Surik

"Let me out of here!"

Meetra pounded her fists in vain against the cold steel of the cargo door. Tossed around in the pilot's frantic bid for freedom, her head was a muddled fog; dull pounding echoed in between her temples.

The pilot had sensed it too, she was sure of that. It probably saved their lives. He acted seconds before a normal man would have, thus allowing the break-neck dive to avoid the cruiser. There were no windows to look out at their aggressor in the cargo hold, but Meetra felt them ambition and the pride of each and every sentient aboard that vessel.

Mandalorians. She shuddered at the thought. The Mandalorians thus far had proven themselves worthy foes for an evenly matched engagement. Stuck here, in this flimsy freighter, there was no way to win in an out and out fight. But she had to try. That ship was surely headed to Suul. If she did not find a way to hinder its approach, that ship would be the harbinger of hellfire for the Trigonas Systems.

"Please, let me out!" She knew her words fell on deaf ears, or at least, unwilling ones. The man had no incentive to go out of his way and die for her. She was cargo, and she could not blame him. What did it matter to him if Suul fell? He could simply adjust his routes. And if the Trigonas Systems fell entirely? He could always deal to the Mandalorians. The prospect of being handed over the Mandalorians put fear in her heart. She calmed herself, allowed herself to breathe.

She felt the entire ship rock. Centralized, Surik knew it was not random debris; the ship had fired on them. She heard shouting from the cockpit as Stath argued with his companion. A second shock knocked her off her feet. The Mandalorians were targeting them. Surik opened her mind to the thoughts of the pilot. His mind was in turmoil, all his energy directed at the singular goal of survival. She allowed all his primal instincts to course through her, siphoning his emotions like a sieve, and in turn lending him her inner calm. She reached out through the forced, whispered into his mind.

"You need me, Stath Kherrim," she said. "You need me, and I need you. Let me out."

Stath resisted, unconsciously. Surik felt years of self-reliance fight against his growing weakness. He tried desperately to ignore the nagging doubt. The fear of death coated every though like new ice. Two more hits in close succession – they would not survive a continued assault. This was not a salvage ship.

Stath let out a roar of frustration. "Opher, let the Jedi out. Get her up here."

Surik felt the rush of the door as it slid open. The droid was humanoid, dull silver, with extensively articulated joints. It had a perfectly spherical head that looked too small for its body. It extended a cold hand. "This way, ma'am; the captain wishes to speak with you."

Gladly, she accepted the droid and got to her feet wasting no time to make it to the cockpit. She stood over Stath's shoulder and watched his furiously wrestle with the ship. On the short scanners she caught a glimpse of the ship for the first time.

"Kyramud class battleship," she said instinctively.

"'Kyramud?' The hell is that?" Stath pitched the ship into a reverse corkscrew. A torrent of turbolaser fire streaked past the viewport.

"Rear shields at twenty-two percent and failing."

Stath entered in a sequence on the dash. "Compensate. I'm not losing the hyperdrive."

The droid began to protest.

"I don't care how, Opher! Plug yourself into the shields if you think it'll help."

The droid pouted. "I hardly think that will make a difference."

The battleship adjusted for Stath's maneuver, and the next shots found their mark.

"Thirteen percent."

Stath scrambled against the inevitable. "Kyramud, you were saying? What is it? How do we beat it?"

"It's a Mandalorian battleship. You don't fight it, and you don't beat it."

"Good, so we're in agreement." The Piso Runner lurched forward. Sirens roared throughout the ship. "There go our rear shields. If you've got any magic up your sleeve, Jedi, know would be the time to let me know."

Surik stared blankly at the approaching ship on the scanner. Half shields, no offensive presence to speak of, Surik and Stath were left with precious few options. Surik could rally a battalion, demoralize the enemy, turn the tide of battle, but she was no tactician. That was his specialty. What would he do in a situation like this?

"Can your transmitter reach Drellis?"

"Drellis is on the other side of the Rim, lady. If I had time, which I don't, I could hit a long range buoy near Tul, but I can't. So no, it can't. Any other ideas?"

Surik turned to the droid. "How're out forward shields?"

The droid made a quick check. The lights in his eyes blinked. "ninety-four percent and holding, ma'am."

Stath nodded. "Good, I'm gonna throw them to the back. Opher, gimme a link."

"Sir, I."

"Just do it."

Opher hit the switch and the Piso Runner came to a lurching stop. "Forward shields drained. Rear shields inoperable."

Stath howled. "What? Where are my shields? Where did they go? What did you do to them, Opher. WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SHIELDS?"

"Sir, I,"

Surik clutched down on Stath's shoulders and pointed up at the viewscreen. "Incoming!"

A second battleship erupted into realspace. The Kyramud-class appeared less than a kilometer from the Piso Runner, sending her flying backwards in the wake of rapid deceleration. The second ship did not fire, though it rested in front of them, the massive bulkhead and bridge completely dominating the viewscreen.

Stath threw his hands back in defeat. "Great. We're dead. Just great."

"No, we're not dead yet." The first battleship had ceased its assault upon the arrival of the second ship. In a moment of desperation, Surik reached out to the crew of the second ship, searching for something, anything. She touched the mind of the proudest sentient who she hoped was the captain of the vessel.

"Turn me over," Surik said.

Stath gave her a space-eating look of disbelief. "I'm sorry, do what now?"

"Hail the ship. Turn me over to the Mandalorians."

Opher rapidly monitored the dash. "Sir, they're holding weapons at minimal charge. It is conceivable that they are waiting for us to make the first move."

"Doesn't sound much like Mandalorians to me." Stath said. "Maybe they want to see if we'll beg for our lives?"

Surik shook her head. She could feel a certain sensation of curiosity from the captain, even respect. "No, Mandalorians do not take kindly to begging; it's not in their nature. Your droid is correct, Captain. They are waiting for us to do something. They seem impressed that you've managed to last this long."

Surik felt a similar wave of pride rise up in Stath mixing volatile with his adrenaline. "So you say I should turn you over to them?"

"A Jedi would be a worthy prize to the Mandalorians," Surik said, hoping with all her might the captain of the Mandalorian vessel acted as he felt. "If you want to live, you need to prove your worth. They don't destroy indiscriminately."

"So how do you explain the first ship?"

"You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Comforting." He rubbed his temples. "Opher, open a channel to the Mandalorians."

"Yes, sir."

Stath looked at Surik. In his eyes she saw fear, a deep and gnawing fear. She had done this to him, and it was up to her to make it right.

"I'll be in the cargo hold. Best to make it look convincing." She paused and put a lighter hand on the man's shoulder. Her hands were warm from tension and slick with sweat. "Thank you for saving my life."

Stath said nothing. He cleared his throat and straightened his shirt.

"Channel is open, sir. They are receiving us."

"Mandalorian vessel, this is Captain Stath Kherrim of the Piso Runner. To whom am I speaking."

"Voice only, sir," Opher observed.

"This is Captain Torsun Voss of the Taash Reito." His voice was gravelly, and his basic poured from the intercoms with the fluidity of a rockslide. "We have identified this sector as a war zone. Why have you entered?"

Stath checked to see if Surik had locked herself back up. He swallowed and addressed the Mandalorian.

"Captain," he said. "I've got something that I think you're gonna like."