Thick blackness enveloped her. She heard the distant echo of footsteps. Everything was cold and the air was frigid. She shivered. Azura tasted something metallic in her mouth, blood. The air was stale and recycled, but nauseatingly clean. She groaned as her senses and memories came back to her. Her arm was numb and tingly from being laid on. Slowly, she sat up. Azura massaged her limp arm, gently coaxing life back into it. She recalled the past events, analyzing them, searching for where she erred.
Her crystalline voice resonated in the air as she savored the delicious hum of harmony. She savored the sensations of singing, but Azura wished she weren't singing such melancholy junk. This particular song was about a girl who met a dashing, debonair pilot, who died during a pirate raid. Her sleek purple hair cascaded down her bare shoulders. Her little bright blue dress shimmered in the spotlight and complimented her blue skin.
She heard the door slide open with a mechanical 'whrr'. Two storm troopers marched into her cell. The cell was a dimly lit, small metal box. Her arms were fastened to the wall by chains. The troopers grabbed her and replaced her old bonds with new ones, a metal restrainer. She tried to pull her arms apart, testing her bonds. She was roughly yanked up by a clone.
Her smile was warm, but her bright yellow eyes lacked any twinkle of mirth. She let the last, perfect note die away and echo around the cantina. Their applause was slow and erratic, but she couldn't blame them. Most were just coming out of their drunken stupor. All eyes were on her, save those that were too intoxicated to see straight. She mingled with the crowd and accepted flattery with a smile. She fingered her silver necklace as she conversed with a bar patron. Azura resisted the urge to try and tear the necklace off of her. It was the only thing that stood between her and freedom. 'At least I'm contributing to the overall freedom,' she mused. An Imperial moff was in a corner with a few other moffs. They were chatting jovially and looked to be a little tipsy. Azura excused herself and wormed her way through the crowd, closer, and closer.
The trooper shoved her forward and she compliantly stumbled along, though it was a challenge in her sparkling silver stilettos. She was pushed through twisting steel corridors until they finally reached the lift. There was a bitter, sour taste in Azura's mouth. Her head ached and felt foggy. Probably the side effects of whatever they used on me. The two guards, clad in white, stood stoically on each side of her. She inhaled deeply, preparing herself for death.
She quietly crept closer to the group.
"And then I told him, 'No! You think the empire is some sort of daycare service?!'"
The other moffs laughed. Azura cleared her throat.
"Can I get you anything to drink, sirs?"
One of the young moffs smiled cheekily. "Weren't you that pretty singer?"
"Yes, I was."
"That song was beautiful… just like the singer."
The moffs scoffed and playfully elbowed him. Azura smiled gently.
"Thank you. So, none of you want to drink anything?"
"Eh, do you have any good Grog?" Piped up a wizened old man in the back.
"The best."
She gave him a smile before heading towards the bar. She poured a glass full of grog and returned to the table. The old man took a hearty swig of it before letting out a belch. The moffs all laughed.
"So, what're your tales? Have any stories for a bored slave?"
"Yep." Replied the young officer. "I was born on Corellia. Ya see, I was one out of six and that's why I was best for the operation-"
"Operation?"
"Yeah, orderin' troops around." The old moff cut in as he laughed dryly. He sharply elbowed the young officer.
Azura raised an eyebrow. 'I wonder what he really means by operation.' She continued chatting with them, trying to squeeze out what information she could. Finally, she decided to retire, seeing as she wasn't getting anywhere with the Imperial moffs. She left to her room in the back. Before undressing, she slipped a small comlink out of her drawer.
"This is Fizzy Claret, Spacer101, come in."
She heard a few seconds of static before a reply came in.
"This is Spacer101, I heard you lima and charlie. What do you have for a mission report?"
"Nothing. There's about six Imperial Moffs, all they mentioned was some operation. I wasn't able to get anything else out of them."
"Thank you, Claret. The others have been notified. Check back as soon as you get something."
"Understood." She replied before switching the comlink off.
A loud banging at the door made her jump.
The lift came to a slow stop and the doors parted, revealing a spacious seating area. A man in dark blue and silver Mandalorian armor was seated across from a very refined moff. The Mandalorian locked his gaze with hers, but it was impossible to see anything through his t-shaped visor.
"Open up!" Boomed a voice from the other side.
She jumped back and gaped at the door.
"I SAID OPEN UP!"
She could feel herself trembling. She flung the door open, revealing a squad of clone troopers. She fled down the hallway before they could react. One almost grabbed her as she raced by. She burst out of the building and ran down an alley. She could hear their boots pounding the ground behind her. The high heels pinched her feet. She nearly tripped, but caught herself. Azura rounded a corner into another alley. Suddenly, she tripped over a piece of garbage. She landed. Hard. Her head hurt, but she stumbled back up and continued running, only to be tackled by a clone. He held something near her mouth. After that, everything was a blur.
Even through his helmet, his gaze was piercing.
"This wasn't part of the agreement." He grumbled.
The moff smiled amiably. "Well then, consider it a bonus."
"No, I don't accept." He declared adamantly.
"You're not even going to look her over? You might find her pleasing."
"No!" He hissed.
Blast it, Azura thought as she put the pieces together.
"A'rexon, if you want to continue business with the empire, you might want to accept gifts when they come your way."
The bounty hunter fixed a cold glare on the moff. The moff stared back with his icy eyes.
"I. Said. No." He emphasized each word carefully.
The moff quirked an eyebrow. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a shame… You do understand that while you're here you're under my jurisdiction, don't you?"
The bounty hunter remained silent.
"You deal with forces outside of your comprehension level. All or nothing."
"Fine." He seethed.
The moff smiled stoically. "I knew you'd come to see sense. Give him the key and escort him back to his ship. A full payment awaits you in your account," he added.
The storm troopers hauled Azura to the ship and nearly threw her at the bounty hunter. The bounty hunter seized her arm and led her into the ship. She did a quick scan of her environment. There was a long hallway with three doors on each side, a door at the end, and the entrance she had just come from. He entered the first door on the left, dragging her behind him. The door led into a small hallway with three prison cells on each side. The gray prison cells were unfurnished and big enough for four people to lie down in.
"Wh-what do you plan on doing with me?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly.
She stared into the black abyss of his visor. She wondered if there were actually something living in there; something that could feel. She hoped there was.
"I have yet to decide," he replied coolly.
He gave her a last push and activated the laser shield. A wall of yellow plasma appeared, trapping her within the miniature room. He promptly left. Azura sighed. She waited five minutes. Nothing happened. Within the hour, she was tormented by fear and boredom. The longer she waited the more anxious she grew. She still sat in that cell, waiting. Waiting for what? She thought. Am I going to be kept here the rest of my life? Azura forced herself to close her eyes and remain still. She had no idea what amount of time had passed when she felt the ship tremble. Ever so faintly, she heard shouts and commotion from outside. Suddenly, she heard someone pounding on the other side of the door. She stood up and cautiously watched the door, watching for whatever awaited her on the other side.
