Author's Note: Things start to heat up here. Do we think Caleb's gonna get away? Make a clean break from Maul & Savage? Who knows, maybe these are friendly bounty hunters XD Read on, and find out!
"Whoa!" He shouted as he saw several different hands go to several different weapons. His own hands flew up into the universal surrender position. "I'm not here to fight! Or steal your stuff." He lowered his voice as their quick grips on their weapons slackened. Slightly. He let out a slow breath. Good. They see I'm not an active threat. Now for the tricky part. He let some of the fear and exhaustion from the last week bleed into his voice as he said, "I just need some help. Please. The men on that ship kidnapped me from- from my home. If you could just let me use your transmitter…" He'd decided against revealing his Jedi affiliation at the last minute, Maul's words echoing in his head as he stumbled over the quick addition of "home". He needn't have bothered though. He'd forgotten one crucial fact.
One of the males, a long-horned Devaronian, pointed a finger at his Padawan braid. "We've got a baby Jedi on our hands, gang!"
Caleb felt a single drop of sweat slide down his temple. His eyes made a quick pass over the "gang". Two females, a red-eyed Durosian and a pale-skinned Zabrak, and three males. The massive red Devaronian, a Weequay, and a tall, blue-haired human. All looking at him hungrily. He spread his hands wide, giving them a small smile. "If I could just borrow your transmitter… "
Four of the five not-so-subtly looked to the Durosian, who gave a tiny nod, her hands going to the weapons on her belt. "Sure thing, sweetie!" came the woman's high-pitched, falsely sweet voice. "Just come with us, and we'll get you all set up."
"Yeeaaahhh." He grimaced. "Maybe not." Quick as lightning, he swung his hands forward, bringing all the power of the Force he could to bear, and all five went flying backwards. Jumping over their prone bodies, he ran in his best-guessed direction of the cockpit. I have to get to the transmitter.
Four steps down the hall, and suddenly he was falling through air, his nose smashing into the metal floor. Ignoring the blood now freely running down his face, he quickly slipped his feet out of the loose wire that the human had shot from a wrist cuff, getting to his feet as fast as he could. Two more steps and he was at a left-right junction. And the hunters were right behind him.
Hearing the quiet alarms common to all cockpit designs coming from the left, he put a hand to the wall to keep his balance on his fast turn - and was brought up short when a blade sank through his sleeve. He was pinned. He quickly brought up his other hand, intending on trying to yank the blade out, when a second knife pinned that hand to the wall.
He was stuck.
Right side pressed against the wall, his two arms bent at awkward angles in front of his face, he found himself thinking about a pinned smoke moth in a display case he'd seen once. He only had time for one good yank before the Devaronian was there, coming up behind, taking his shoulders in a bone-crushing grip.
The rest of the bounty hunters formed a loose semi-circle around him. The Weequay said, "I can't believe you thought you'd outrun us on our own ship!"
Caleb gave him a scathing look. The apparent boss - the Durosian woman - looked at the one gripping his shoulders and said, "Trugger, if you would." Caleb had half a second to think, oh no, before his shoulders were yanked backwards so hard it felt like they'd been pulled from their sockets. They probably weren't, but his aching muscles didn't seem to know the difference. He let out a gasp of pain as his hands fell to his sides, trying to get his feet underneath him in Trugger's strong grip.
Fear started to rise up in him at how stupid he'd been. He'd been so confident in his skills, but what had he ever achieved without a squad of clone troopers at his back?
A hiss escaped through his teeth as the Zabrak grabbed his chin. She brought her face close to his and sneered. "The little Jedi's not so invincible all by his lonesome. What are you, ten? What are you doing so far from your precious Master?"
"Told you," he got out through clenched teeth. "I was kidnapped." He winced as she shoved his face away, her dagger-like nails leaving stinging gouges on his cheek. Note to future-me, he thought. Do not anger this lady. Again.
He turned pleading eyes to the Duros. "Please," he croaked. "Let me contact my Master. I promise you will get remuneration from the Republic for my safe return- " He stopped short as she gave him an icy smile, shaking her head.
"There is no way that any remuneration I might get from the Republic could possibly be bigger than what I could get for you on the black market."
He gave his shoulders a wrench, desperate to escape Trugger's grip at her words, but it was no use. He'd traded one prison for another.
The human slipped away from the group as the boss said, "Make sure he knows his place, gang."
He shook his head frantically as they closed in around him, pain narrowing his world as fists and feet pounded his body. Nails tore his skin, feet gave way to bruises, and knuckles produced sharp cracks from his ribs. Those ones hurt the most.
It felt like the beating lasted a lifetime. When it finally stopped though, he had time for one ragged breath before a sharp pain in his neck made him gasp. The human stepped back as a needle glinted in the dim light, sliding from his neck, an unbearable weight settling itself over his limbs.
The sound of his own harsh breathing was the last thing he heard before he fell limp in his captor's arms.