Nar Shadda, Nal Hutta system, Hutt Space
Jay felt the world lurch as the ship landed, waking her from a deep sleep. She glanced around the crew's quarters where she was resting, then sat up and the digital chrono displayed on the far wall. She'd been sleeping for almost thirteen hours.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She hadn't realized it at first but after three months of being imprisoned, being free was exhausting.
She swung her legs off the cot, but didn't stand. Her mind was drifting back to Corulag and the tumultuous events that had followed her escape. The last thing she remembered was Darth Vader beating her against the tabletop when she wouldn't give him the name of her nonexistent employer. The next thing she knew, she was aboard this ship in the company of two bounty hunters. If there was ever a more dramatic turn of events, she'd like to see it.
The hunter she'd spoken to – Rame – had said Tammer had called them. She hoped her friend was all right. The thought of the old clone bearing the brunt of the Empire's wrath made her shudder.
But he was a veteran of both battles and Imperial rule, and knew what he was doing. He would find a way to rebound from the prison attack. He was resourceful, and if anyone could survive in the treacherous and paranoid dictatorship of the Empire, it was him.
She stood, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and padded out of the room in her bare feet. The door sheathed shut behind her as she emerged into the large central corridor that spanned the entire length of the ship.
Curious... Being in the navy, she'd become familiar with all the ships favored by the galaxy's worst scum: pirates, mercenaries, terrorists, criminal organizations, and bounty hunters alike. She could tell the difference between a Z-95 and an ARC-170 starfighter in her sleep.
This ship, though... she didn't recognize anything about it. It bore subtle signs of Imperial design and manufacture, but mostly it was wholly alien. The bulkheads were too smooth, and there was a bank of holoterminals in the central room showing various newscasts and data feeds from across the galaxy. It looked like a private transport rather than any military vessel, and Imperials didn't care much for advances in the private sector of the hypernautics industry.
She crossed the hall, searching for the refresher, and thumbed the opening stud on a reinforced durasteel door. The panel next to the door buzzed harshly and began barking and hissing at her in a language she didn't understand. A light above the control panel glared red, and a deep thunk suggested that the door had been sealed.
She quickly backed away and raised her hands in surrender, just in case the door had some other kind of security measures in place. The voice fell silent as soon as she stepped away from the door and she let out a long breath. It would probably be smart to try a different door.
Further down the hall was another door, just as protected as the one before. Unlike the other door, this one opened smoothly, almost beckoning her to enter. When she stepped inside, she realized that she had once again made a mistake.
This sure wasn't the 'fresher. Large cages, laced with ray-shield lining, were anchored to the walls. The ray-shields were invisible, but shimmered in the air like a heat wave in the desert. Apart from the cages, the room was devoid of any kind of furniture or equipment.
Holding cells for captured prisoners? This was more familiar bounty hunting equipment.
"I suppose you had something to do with this as well," a sullen voice suddenly said. Jay gasped and spun towards the sound.
General Luun was slouched against the wall, held captive within one of the cages. His nose was caked with dried blood, his hair was unkempt, and his once-pristine uniform was smeared with dirt and filth. He looked up at her with tired eyes and hugged his knees close to his chest.
"Leave it to bounty hunters to be bold enough – or stupid enough – to lay siege to an Imperial prison just to get at a single general. And to get you of course."
Jay shook her head. "No, I was a more recent addition to their plan."
"Oh?" Luun raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you fit into their plan?"
She hesitated, wondering how much she should reveal to the general. This was the Imperial who had ordered her execution and torture after all. But another part of her, bolstered by her military training, told her that he was a superior officer. That made his question an order.
"I'm just hitching a ride," she finally said. "Then I'm out of the Empire's way for good."
Luun snorted. "So you think. There's nowhere you can go where we won't find you. We have the entire galaxy within the palm of our hand. No matter where you go, we'll be right behind you."
Jay felt cold fury rise within her, shoving aside her memories of old military protocol. She gestured to the room around her, at the cages in particular. "Seeing the predicament you're in right now, sir," she said, putting extra emphasis on the word, "I don't think you'll be one of the ones behind me. I've got a chance at a new life. Wherever you're going is definitely not going to be as pretty."
Luun glared at her for a few moments. But when Jay just glared right back, he sighed and turned away. It was a few long, silent moments before her curiosity drove her to speak again.
"Why are bounty hunters after someone as insignificant as you in the first place?"
Luun shook his head, still not looking at her. "Some time ago, I was in charge of a prison facility on Ryloth. It was harsh, but secure. Similar to BlueSend in that regard. And my men's favorite pastime happened to be Twi'lek hunting."
Jay's lip curled in disgust. "That's awful."
"It kept the men sharp and their morale high. What was there to worry about? I let it continue. Of course, the actions were discovered and reported and I was subsequently transferred to BlueSend, where there were no natives to incite into rebellion. And since then, certain Twi'lek crime lords have placed substantial prices on my head. Your barbarian friends must have taken a contract to bring me in."
"I don't think they're the barbarians here," she pointed out. "Besides, you should be more thankful they decided to bring you in alive. They didn't have to."
