"Izan, you are beyond insane, crazy. Out-the-window-up-the-road-in-the-pit wacked!"
Izan could only blink at that outburst from Maarani. There really was no immediate response to it. And from the look of it, Dana and Jayden were both tending to agree with her.
"It's not what it used to be, believe me. Besides, that whole bounty business was never about actually murdering Jedi from what I've been told. No need to get so upset." He backed away defensively when Maarani glared at him with a terrifying expression. "Besides, I know the boss of this outpost. We go in, get the check done, and leave, no questions asked. Simple."
"It hasn't been simple so far, why should it start now…" Dana released her hand from clutching at her face in a moment of realization. "I'm talking like Teegs. This is how bad things have gotten."
"I'm literally standing beside you Dana."
"I didn't mean in that way. But…" She was trying very hard to pretend it was just part of listening to her speak for close to a month at that point, and not something more serious. It was still an unwelcome distraction from trying to make sense of Izan's incredibly risky plan.
To everyone's surprise, Jayden spoke up with actual approval shortly after. "Technically, you are right Izan. The Exchange will know something about the Hidden Hand's movements, even if they operate internally. We still have to minimize the risks." She reached over to her helmet on the nearby table, catching it neatly when it flew over. "I've got a solid cover identity as a Mandalorian, so I will accompany you. There are contacts of my own I might be able to get in touch with from the outpost."
"Great, and I'll go to the cantina to flirt with the dancers and find out what they know. Because I'm a dumb bitch of a Twi'lek." Maarani had crossed her arms and started to walk off back towards the cockpit by then, making her distaste for the plan well known.
Dana was too slow on catching her arm, but it didn't stop her from trying anyway. "Teegs, don't do that to yourself. It's been three days now."
"Or I'll just end up shooting one because Izan won't be there to stop me…" Her face landed in her left hand, the other reaching out to the wall for support. Neither of them had told their Jedi friends about her very nearly missed incident. And now certainly wasn't the time she felt was right to bring it up.
Izan for once was quick on the uptake. "Things got real weird in the Citadel cantina. Probably the mix of pheromones and whatever other drugs they love to pump into the air." He wasn't sure if the lack of glaring from either Jedi was good or not. Dana actually appeared to be displaying a degree of sadness for once.
He caught Maarani's gaze through the narrow gap in the bulkhead doorways. "They don't allow any substances or weapons onto the station. There's no cantina to shoot up, believe me. Things will be different when we get there."
"I don't think she should even go, Izan." Jayden drummed her helmet to emphasise her point. "If the Hidden Hand have put word out on the Exchange already, she's the first face they'll look for."
Maarani slammed her fist against the bulkhead. An unsuccessful attempt to release the growing frustration she was experiencing. She made her way back to the others in a bregruding manner. "I can't face Zariba, not yet, so I'm coming with you two. Blue Squadron doesn't run from danger, and quite frankly I've got little else to go on."
This time, Dana did have the chance to lightly take hold of her arm. A sole reassurance on her part. "Do what you feel is best. We might be out here on our own, but we are together on this."
"That's so sappy I feel sick…"
Cecile wandered in to interrupt Dana's continued eyerolling. "I have completed the survey. It seems the Twi'leks only made surface repairs and upgrades. We still don't have weapons to speak of, and the communication relay is horribly outdated. It is a wonder you could call for help at all." Her eyes flickered when she noticed the glare Maarani was giving her.
"Seradan cheaped out after all I paid him… That bastard." There was a new sinking feeling for her to contend with. The realization that a good chunk of her savings had not only been effectively stolen, but was now funding some very nasty people. Let alone ones out to kill her.
As if she hadn't been through enough already.
"I'm sure we can steal it back, somehow. Now, we'd better make the final jump before their long range network sees us sitting out here. They're jumpy these days."
Maarani went back to the cockpit yet again and took her seat, joined by Izan shortly after. The jump coordinates had been set by them earlier, before he had actually mentioned who ran the station they were headed for.
Once Izan was settled, he readied the communication transmitter before looking to the Twi'lek. "We'll know if I'm still welcome there or not after about five seconds. I doubt they'd open fire, but you never know…"
The eyeroll in response was beyond exaggerated.
"I had doubts you would give this a chance if I told you earlier. Now, don't make the jump until I say so." Under his breath, he counted to three then began the first signal. After counting on to fifteen, he nodded to Maarani. "Go."
She put her reservations aside for the time being and did as instructed. The jump itself lasted only a few seconds, bringing them a decent distance out from the station itself. Crude and dark in design, it was hard to miss the impressive array of weaponry that lined reinforced sections of the main structure. Easily equipped with the firepower to enforce their own law on approaching ships.
