore wiped blood out of her eye.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat paced the room twice more before taking a seat on the rusty benches that looked like they had been scavenged from some police holding cell. Unlike the other women, she kept her head up, watching every movement, at ease with her surroundings. She leaned back against the wall and pulled a boot up onto the bench, putting her arm over her knee. It would be easy to act like the other women in this room, hiding and being defeated. Kat couldn't claim to know their histories, but she knew her own. She would never go back to living like this. She has tasted freedom, and you would have to kill her to take her spirit away from her again.

There wasn't much to do but wait, so Kat spoke to the room. "I'm looking for a girl my age, with green eyes and brown hair. When I find her, we're getting out of here. Anyone who wants to hitch a ride can come with." Subtlety was not her strong suit, but her position near the door should prevent anyone from trying to gain favor with the guards by yelling for them.

A woman took a long smoke of... something. Kat didn't know what the tiny little white thing in her mouth was. She was perhaps in her forties, and her skin was tanned and leathery. She was thin, all muscle. "Some of us want to be here, kid." She said casually.

Kat looked around skeptically. "I could build a better fighting ring in my sleep. This place is run by untrained unprofessional losers. Stick with me, and we can get to someplace that's at least better than this." Kat said.

The much younger woman next to the smoker looked amused. She glanced at the other woman, who glanced at her before they both huffed a laugh. "Sure, kid. Why not? It's been a bad night anyway." The woman said, and Kat grinned.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore straightened when a teenage girl was shoved into the fighting pit. She fell forwards onto her knees but quickly got up, running back the way she had come and bang at the bars of the cage enclosing her in. The patrons sitting close to her chuckled at her panic. She whipped around, pressing her back to the bars behind her, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was dressed scantily, in an outfit similar to Kat's: a cropped top and very short shorts. Her feet were bare and she had vambraces around her forearms that were mainly decorative. Her dirty brown hair framed her face in tangles and her green eyes were alight with fear.

Her opponent was released into the pit, and he was a nasty looking Gamorrean, an axe swinging in his left hand. Lore tilted her head, considering the situation, trying to figure out a way to get this poor girl out of here. The girl pulled out a dagger, short enough that if she was anything but an expert at using it, she would die in this pit. A plan formed and as the fight started and the crowd got to their feet and roared, Lore's eyes darted back and forth as the girl dodged every attack the Gamorrean threw at her. Given, he was clumsy, but the girl was also surprisingly agile and managed to nick the pig's thick skin. The crowd went wild and Lore took her chance.

Suddenly, there were shouts of confusion as the Gamorrean fell backwards, a knife in his fleshy gut. The girl quickly hid her knife. Lore smiled bitterly. It was a good thing she was smart. Others in the crowd started screaming prices at the owner of the pit, who was sitting in a chair above everyone else. He surveyed the screaming mass disdainfully, a look of gleeful greed upon his face.

Lore stepped to the front of the crowd, staring the owner dead in the eyes. "One million credits," she shouted, raising a hand. The owner looked ready to fall over at the large number, his greedy eyes widening in delight. He pointed at her. "Give the girl to her!!" he exclaimed. Everyone else grumbled and fell back, glaring at her. The owner directed guards to drag the still shaking girl out of the cage. They threw her at Lore, and she caught the girl under her arm. The girl looked up at Lore with such fear in her face Lore's heart ached. She knew she looked menacing with her mask still on, but there was nothing she could do to reassure the poor thing until they were out of this nasty place.

She tossed the bag of credits to the owner who caught them and counted them with joy. Lore pulled the girl, Anya, as gently as she could towards the locked door where the other prisoners waited behind. Another plan formed as she noticed the guard from earlier still there. He eyed her and Anya. "So you're that kind of girl," he said, glancing back to Anya. Lore unstrapped her rifle and aimed at his chest. When the shot went off people shouted and turned to see what the commotion was. Lore hoped Kat could hear her, and would take the gunshot as the signal to get the hell out of here.

Other guards turned towards her but when she restrapped her rifle, and smirked at them from behind her mask, they looked a their fellow guard, his chest still smoking and laughed. Credits exchanged hands. The pit was still so chaotic from after the fight that Lore was hopeful as she led the girl out of the pit and into the now dark streets of Nar Shaddaa. She took the girl deeper into an alleyway and pulled off her mask, tucking it in her belt. It was up to Kat now.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat was chatting with the two women, and though they didn't want to look like they were, the other less social people in the holding cell were listening intently as well. The younger mercenary gently slapped the older woman on the arm, pointing behind Kat.