Luun glared up at her and sneered. "You think you're in a position to mock me? You think you have it better than I do? You're almost directly responsible for the destruction of the entire prison! The Empire will have law enforcement on you the moment you go near a civilized system. Your bounty hunter friends caught me, but it's only a matter of time before our people get you."
"Your people," Jay corrected angrily. "I want nothing to do with the Empire any more. You are all murderous, scum-sucking liars in my eyes. And as for you, Luun? You deserve whatever fate these crime lords have cooked up for you. It's better than what you had planned for me."
As she turned to leave the room, still quivering with rage, Luun laughed and called after, "Vader was right about you! You sold your squadron out for credits! I think you'll fit right in with these immoral mercenaries."
"You won't be alive to see it," Jay shot back over her shoulder. Before the captive Imperial could retort, the door slammed shut behind her. With a frustrated sigh, she turned into the corridor with the intent to return to her quarters and her bed. Talking to the former general had left a bad taste in her mouth, and she couldn't wait to put some distance between them.
She didn't make it far before she ran headlong into what felt like a solid wall of metal. She heard a grunt of surprise as she staggered back against the wall. Looking up to see who – or what – she'd run into, she saw the other bounty hunter.
What was his name? Ceen something?
"I'm sorry," the man said, his voice soft and calm. He inclined his helmeted head in apology. "I didn't see you."
"No, it's my fault," Jay said a little distractedly. She was staring at the man, studying him closely. She was interested to finally meet the man who had rescued her from her incarceration.
He was about her height, a little taller since he was able to look down at her slightly. He was clad in dull black battle armor with two gray stripes over the left side of his helmet and had a single large gray stripe down his chest. Though the paint on his armor had faded over the years, it was still kept almost immaculately clean.
Jay frowned at that; the few mercenaries she'd seen during her employ in the military had sported their battle scars with pride. They wore armor that was covered in scratches, blaster burns, even dents. The fact that this man had next to none suggested that he had either seen little of combat or was skilled enough that he hadn't been shot often. Jay couldn't tell which, but was willing to bet on the latter.
An assortment of brown leather ribbons dangled from his right forearm and shoulder in a kind of decorative tassel drape that gave his armor the exotic look of an ancient warrior. And, if Jay saw it correctly, he was wearing some kind of combat skirt, colored black like the rest of his armor. She'd seen stormtrooper commanders and ARC troopers wear similar garments, which they called a kama.
The sinister-looking T-visor of his battle helmet seemed to stare right through her and she shuddered slightly as he regarded her intently, obviously studying her as closely as she was watching him. He bore the unmistakable air of a veteran warrior, yet something about him made her uneasy. She couldn't quite put her finger on what or why.
He finally held out a hand in greeting. "It's good to see you up and about. Rame was worried you were seriously injured."
She slowly shook the offered hand, still staring at him.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced," he continued. "My name is Cin Vhetin."
"Jay Kolta," she said. "Pleased to meet you."
She was surprised by his voice, mostly. She had expected either some rough, gravelly, sneering drawl of a pirate or a voice and accent similar to a clone trooper's. The original clone template had supposedly been a Mandalorian, after all.
But his voice was quiet and calm, bearing no accent of any kind. It was almost completely forgettable, which she was sure came in handy in his line of work. It was easy to tell this was no mindless mercenary; a sharp mind lay behind the metal of that helmet. This was a man to be reckoned with.
She linked her arms in front of her, shifting her balance awkwardly from foot to foot. She didn't want to be under this man's masked scrutiny any longer than necessary, but she was in debt to him. "You... you're the one who rescued me from that prison, right?"
"I am."
"I remember..." a memory rose unbidden to mind, of the blurry image of a man in black battle armor carrying her through fire and explosions. "I think I remember you helping me out of that cell. Thank you."
He bowed his head, again with that kind of slow warrior's grace. "You're welcome. I believed Tammer's story that you were innocent, so I agreed to help you escape. Not the smartest decision if you ask Rame, but it was necessary. I couldn't let you rot in that prison cell"
"You're… you're very kind," she said. She hesitated, then added, "I guess I owe you my life."
He made a quiet, raspy noise that sounded like a snort. "You don't owe me a thing, Miss Kolta. I was happy to help. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of."
He stepped past her, pulled a pistol from its holster on his hip, and keyed open the door to the room full of cages. As he stepped inside, she heard him say, "Come on, general. You've got a date with a pretty pissed-off crime lord."
A few moments later, he shoved Luun out through the door and led him down the hall at gunpoint. As the bounty hunter passed her, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "Let me deal with this scum first," he said, "then we'll drop you off at the nearest starport. From there you can get to wherever you need to go."
She nodded and watched him shove his captive down the hall. She felt a strange kind of satisfaction as the whimpering coward was led towards the exit ramp at the back of the ship. Luun was a spineless menace, and he was finally getting what he deserved.
He wanted to kill me, she thought. He kept pushing to stop the execution delays Tammer set up. And if what he said about Ryloth was true… well, he's finally getting what's coming to him. Good riddance.
Then she turned away, towards the sleeping quarters, and didn't look back.