"Unregistered vessel Cresh-Seven-One-Zerek, identify."
Maarani looked to Izan, who tilted his head back at her as if she was meant to do the talking. That annoyed her further.
"Uh… This is the Distant Star, I'm Maarani, and my friend with the secret code thingy is Izan. Please don't blow us up?"
In the silent exchange that followed, she scowled at Izan after he facepalmed at her response, to which he shrugged back at. She very nearly went to punch him when the station responded in turn.
"Prepare passenger access port for shuttle transport. Remove all weapons and contraband from your person before boarding, we will be performing full tissue scans. The Intendant will be awaiting your arrival."
That made Maarani smile at long last. "Wow, you weren't kidding about knowing the boss."
Izan faintly chuckled, now that it was his turn for the mood to turn sour. "No, I certainly wasn't at all. This is no laughing matter for me."
A vessel launch from the station drew her attention away before she could prod at him further. The aforementioned transport shuttle. With a few careful movements, she turned the ship to provide clear access to the passenger port.
"Well, they didn't blow us up, so I'd say that's good. Now we can wait for the next bad thing to happen." While watching the ship approach, she had a quiet moment to think. Izan's stern gaze at the station itself was impossible to ignore.
She nearly punched herself for being so blind to the obvious. "Luxa's the Intendant here, and you've got mommy issues. I suppose anyone who's got anything to do with the Jedi has some sort of family crisis in their lives."
"Are you going to be this passive-aggressive for all of time? It was bad enough when you had to really rub in the fact that you want tits in your life, but this-"
"What? I'm not allowed to crack jokes about family issues because I'm an orphan?"
Izan grumbled to himself for a while after, waiting for the soft rumble of the shuttle docking with the Distant Star. When it finally did come, he all too eagerly left his seat. "I'm just saying that you should consider lowering your guard a little, at least around friendly company. Or when we're dealing with a serious matter like a potential death bounty on our heads."
"Does your mother count as friendly company?"
For the first time in well over a week, Izan felt frustrated with her. It was a bit more than he was willing to tolerate. "It's difficult between us. I am just asking for a bit of thought before action here. And maybe, just maybe, not being a smartass bitch for once."
"Ooh, Izan started swearing. Keep it up and maybe you'll talk like a normal person at last."
"What's wrong with how I talk?"
Jayden leaned into the cockpit at that moment. "What's the hold up? The shuttle isn't going to wait for long."
Izan slipped past without a further word, nodding to Dana and Cecile on his way over to the shuttle. The shuttle was just as he remembered it, a five seat iron coffin that barely allowed for those of average humanoid height. He didn't want to be near Jayden when she would inevitably have to enter the vessel.
He had an uncomfortable amount of squishing in from Maarani to distract him further. She had of course chosen to force herself into the seat right beside him, rather than one of the other two rows. Obviously to annoy him more.
"As I was saying, you kinda talked weird when we first met. I mean, who really says 'grab women's flesh' anyway? Seriously? It's not even an expression."
It did give him pause for thought. Looking back, he usually did settle for his own style of creative wording that gave him something to think about while sitting at the bar. And it had gone away not long after meeting her…
"Your need to be hip drove it away I suppose." He scratched at his beard in further thought. Being around her had definitely changed things beyond his speech, and the lifestyle he led. "At this point I'm not upset about leaving Telos behind. Glad to actually be doing something, since I wasn't really given any assignments by Czerka. But I am still bothered by just how overbearing you can be sometimes. I much prefer you when you're just being honest, and looking out for others."
"Like handing myself over to homicidal droids?" Maarani clenched her teeth. Somehow, she hadn't felt the urge to throw out her usual sarcasm yet again that time. People had still died, but they were at least beyond her help. Off her conscience.
Neither of them had noticed Jayden was also on board until the shuttle had launched free from the Distant Star. Unlike the rumble of it docking, the release was a violent shake that felt as if the vessel was ready to tear itself apart. Once in flight, it became surprisingly tranquil.
Nothing was said on the long flight over to the station for a bit over half the journey. It was still cramped, and quickly became stuffy with three occupants. Jayden had somehow managed to put her helmet on despite the confined space, using the air filter inside to lessen the effect for them all.
"I'll admit Maarani. It was brave to surrender to the HK droids in that situation. I faced the same decision, and paid for it dearly when I chose to fight."
Maarani twisted her head around to look back at Jayden, unknowingly squashing her lekku into Izan's face while she did so. Her attention was on the leg that the Mandalorian was gripping tightly. She had seen a very similar grip amongst former squadmates who had lost limbs to crashes and other accidents.