Kat didn't look immediately, because she wasn't an idiot and didn't want to get rushed by two killers, but watching their widening eyes, she eventually turned to look as well. A small viewing screen had been set up, in an adjacent guard post, and a window let Kat see about half of the screen.

"That looks like your girl," the smoker said, flinching as a hulking green creature lumbered in and out of shot. She huffed in resignation. "Fight's bloody rigged!" She was obviously not surprised but was certainly disappointed.

Kat sighed and stood up. "Alright ladies, seems like we've got to stage an intervention before she gets herself killed-" Kat started before voluminous roars sounded from outside the room. She huffed at the interruption, "Everyone up, we're getting out of here!' She barked.

"Why should we listen to you?" The younger mercenary asked though she didn't seem particularly against the idea.

*BLAM* Went a blaster bolt.

"I've got an inkling that if we stick around most of us are going to end up dead, stuck in this cell, like fish in a barrel. I've got a friend out there we need to meet up with, she'll know what's going on better than I." Kat said and promptly kicked at the rusty door. It held on the first boot, and the second, and the third. Only on the fifth did it go swinging open with a crash. The women looked at Kat oddly, but shrugged, waiting to follow her lead.

Kat ran out and spotted the slumped-over body of the guard, only to come face to face with a particularly frightened-looking man. "Guards! The fighters-" Was all he got out before Kat punched him in the throat. She didn't care to rip the knife from his belt, instead focusing on finding the next man who looked vaguely threatening.

She dodged a blaster shot and ran into the fray with a roar, shoving people aside, letting her catch a fleeting glimpse of Lore as she made her exit. Kat growled, because she could have at least unlocked the door, and gestured for the now fighting fighters to follow after her as she sprinted to her tentative friend.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore heard footsteps behind her and slapped her mask back on her face, whipping around, rifle held at the ready. She let her grip on the gun relax when she realized it was just Kat. "Did you get everyone out that wanted to come?" she said. Anya pressed herself to the wall in the alleyway, wrapping thin arms around her exposed gut. Lore knew the only reasons the girl hadn't tried to fight back were that she was too scared, and knew Lore had saved her ass in the fight.

There were the sounds of more people coming up behind Kat, and Lore scanned them all. She noticed one of them was a middle aged human woman with tan, leathery skin and a smile on her face.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

"Damn good scrap there, kids." The tan woman said with a lazy grin. Kat laughed along with some of the other escapees. She watched anxiously for the others to trickle by, though it didn't look like everyone had followed them out. Her concern must have shown on her face as the younger woman Kat was starting to think was the smoker's daughter clapped her on the shoulder.

"They'll figure it out for themselves; what's done is done." She said grimly. "I'm Ursa," she continued, introducing herself.

"Kat!" Kat exclaimed, looking for Lore amongst the ally's. She reeled as a rifle was shoved into her face, but the face behind the gun ended up being her new friend. Kat listened intently and nodded. "As many as could come have done so, the rest will have to find their own ways," Kat said, "Where to next, boss?"

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore lowered her rifle, and strapped it to her back again. "My job here is done," she said. "Unless you want to come, I'm going to take Anya back to my client and get paid. You can get part if you want it," she added, looking up at the tall girl. She was glad to have run into Kat, and hoped the girl felt the same. "I am sorry about the cuffs, but it all worked out in the end," she continued, crossing her arms loosely over her chest.

@Shax

 

[Katherine Stargazer]

Kat smiled at her new friend, "Water under the bridge!" She exclaimed because everything worked out in the end. She still didn't like the handcuffs, but as far as Kat was concerned it was in the past. "I'd love to join you! I've always wanted to travel," She said with a smile, before turning to the ladies she had led out.

"Is there any way I can get in contact with you lot?" She asked.

Ursa laughed and rattled off a communications number. Most would have a hard time memorizing individual codes without writing them down, but Kat's life had taught her the value of quick memorization. They said their goodbyes and scattered quickly, letting Kat turn back to Lore. "Ready when you are!" She said happily.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Lore Togrud]

Lore smiled. The girl's excitement was infectious. She walked back over to the girl and squatted in front of her, whispering reassuring words and giving her a comforting smile. Anya's muscles relaxed a little, and she finally passed out, her limbs going limp. Lore scooped her up and carried her back over to the group. She gave the other women a nod and a faint smile before leading the way back to her ship. She situated Anya on a pull out cot in the common room, pulling a blanket over her. She went to the cockpit and prepared to take off. They would have to make a stop at Coruscant to drop Anya off and collect payment. From there, Lore supposed they would go to whatever planet Kat wanted. Lore had promised, after all.

@Shax

//END THREAD//