======part 10 =======================
Qi'ra lies shell shocked in her new cell, struggling to understand the way her body is betraying her. Instead of drawing back she's craving every touch, every sensation. Her skin is red and angry, the KX unit had hosed her down with an acrid smelling foaming green gel that painfully stung in her eyes and nose, it felt like it scoured the top layer of skin off as it set about dissolving all her hair. She'd cried as her lovely long hair had come away in clumps, it'd taken the hair under her arms, her eyebrows , her carefully trimmed patch of pubic hair, even her eyelashes. Then it had let her shower it off and locked her in a new set of restraints.
The new binders on her wrists and ankles are heavy octagonal bands of metal, not connected at the moment but studded with sturdy loops designed for locks and chains. Around her waist is a similar metal belt, tight enough that she's always aware of it.
She toys with the links, thinking how they can be locked together to bind her, render her helpless. The thought arouses her, which in turn disturbs her. Then she thinks back to Vos's words whispered in the dark, of how she has a war between her thoughts, her feelings and her desires. She lies back, stroking her fingertips over the metal of the belt, down the insides of her thighs. Seems her desires are smarter than she gives them credit, she can't get out of this so the only way is through, to be the thing they desire, to make herself think and feel like the slave they want her to be. She runs one hand over her smooth sore scalp as she begins to stroke between her legs, thinking how they're changing her, reshaping her, taking everything she has and how she has to make herself love that, want that, need that if she's to survive.
The cell starts to vibrate, the low rumble of engines. This cell is on a ship of some sort, a large freighter by the size she estimates. Crew members rush past the grill of her cell, doing last minute pre-flight checks. She sits up and watches. The ships in pretty bad condition and the crew are mostly dressed in a mismatch of styles and few have survival gear. So not one of the trade guilds, she remembers their smart uniforms from pick pocketing outside the spaceport bars back on Corellea.
Someone cleaner and better dressed rushes past, shouting orders. That must be the captain.
"Check and double check that last minute cargo; this could be our big break! The Crimson Dawn is paying double plus a delivery bonus so if we do this right it could be our ticket to the big time! Just think, regular routes, quality goods, custom patrols already paid off!"
Qi'ra almost laughs. He seems so hopefully, naïve for the captain of a junker like this. She has the feeling it's a scam of some sort, a set up and he'll never get his big break. This life chews up your hopes and spits out the bones still screaming, captain.
She measures the passage of time by the meals she's given as they keep the hold lights steady and low. They're about two days out when the ship lights switch to red and the sirens start to howl. She presses her palm to the cell floor, feeling the shudder as the engines cycle up to full burn. They're out numbered or out gunned so the captain is trying to run for it, slim hope in a bulk hauler like this.
Then the lights go out, plunging the hold into darkness. Fat blue sparks arc up and down the walls, fuses in the wall panels blow out and the sound of the engine dies. The ship must have been hit by a blast from an ion cannon.
It's Bandits or Pirates then. There's nothing she can do, so she wills herself not to worry. Whatever happens will happen. She lies back, stroking her nipple as she listens. She hears the dull thump of docking clamps, silence then a distant cacophony of explosions, blaster fire and screams. Then more silence. Sounds like they boarded the ship
Then the emergency lights come on, low and dull red. The intercom crackles into life "We have control of the ship, Surrender or die"
She can hear someone moving further back in the hold, hiding in the cargo, one of the crew. Then a shadow moves past the bars, a Trandoshan moving fast and low, blaster at the ready. The reptilian must be one of the pirates.
She considers her options; she could warn the crewman, maybe help the pirate. Though spoiling a Trandoshans hunt is a sure fire way to enrage them. She mentally shrugs to herself; she'd going to belong to whoever wins so just let them fight. The thought makes her skin crawl.
As the pirate creeps away hunting his prey she wonders what its skin feels like, if the scales are rough or smooth. What it'd feel like when its body pressed down on hers.
There's a scream and a thud and a minute later the Trandoshan walks past, dragging a body.
She shakes her head. Stupid junker, the pits under their eyes allow them to see heat.
A while later the lights return and the engine starts. The emergency sirens sound and the ship judders as the escape pod is ejected. Well, that makes them just pirates and thieves rather than outright murderers at least.
She sits and wonders what they'll be like. Helplessness brings a kind of stoic detachment; she can't change things to why worry about them?
It's not long until she hears the sounds of boots stamping down the corridors and excited voices. Mostly humans and near humans from what she can hear. She decides to stay small and scared looking, try and get any sympathy she can.
A group of heavily armed and armoured pirates burst into the hold, in an obviously jubilant mood and clustering round one holding a data pad.