"Ironic. I was trying to break the silence."
A haunted look remained on Maarani's face when she twisted back around. All that time assuming that Jayden was just grumpy with her. For the first time, there was a hint of common ground.
"I've tried to kill myself so many times over the past few months. The real irony is that the droids weren't ever going to kill me. I guess they're programmed to enjoy mutilation instead."
"Next time we run into them, Maarani, I'll leave one or two for you to have at yourself. Just don't get in the way."
Izan scoffed at them both. The sight of the landing bay finally enclosing around them had restored his confidence. "What a great girl's night out. Destroying a bunch of droids. You Jedi have it made."
A soft rumble swept through the shuttle when latches brought the craft down onto the deck carefully. Not so much because of a lack of advanced machinery, as it was the ease of replacing guylines when disgruntled ships inevitably tried to damage or break free of the landing bay itself.
That was how it had been explained to Izan by his father anyway.
"Now we get to experience the utter pleasure of full body scans. If they ask you to remove your leg for inspection, Jayden, tell them no and move on. They can't enforce any kind of physical search when the scan comes up clean." He waited for both women to make their way out of the craft once it had landed before getting up as well.
On the deck itself, he grabbed Maarani's arm to pull her aside just a bit. "You did remember to remove that holdout blaster from your…"
Maarani shook free of his grasp with an accompanying eyeroll. "I haven't spent a week with a weapon between my boobs. That's not how they work you know." After looking back at Jayden, who looked back at them silently, she leaned in closer to Izan. "You do actually know surely…"
"For goodness sake Maarani, stop thinking about… well that for an hour at least. Yes I brought it up, but that doesn't mean-"
"Childish, both of you."
"He did actually start it…" Maarani's voice trailed off. Even with the helmet on, she could tell that she was getting an infamous Jedi glare. Conveniently without the rumbling sensation in her ears that Atris seemed to bring on in her own glares.
The Exchange Hall brought back unpleasant memories of a brief posting on Scipio for Maarani. Protecting the Republic's largest financing world was undoubtedly important, but it had put her in the presence of far too many unpleasant individuals that were solely fascinated by her gender, or her race. And an awfully large amount of droids.
Of course, the giant scrolling screens in that room were listing names of people, ships, corporations and even planets instead of financial garbage that she didn't ever bother to make sense of. The crowds below the screens were very much active in discussion, arranging captures, assassinations and sabotage by the second. They were the ones she noticed above all else anyway. Now more than ever, she felt very glad about leaving her Republic patches behind.
They were soon led through a cleaner set of corridors compared to the public areas seen so far that bore the typical signs of extreme traffic. There were a few other people wandering by, all paying no attention to the trio whatsoever. None of them had any complaints about that.
Outside a large doorway, the escorts left them altogether without a word.
Izan didn't need any further explanation of course, unlike the other two. "I'm not sure how my mother feels about Mandalorians at this point, Jayden. Fair warning that she might ask you to leave."
Jayden folded her arms at that, but gave a slow nod as well.
"Maarani… Don't say or do anything stupid, please."
"You beat a guy at cards and he called you a penis. You can only go up from there."
Yet again, Izan brought a hand to his face. Several curses were muttered under his breath when the doors finally opened to them.
Just as it had been all those years since he had last been there, the Exchange head office was occupied by eight individuals aside from the new arrivals. A local observer from the nearest Exchange holding to provide constant supply monitoring. Three of the Intendant's personal associates, charged with negotiation and communication on her behalf. A representative each from the three largest crime networks that operated under the banner of the Exchange.
And the Intendant herself.
"Bad time mother?"
For a moment, it appeared that Luxa had yet to acknowledge his presence, continuing to issue out instructions and other information at speed. A simple way of giving herself time to make final preparations for his arrival.
It bothered Izan a great deal more than Maarani ever could. After years, not even a cursory glance from her. "I'll take that as a yes then. Sorry for wasting your time yet again. Don't bother looking for me at the bar, I'm travelling the galaxy now."
"Izan, you're forgetting something…" Luxa looked up from her work at last, her attention now entirely on him. "It's been Intendent ever since you ran off to work for Czerka with your father. We stick to the decisions we make."
"And I thought I held a grud-"
Maarani nearly choked on the sudden elbow to her stomach from Izan. It was hardly undeserved, as she was going to make a stupid remark anyway, but she resented it nonetheless.
"I'm not calling you by a title, mother. Things have changed, and I didn't come here for an Intendent's help. I came for yours."
