Mordivai arrived in Shadow Town sick with terror. He had gone hoarse long ago, and now he simply pushed against the sides of the crate to keep himself from knocking about while trying to focus on not hyperventilating.
I am not dying, I am not dying. This horror would end. Eventually.
By the time someone finally let him out, he was too exhausted to resist, and he let a prison guard in a crisp military uniform lead him like a docile nerf down corridors and into a room called "Inmate Processing."
He didn't even flinch when an identification chip was inserted underneath the skin of his arm, and he overheard the guards conversing about him shortly thereafter, questioning whether he was actually a real Sith. Strangely, they sounded serious and not sarcastic, which made Mordivai wonder if people really were locked up in this place on false pretenses. Then again, what had he done wrong to be brought here?
His time in the crate had left him shaking so badly that he stumbled as he was led to his cell, his legs feeling far too weak to even hold him up. The nearest guard stopped in front of an empty room and gave Mordivai a shove. Mordivai tripped into the room, catching himself before falling. When he turned around, a buzzing red force-field was already in place. Mordivai slumped onto the room's single cot and curled into a ball. His arms trembled but all he felt was relief that he was out of the crate. He supposed the rest of his predicament would sink in later. He soon fell into a weary sleep, free even of dreams.
00o00
Mordivai awoke to the silence left behind when the buzzing of his cell force-field failed. The hallway beyond was dark, which was unusual. A uniformed guard stood outside the room, strangely still, watching Mordiavi with blank, expressionless eyes. The man rose into the air without warning and Mordivai skittered backwards in surprise, watching as the guard was lifted off his feet and propelled into the cell. He crumpled to the floor and emitted a whimper. When he glanced up, Mordivai realized that what he had initially taken for a dumb stare was actually stark terror. The guard held his hands out in a gesture of surrender. A moment later, a hulking shape stepped into the room behind him.
"Move quickly Sith, there is not much time."
"Khem!"
Next behind the Dashade came Rylee, casting furtive glances down the hall as she entered his cell.
"My lord, are you hurt? I did as you asked and brought, your, uh, servant."
The claws on Khem Val's feet clicked across the floor. "We will leave this place now and this guard will help us." He gestured to the man huddled on the floor.
"You...you broke into Shadow Town?"
"Take this," Rylee said and she trust some kind of breathing mask into Mordivai's hands. "You will need it later."
Khem grabbed the guard by the back of his uniform and hauled him, limp and still whimpering, into the corridor. He dropped him onto his feet and gave him a push to get him moving forward.
"Go," he growled.
Mordivai followed his small rescue squad down the hall, noting that the grogginess of sleep was being replaced by exhilaration. They had come for him. And he hadn't even been here one full night. He touched Rylee on the arm and leaned close enough to whisper, "How did you break in so fast?"
"One of your members used to work here. He told us not to wait, because you would be scheduled for the implant operation tomorrow."
Mordivai thought of the chip in his arm. Was it already too late? "Implant?"
"A small explosive planted in your brain, set to detonate if you ever try to leave the premises."
"Oh."
Mordivai digested that as he carefully stepped over the shards of a broken security camera. The enthusiasm with which it had been smashed indicated that it was likely Khem's handiwork. Having a bomb stuck in your head did not sound pleasant. Mordivai was doubly grateful now for his timely rescue.
They came to the security station on this wing of the building and stopped. Here the lights were on, but the room was empty. Rylee drew her wrist up to her lips and spoke in a hush.
"Dunn? We're about ready for the gas." She looked up and nodded to Mordivai. "Get ready with the mask."
Mordivai fiddled with the tangled straps. Were they messing with the ventilation system? It seemed a clever way to bypass all the security personnel, especially in a place as big as this. Mordivai glanced down an adjacent hallway, wondering for a moment just how many prisoners this place housed. There was a trickle of disquiet in the back of Mordivai's mind, something that made his nerves stand on end. There was something nearby, no someone...a Force user. He revolved in a circle, reaching out now through the Force. There could be dozens of Force users imprisoned here, he reminded himself, and pushed the feeling away. The import of what he was about to do - break out of Nar Shaddaa's most notorious Imperial prison - must be sinking in and making him nervous.