"Ok, this is Hold Two, few crates of raw materials for a water purifier, mining supplies, spare parts and something marked Rush Order that's pretty valuable"
One of the pirates bends down and looks into her crate. "Wow, look what we got here. Hey pretty thing"
Qi'ra stays silent and pulls back to the far corner of the cell
Another sounds surprised "A prisoner? This isn't a prison ship!"
"Not a prisoner, a pleasure slave. And a pretty special one according to the manifest. See her list price?"
"Damn, you could buy a ship like this for that much!"
"and she's only part of the rush order. The other part is these crates."
One of the pirates opens one and gives a low whistle "these crates are Blas-Tech, still with the factory seal. Twenty blaster rifles in each."
"Someone planning on starting a war?"
"could well be." He gestures to Qi'ra "and having a party afterwards"
"I don't like it. We're pirates not slavers."
Qi'ra looked carefully to see who said that, someone sympathetic could be useful. The red skinned humanoid with pointed ears and short fleshy horns?
"Yet we're carrying and selling slaves."
"Thats not what i mean and you know it."
"Know, but don't care. She's too valuable to let go" The one with the manifest is obviously in charge. "Vrock, you're in charge of feeding and looking after her." He nods to the tall reptilian at the back of the group, the Trandoshan.
Well, no chance of pity there. She settled back into her corner as they left, arguing shares and spoils.
Later, when the lights dimmed for the night cycle, the reptilian returned.
Qi'ra drew herself up onto her knees, back straight, knees apart. She rested her hands, palms up on her thighs and kept her eyes downcast. She knew Trandoshans loved formality and ritual, they were a warrior hunter race from a world she remembered was in the same system as the Wookie home world.
As it slid a tray of food into the cell she took a breathe and said "Greetings, T'doshrok of Trandosha".
He stops, and then shakes his head "T'do-SH-ok. No hard R, more silibant Sss." He stares at her, puzzling. "I know that tongue, the roll of Rrrrr. You learn to speak my peoples name from a Wookie, didn't you?"
He strokes the clump of hair on his belt. A wookie scalp, to show he's stalked and killed one with his bare hands.
She shakes her head "I just learnt a few words from someone who spoke Wookie".
"Still, few bother. What are you, little one?"
"I'm trying to make sense of all this. I think your path has crossed someone else's hunt. Who tipped you off to this shipment?"
"How do you know we were tipped off?"
"It made the most sense. This cargo was a secret and sent at the last minute. Your source, do you trust them?"
He barks a laugh. "Not really but they make us fine profit. Why do you want to know?"
"Because I think I'm staked out as bait"
This makes the Trandoshan pause, thinking. Then wordlessly it turns and hurries from the hold.
Not long after she can hear an argument just outside the hold. The Door opens, letting in a huge brute of a Fluggrian followed by the red skinned humanoid.
The huge green humanoid unclips his armour breastplate and starts struggling free of his ship overalls.
"You saw her rating, she's a pleasure slave. The poor thing is probably desperate for someone to touch her by now, she'll be glad for the attention."
"But she belongs to the Crimson Dawn! You saw the mark on her back! It's bad enough we are carrying her, let alone stole her!"
"Where we're going no one will care. That mark can be cancelled or skinned over if she is worth it"
"She's not even the right species!"
"I'm sure she can take two, maybe three tentacles. It's been far too long since I've had some fun."
The red skinned one stands in front of the cage, hand out.
"Sorry shipmate, I can't let you do it."
"Come on Kess, I just want to get the tips wet. Won't take long"
It pushes the red skinned one out of the way and starts to fumble with the crate lock.
There's the Roar and Dull thump of a blaster bolt hitting flesh and the cell is full of the smell of death, ionised blaster gas and burning flesh. The Fluggarian slumps to the ground, half its head missing.
"Asshole. Don't wreck the merchandise." The red skinned one storms off.
Something drops from a vantage point above. The Trandoshan pads silently across the hold, walks directly to her cell and stares at her. She shrugs, and then holds up one finger.
"One dead. so far"
The Trandoshan growls and draws his blaster pistol.
She just looks at him, dead eyed, nothing to lose.
"I'm not the hunter. I'm just bait that has been cast in the waters. Fear the bigger fish"
He hisses, turns and leaves, holstering the pistol
The Pirates gather quickly, stripping the Fluggrians gear and wrapping its body in a cargo sheet. There seems no love lost, a few take the change to kick the corpse and others laughed as it's gelid flesh wobbled.
Bottles of something potent smelling are being passed round, part wake and part celebration.
The Trandoshan is angrily hissing at the captain "She's trouble. Kill her. Kill her now. We need to run."
"No way. Have you seen what she's worth?" The Captain shrugs "Anyway, she won't be here long, I've found a station we can trade at and a buyer for the blasters already. We will sell her off tomorrow and split the profits"
Qi'ra just sat and hugged her knees to her chest. Was this all some plan of Dryden's or was he just disposing of her quickly and far from the Hutts?