"Tomorrow we will be showing you off to prospective buyers so please be on your best behavior."

Stytes was quiet behind their apparent new leader. But as soon as he was finished he made a move towards her cupping her chin. "I wouldn't worry too much, I'm thinking about buying you for myself."

She bit down a response that likely would've gotten her in more pain. Instead, she only glared at him.

Stytes smiled at her before walking off down the corridor. He put his arm around one of the others and said. "Hos, you guys are double shift tonight." The door to the bay shut.

She huffed as she looked away from him to the rest of the room. She thought it looked like a zoo almost. There might've been a hundred people around the room. Some were going back to sleep in corners others continued to play a card game in the center. She was angry that no one cared enough to do anything about their predicament. A hand grabbed her shoulder.

Rayn whipped around grabbing the other person by their collar and raising her fist to strike them.

Kayla had held up her hands in surrender. "Woah woah, it's only me." The Twilek smiled at her in a way that made her regret her defensiveness.

Rayn's mouth twitched slowly lowering her fist before letting go of Kayla. She took a step back from her. "Sorry." She muttered.

The green Twilek shook her head. "It's alright, I kinda of get it." Kayla's bright smile faded slightly. "I want to check your bandages." She could see the question pass over Rayn's gaze. "I was studying to be a doctor. They had me check over wounded prisoners they brought back. The Trandoshen was never gentle with its prey."

Rayn starred at her for a moment but just nodded.

Kayla gestured to one of the smaller containers for Rayn.

The thief groaned her tense muscles starting to relax. She could feel the pain and all her sore joints as she slowly sat herself down.

Kayla ran her fingers across the bandages. "This would be so much simpler if we had access to Bacta. But apparently, we aren't worth even a small container of that liquid."

Rayn just sighed. "Everyone in the galaxy is out for themselves, why would slavers be any different?"

Kayla muttered something quietly before speaking in her full voice again. "Hold still, this is going to sting."

Rayn blinked looking up at her...ally. She was unsure of how to react to Kayla's quiet spoken words. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting as a reply, but it certainly wasn't what Kayla had said.

Not everyone is out for themselves.

She was ripped from her thoughts as she felt Kayla tug at her bandages. At Kayla's request, she removed her jacket and vest so she could look at her shoulder.

Kayla realized her presence was making Rayn start to tense up again. "Where did they find you?"

"In my house. I had just gotten back from the market. The Trandoshen was waiting for me." When Kayla gave her a nod. Rayn started to tug her jacket and vest back on. Her scarf being tucked beneath the jacket.

Kayla's eyes narrowed. "You were the talk of every prisoner on the ships."

"Ships?" Rayn inquired.

Kayla nodded. "You were out of it for a couple days. I was actually surprised to see that you awoke so soon. They transferred us from different ships. To help lose any tails of people that might be following them." Kayla started to peel off a bandage that was on Rayn's cheek. "The Trandoshen had managed to get most of us. We saw his goons dragging you in and he was nowhere to be seen."

Rayn huffed a smile. "Tough bastard. If I had known he was a slaver, I would've shot at him until he was unrecognizable-"

Kayla tore off the rest of the bandage in a swift motion that made her cheek sting.

Rayn's let out a gasp of pain. "Ah." She bit down on her tongue. "Some warning next time would be nice."

The Twilek chuckled. "Sorry, and noted." The skin was healing itself rather well, but she deduced she'd have to wear the bandages for a few more days. Instead of a long bandage that ran diagonal across her face, it was three separate smaller bandages. It was a way to conserve their likely limited medical supplies. Kayla went about removing all of them and replacing them. One on her right cheek, another diagonally across her nose, and then the last above her left eye.

"What about you?" Rayn asked quietly. "Where did they find you?"

Kayla's mouth fumbled as she searched for an answer. She looked at Rayn's palms and wrists to avoid meeting her gaze. "I-Min-I was on an asteroid facility looking for a friend."

Rayn's eyes narrowed.

Kayla's mouth twitched. "I-" she sighed taking a breath pausing her work. "How much do you trust me?"

Rayn shook her head. "I'd trust you more if you'd said the truth." Her words came out bitter.

Kayla visibly flinched but she did her best to recover quickly. She pressed her lips together as she picked her next words very carefully. "It's part of the truth." She stated simply as she took a step back. "That's the best I can do." She wasn't so sure if she was referring to her patch job or how much she could tell the thief.

Rayn rubbed the back of her neck looking up at her. "Thanks." She stood back up taking a look around the room. She could already feel eyes on her. If Kayla was to be believed, news of her killing the Trandoshen had already spread throughout the large room as fast the wind could carry it.

The large room was almost the size of a small hanger. There was only one exit and entrance. Guards were absent from the catwalk above them. Rayn tugged at her scarf straightening it as she looked around. It was a habit, for a thief to mark people by their faces. She began to pick out people who were harming other fellow prisoners and ruled them out of her list of potential allies. She was studying people to see who'd be willing to help her.

An elderly man cleared his throat. Someone who'd noticeably been here for a while. He called her, Kayla, and the other people who had just arrived over to him. He and the few others around him started handing out bedrolls. "Rations are limited, one neutrino bar per day. Depending on how many of us are sold on the morrow, we might be able to up that to two bars a day." There was something in his voice that bothered her. An air of brokenness.

Rayn wasn't sure how to feel about that. It didn't bode well for any escape attempt that she wanted to be planning.