The agitation poking at the back of his mind wouldn't leave him alone. No, this wasn't just a Force user. It was someone he knew.
He bolted down the hallway.
"My lord!" Rylee hissed behind him. Then, "Dunn! Hold up a minute." He heard her footsteps chasing after him.
Mordivai passed a few empty cells, then one with a sleeping woman in it, and at the next one he stopped. Inside was another sleeping figure sprawled across a cot. Mordivai stared at the form, recognition stealing across his conscious like light spilling through a door. The figure was tall and lanky, with one arm carelessly thrown off the side of the cot.
"Khem!" Mordivai cried. "Get over here now!"
It was Master Praven in there. Somehow, impossibly, he was alive and he was here. Khem stalked over, dragging the reluctant guard behind him.
Mordivai shot the guard a glare. "Open this cell."
The red force field blinked out and Mordivai surged into the room. "Master Praven!" he called. There was no answer, and for one terrible heartbeat Mordivai thought he was dead. Then he saw the faint rise and fall of Praven's chest. He called his name again, more urgently this time, and gave his shoulder a gentle shake, but Praven still did not respond.
"Th-th-the Force users are often d-d-drugged."
Mordivai turned to see the guard standing behind him, looking wide eyed.
"Khem. Carry Master Praven out of here. He's coming with us."
The Praven Mordiavi remembered had been hale and strong. But Khem gathered him up like he weighed no more than a child. Mordivai saw with a start that Praven was unnaturally thin, almost wasted away, his red skin sallow like chalk. His hair had grown long, so long that it hung in a limp, black cascade halfway down his back. Khem hoisted Praven over his shoulder and gave Mordivai an expectant look.
Rylee was staring at Praven with a look of confusion. "You had another Sith master?"
"No," Mordivai said. "He is a Jedi."
Rylee opened her mouth to ask another question, but Mordivai swept out of the cell. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rylee shake her head and then bring her wrist back to her mouth.
"Just a few minutes more, Dunn. We had to take a detour."
They reached the security station and Khem kicked the door open. With a free arm he cleared the top of a nearby desk, knocking off a datapad, some paper, and a mug which shattered when it hit the floor. He deposited Praven on the desktop.
"That tracker needs to come out of your arm, my lord," Rylee said. "And...your Jedi friend still has his head bomb." She licked her lips nervously. "I don't know how we can possible get it out in time."
Mordivai looked around the room for the guard and found him, crouched in a corner, hovering over some fallen comrades, who looked like they might be dead.
"Guard!"
The man jumped.
"How do you deactivate the detonator in this man's head?"
"Surgery can remove it," the guard said. "But...that takes prep work, an hour for the op, and at least another hour for recovery."
Mordivai felt panic rising in his chest.
"No, there has to be another way. Do prisoners never leave this facility once they come in?"
The guard hesitated, his eyes darting around the room, probably working out his chances of survival, or lack thereof. "It...it can be disabled. With, a concentrated electric shock. Lasts about ten minutes."
"How?" Mordivai said. He stalked over to the man, his patience wearing thin. The guard held up his hands again.
"The wand." He pointed across the room. "On that rack. Take it and hold it near his right temple. Activate it for twenty seconds."
Mordivai moved to where the guard was pointing and found a small hanging rack of black rods, each with a clear dome on one end and some knobs on the other. He grabbed one and spun the knob. A bright arc of electricity leapt from the tip with a sizzle and then retreated. The wand now buzzed faintly in his hand, vibrating like it was filled with insects.
"Somebody...uh...somebody needs to hold him down." The guard gestured at Praven lying motionless on the table.
Praven was already unconscious. Was this really necessary? Mordivai felt a creeping unease along his spine. Likely the jolt caused involuntary muscle spasms.
"Khem."
Khem nodded and went to grab Praven's legs. Mordivai glanced at Rylee. "Take his arms."
Once Rylee positioned herself, Mordivai took a breath, and went to Praven's head. He touched the wand to Praven's temple.
"Don't touch him with it!" the guard called from behind. "Just hold it near."
Mordivai adjusted, and then leaned forward on the desk so that he could steady his arms on the table. He activated the wand.
