The Domina

Orbiting Taris

Rheni batted aside a stray blaster bolt, and removed the hand of the pirate who had fired it. Hand and blaster fell to the floor as the Jedi stepped over both, not breaking stride, leaving it to his sister to slam the pirate into the bulkhead and render him unconscious. Two pirates further down the corridor turned mid-flight to fire a couple of parting shots; the first went wide, and Rheni deflected the last back into its owner's leg. The pirate fell, cursing her fellow as he ran on without her.

Turn left, said a voice in Rheni's head, and he did so, entering another corridor that ran the length of a hallway before ending in an elevator. A small group of pirates stood there, one of them pressing frantically at the call button while the others glanced nervously over their shoulders. When they saw the Jedi and their marines approaching them, some panicked and tried to jostle their way free of the crowd; others raised their blasters and opened fire.

Rheni and Livia shielded their troops from the worst of the fire, their lightsabers sweeping in intricate blue arcs which caught every shot fired and turned them back against their attackers, whilst the marines opened fire. The pirates were trapped between the lift door and the Republic boarding party, with no escape. One by one, they were gunned down, until the few survivors managed to throw down their weapons and surrender. Rheni ordered a detachment to escort the new prisoners to the brig, and when the sergeant protested that this would deprive them of much needed manpower, he curtly repeated his command and stared him straight in the eye. The sergeant, who had faced down Sith Marauders in his time, found himself feeling distinctly uncomfortable under the sightless gaze of his Padawan commander, and meekly acquiesced.

The lift doors opened with a soft hiss. Rheni stepped forward, but the sergeant held him back. "Wait a moment, sir, before you charge in" he said. "What are we dealing with on the other side?"

Rheni glanced at Livia, who looked down through the floor and seemed to concentrate. After a few moments, she seemed to nod to herself and looked back at her twin. "There are a lot of them. Twenty-three, to be precise. All stinking of fear and desperation."

"Then we've got a problem, sir," the sergeant said, matter-of-factly. "That lift will only take five at a time, and they'll be gunned down the moment the doors open."

"Liv and I could go first. We should be able to handle a few pirates."

The sergeant shook his head. "With respect, Master Jedi, you'd only get killed. In a confined space like that, they'll just keep shooting you until you die. Nowhere to manoeuvre, and you'd slice each other to bits trying to block their blaster bolts."

Livia nodded in quiet agreement. "What do you think we should do, then, sergeant?" she asked, softly.

The sergeant thought for a moment. "Grenades," he said at last. "Toss a few grenades into the lift, and when the doors open the pirates will be in for a shock or two."

"Alright," agreed Rheni. "But concussives only, understand? No explosives."

The sergeant rolled his eyes behind his helmet. "Yes, sir. Concussives only." He nodded to the squad's demolitions expert, who handed him five concussion grenades. The sergeant keyed the activation code into each, released the pins, and tossed them with a practiced arm into the elevator. He turned to the two Jedi. "You may want to make sure those don't go off until they reach the bottom."

Rheni nodded and reached out with the Force, feeling the energies of the grenade, building rapidly and about to explode. With a shaping of his will, he held the charges safe within their casings, cocooned in the Force. At the same time, Livia waved her hand, closing the lift doors and sending the car down, down, down to the cargo hold.

Through the Force, the twins felt the lift slow to a stop, and the doors slide open. They felt first the confusion, then the mounting panic of the pirates below. They felt the energies of the grenades, barely held in check and straining at their bonds to be released.

Now, whispered Livia's voice in his mind, and Rheni released his mental hold. The twins did not need the Force to feel the explosion; the vibrations from five separate concussion blasts rose up through the floor and through their boots, numbing their toes and making their ears ring. And then suddenly, everything was still.

"Right," said Rheni, when his ears had stopped ringing. "Liv and I will go down first, just in case anyone's still awake. We'll comm you with the all clear."

"Yes, sir."

"Have you given any thought to what we're going to do once we've liberated the slaves, Rheni?" Livia asked, as the lift doors closed. "Until Master Aelia secures the bridge, we're likely to be surrounded by hostiles."

The lift began to hum gently as they descended. Had Rheni been human, or indeed any other species with eyes, he would have likely given his sister a reassuring glance. Instead, he opted for a gentle mental nudge. "Liv, we've been surrounded by hostiles since the moment we set foot on this ship. It hasn't bothered us so far."

"We haven't had a large number of non-combatants to defend yet," Livia reminded him, her voice gentle but pointed. "Once they enter the calculation, or situation will become a lot more complicated."

The lift doors opened as Rheni sucked his teeth in thought. "Good point. We should probably stay in the detention level until we get the all-clear. Speaking of all-clears…" He tapped the comm on his vambraces. "Everything's good down here, Sergeant. All hostiles are out for the count."

"Copy," said the static voice of the sergeant. "I'll send my men down in groups of five."

The Miraluka twins settled down to wait for their back-up, and their minds settled into meditation, as they had been taught. The whole ship stank of the Dark Side, clouded as it was with fear and anger, but threading through that mess of emotion was one clear strand. The twins latched on to it, and followed it to its source on the bridge of the Hyrim.

Master Quintus, thought Rheni, his voice carrying through the Force. We're nearing the detention level.

I see you. Quintus' voice was calm, in contrast to the turmoil prevalent on the pirate ship, and a welcome solace. The slaves are being kept in a series of cells just off the next corridor, in a converted cargo bay. You should hurry. Your enemies are gathering, and I don't like the readings that I am getting from them. I fear our rescuees may be in danger.

Rheni closed his mind, and reached out for his sister through the Force. "You got all that?"

"Of course," she replied. "Let's go."

Beside them one of the Republic soldiers, a corporal, looked concerned. "With respect, Master Jedi, the rest of the unit isn't here yet. Fifteen marines may not be enough."

"They'll have to be. We're running out of time." Rheni's lightsaber ignited with its characteristic snap-hiss, its blade illuminating the gloomy corridor in an eerie blue light. "If you're worried, stay behind us. We'll cover you."

"Sir, I really must register my concerns-"

"Duly noted," said Rheni, beginning to stride purposefully down the hallway. "Now get a move on."

Military discipline forestalled any further dissent, and the squad followed on behind in the wake of the Jedi. The ship's corridors rang once more with the hum of lightsabers and blaster fire as marine, pirate and Jedi alike clashed in the confined spaces.