A bedroll was shoved into her hand. It was freshly cleaned, but it the material wasn't in the greatest shape. It was worn and torn in places. Used before she concluded. Many times. She poked her fingers through some of the exposed cloth. It was surprisingly softer than her old bedroll that was on the floor of her old home.

She looked around for a place to set up what would be her spot for the night. Being as untrusting as she was she settled on some crates that had been stacked in one of the corners.

Kayla had followed her.

Rayn climbed on top of the first stacked crates, then onto the second. The levels of crates were shaped like large steps put into the corner. She flipped open her bedroll and looked down at the first level of the crates.

Kayla was there setting up her own bedroll.

Rayn's mouth twitched. Despite the tension between the two of them, it was obvious that they only had each other to back each other up. Rayn had worse people to watch her back. Now, due to their previous chat she had the impression that Kayla had as well.

Rayn hopped back down to where Kayla was. She peeled back the wrapping of the neutrino bar and bit down. She hadn't eaten in several days and was starting to feel it now that she's had the time to relax and her adrenaline was subsiding. She settled with one leg hanging off and the other tucked to her chest.

The green Twilek rubbed dirt off of one of her tails, taking a quiet seat beside Rayn. Silence hung for a few moments as they both continued to observe the buzz of the room.

A guard came up onto the railings that overlooked everything below. They walked across it slowly getting the picture of where everything and everyone was. They paused as they saw a commotion.

The two of them saw it too. Their slightly elevated position just provided them a better view. A loud argument was turning into a fight. The bigger man held up his hands trying to avoid it. The other stalked closer towering over him and hit him square in the jaw. Others around the two rushed forward grappling them to prevent the fight from going any further.

A shot rang out striking the bigger man in the chest.

Rayn's eyes trailed back up the guard who started lowering his weapon. She could see that there was a scope on the rifle. A crack shot.

The towering figure laughed heartily and threw off the others who were holding him back. He started beating up on the dying if not already dead man.

Rayn's whole body seemed to twitch. She surged forward only to feel Kayla holding her back.

"Don't" she whispered. "He's already gone."

Rayn's mouth pressed into a thin line of disgust. Not towards the doctor, but towards everyone else in the room. They couldn't afford to pick fights with each other. Not when they all needed to get away-

It hit her like a hammerhead corvette. It was purely a selfish reason for her wanting to escape so soon. She needed to get out tonight. She didn't want to find out what a man like Stytes would do to her if he "owned" her. Her mouth twitched anger and a feeling helplessness was settling in. She wasn't yet broken like the old man. But she could certainly see the appeal of flipping that switch to become something subservient. It would make the pain easier. That was the point of submission to a master.

Kayla tugged her back to reality. "We need to focus on figuring a way out of here. Fast."

Rayn's mouth formed into a hint of a smile. It was nice to know that the only person you could remotely trust was someone who hasn't lost their sensibilities. Hopefully, a few of the others hadn't as well...


"Shut up Q." The man said as he continued to fold the cards. He was tall and had short black hair. His stature was as rough as his unclean shave. It was obvious to anyone he'd seen too much for his age. He had a patch running over one eye and a scar's edges protruding out from underneath the patch. He a dark blue coat with a brown vest underneath.

The droid tilted its head. "I'm just pointing out that I can shuffle the cards efficiently, more effectively, and more professionally than you."

The man in the dark hair cursed. "I can't believe that of all the droids who I could've picked, I just had to pick you."

"I calculated only fractions of a probability that you would pick an Astrometric's droid over me. Reading your file, you hate being in space without someone or something to talk to because it would-"

"Shut up Q." He reiterated trying to stare harshly at his towering friend. He was failing. He dished out the cards to distract himself and try to pull his friend's attention back to the task of kicking his fauxsmug ass at card games.

Who knows, he might actually win...right?

The droid slowly iterated his mouth highlighting as it slowly pronounced every syllable. "Ha. Ha. Ha."

Damn its circuits to hell.

"Shall we do another?" The droid asked as innocently as possible.

Before he could reply his message alert sounded. He stood up looking at his droid friend. "Saved by the bell." He said pointing at the droid walking off to their cockpit.

The droid sat a moment longer. "I can't believe you weren't referring to yourself." It took the cards in its hands and folded them into a stack before stashing them away. It's metal feet thumping on the floor as Q made his way to the cockpit.

"I said I'm done with it all Andor. I left for a reason."

"The mission is vital to the reb-"

"Every mission is vital when you've gotten beat back as much as you have."

"We are willing to pay you, Cal. Besides, you know the person you are rescuing."

Cal stared at the holo transmission a personnel file filling the space. His eyes narrowed as he starred at the Twilek's image watching the image fade back to Andor. "This is a nasty trick to pull Andor and you know it."

The man shrugged. "I do what I have to to keep the rebellion alive."

Cal leaned back into his chair watching Andor for a moment. "What does she have the can possibly so important?"

Andor's hologram flickered. "That will be something you'd have to find out yourself." He didn't offer anything more ending the transmission. A file taking his place as Cal's ship received downloads.

Cal cursed.

"Are we off to go save your life mate?"

Q asked ever so innocently.

Cal bit back his clearly cleverly thought out and witty reply. "Just download the files into your system and tell me the details..."


A/N: Well, here's chapter two. I'm debating on what my ragtag team's objective beyond the obvious should be. Like the end goal. I have plenty of excuses and time to push them together already. I'm just curious as to what they should be doing after they are all together...