A tiny spark of lightning shot from the rod and connected with Praven's head. Immediately Praven's whole body lurched up from the table and a guttural, wordless cry emerged from his throat. One arm slipped free from Rylee's grasp and flung outwards, knocking her back off her feet with such power that Mordivai knew Praven had used the Force. Mordivai spun to the side of the desk and threw his body across Praven's chest, trying to pin the wayward arm down. Rylee was back again, reaching for Praven's flailing wrist. Praven's body rocked from side to side and Mordivai lost hold of the wand. It dropped from his hand and rolled across the table while Mordivai scrambled after it. Praven grew still.
"Ok," Mordivai said, straightening and taking a deep breath. "No more messing around. We've got to do this and do it fast. Khem, sit on him if you have to."
Khem grabbed Praven and flipped him onto his back. Then he climbed onto the table and drew Praven's arms behind his back. He sat on Praven's legs and leaned forward to crush Praven's arms under the weight of his torso.
He looked up at Mordivai, his beady eyes lit like a cat's. "Do it, little Sith."
Mordivai took one look at Praven, flattened against the desktop like some untrustworthy criminal and cringed. Even frail as he had become, he was still strong, and Mordivai suspected that the jolt from the wand had caused him pain. Praven's hair splayed across the table in a tangled mess, some of it covering his face like a curtain.
Mordivai positioned himself again at the end of the desk. "I'm sorry Master," he whispered. Then he activated the wand again.
Praven yelled again, his cry muffled this time by his hair and positioning of the table. Mordivai held the wand steady, trying to count to twenty in his head, afraid that if he rushed, the deactivation wouldn't have time to work. He had counted to seventeen when an alarm began blaring in the hallway.
"Damn it!" Rylee said.
"Ok...eighteen...nineteen...twenty. Let's get out of here!" Mordivai threw the wand on the floor and began running for the door. He held it open as Khem rushed out with Praven slung once again over his shoulder, and Rylee followed, shouting words into her wrist comm.
"The gas! Switch it on, Dunn!"
Realizing he had forgotten his mask back in the room, Mordivai pushed past Rylee back inside to snatch it up before chasing after her.
She looked back, her face already obscured by her own mask and Mordivai nodded, quickly donning his own. Khem, he supposed, didn't need one.
"What gas are you releasing?" he yelled to Rylee. "Will it hurt Praven?"
"No," Rylee called back. "Just knock him unconscious."
The corridor before him began to take on a smokey haze, and Mordivai quickened his pace in order to keep sight of Khem loping ahead of him. They passed a few bodies along their path, one or two who even tried to reach for blasters or comms, but the gas worked quickly and no one was able to stop them. Mordivai ran past cells, elevators, side hallways, and stairwells, hoping Rylee knew the lay of this place. She called directions, taking cues from her unseen helper on the comm, and at last they emerged through a final gate into the open air. There was a beat up taxi waiting for them with a droid inside.
"You're late," it said. "I have other jobs to do, you know. That'll be extra-"
"Shut up," Mordivai said. He lept into the front seat next to Rylee, while Khem sat with Praven stretched out in the back.
The taxi took off and Mordivai tore off his mask and let his head fall back against the seat.
"My lord!" It was Rylee squished next to him. She was gesturing at his arm, her eyes round as coins. "We forgot to take the tracker out!"
Mordivai swore. "And Praven. He must have one too."
"I have a knife. Give me your arm."
Mordivai didn't like the thought of having this chip ripped from his arm while in a careening taxi, but he didn't have a choice, so he complied. Rylee locked his arm in hers and held a small, sharp pocket knife against his skin.
"Ok, hold on, my lord."
Mordivai grit his teeth. The pain began and he let out a muffled groan. "Hurry...it...up!"
"Ok, almost there...ok, I got it!" Grinning, Rylee tossed the chip over the side of the flying car, and then reached back to hand Khem the knife so he could remove Praven's chip. Then she spoke into her comm once more. "We did it! We're out!"
Mordivai drew the sleeve of his shirt down and held it there. "You guys really did it. You got me out."
Rylee smiled at him. "We would never have left you there, my lord. Everyone banded together to help you. Listen."
She held up the comm and Mordivai leaned close. A faint roar like static was coming from it. Cheering, he realized. His people were cheering.
A/N: I'll be out of town next week for a few days so there won't be a new chapter posted next Sunday.