Luxa turned her head to the others standing around the table, who shrugged in response and returned to the work at hand. "Sitting at a bar and playing cards has changed I'm sure…" Her eyes narrowed down as recent events began to line up from memory. They had seemed somewhat random and unconnected beforehand, without reliable inside information to work with.
She strode around the central table and made her way back out immediately, gesturing for them to follow. Her quickened pace slowed once they were out of earshot of the central office.
"HK-50's on Citadel Station, with no word from you about it at all. And now you show up with a Twi'lek after the nearest colony world closes its borders without warning. What did you get yourself into Izan?"
He scratched through his hair while looking to the other two women behind him. Neither of them seemed ready to jump in for support. "Longish story? I met Maarani on Telos, stuff happened, and now she's out of pocket and we could really use a loan of about a hundred thousand credits. Think you can cover me for that?"
"Hundred thousand…" Luxa looked to Izan, then to Maarani, and finally to Jayden. Her jaw had dropped a little, but she wasn't exasperated. "Izan, if it's a bounty that you need paid off, please tell me. Don't just ask for that kind of money because you think I can't clear it with whomever you pissed off."
"Mother, it really isn't that-"
"I mean, if you just happened to fuck the daughter of a crime boss without realizing, that's difficult but not impossible to pay off."
"Mother I haven't fucked any crime boss daughters-"
"I did actually. Sorta."
Maarani could hear the slap of Izan's face impacting both his hands. Behind, she could also hear Jayden shaking her head in a similar reaction. What terrified her was the creepy smirk that appeared on Luxa's face. Moreso the fact that it only reminded her that she was far older than she looked.
"Izan, I don't know if I should be proud or disapproving of the company you keep. Gutsy girl you have here. So, in that case, who am I paying off to forget the matter."
Jayden placed a hand on both Maarani's and Izan's shoulders when she stepped forward, looking down at the Zeltron through her helmet. "The Exchange doesn't typically deal with who we're being chased by. A particular branch of the larger entity that spawned from your lot I believe."
That took the smirk right off Luxa's face. In its place was genuine fear. When the initial shock passed, she shoved Jayden's hand away to take hold of Izan's shoulders herself. "Izan, I gave you a complete list of every place to avoid. Why didn't you-"
"List is outdated, mother. Twa'janii Tradeport has been Hidden Hand for a while now."
It drove her confidence away altogether for a few terrible seconds. However strained things had become, she certainly didn't want Izan dead. But, for the first time in her life, she was helpless to prevent that.
"I need to know what kind of trouble you're in exactly. I can block them from posting hits on the Exchange, but chances are they'll stay internal anyway. And if it's bad…"
All three of them went very quiet. Kidnapping definitely counted as bad. Kidnapping with the threat of murder if there was retaliation…
"We need the credits for refitting the ship, supplies along the way, and any other issues that might come up. I'll find a way to pay it all back I promise."
Luxa took a while to consider it. It would obviously have to be in physical form, not an easy task by any means considering the amount. She would also have to justify it to the Exchange accounts. Any sign of hidden transfer would cost her head.
"I can manage seventy thousand at most for the time being. You'll have to ask your father if you need more, though I doubt he will be nearly as generous. You know him better than I do."
"We'll make do, thank you." Maarani wanted to leave by that point. Just far enough to get away from Luxa. She was far too uncanny for her to ignore the discomfort felt from being in her presence.
It apparently didn't go unnoticed, as they were soon escorted back out of the secure area to the public section at last. It felt even more seedy and tense after the otherwise pristine hallways they had been shown through.
The lack of glances directly at them was a reassurance at least. So far, they had yet to become notable faces to look out for. How long that would last was entirely up in the air.
Some subtle prompting from Maarani led them to a quieter area of the central room where she felt more comfortable speaking to them. "Alright, I suggest getting something to eat here, since we won't be getting anything good on the Distant Star until we set down for the upgrades. You sure you can reach your contacts securely from here Jayden?"
Jayden gave her usual minimal shrug. "Luxa already knows why we are here. And my contacts are well secured against tracking from their end. If she or her associates choose to listen in, they will learn what they know already."
"Keep your eyes open then, just for the sake of it." Maarani slipped her arm around Izan's once Jayden had gone off to the communication section. "I'm taking charge and keeping things organized, rather than making sarcastic remarks. This is what you wanted from me right?"
"I don't want anything of you Maarani. Well, that's not really true, but you know what I mean…" Izan took her in the direction of the food court. Precious time to get through to her. "I said it from the start, you're a nice woman, but then sometimes it feels like you're almost hostile to everyone out of nowhere. It just makes me feel like we've done something to upset you, and you're having trouble coming out and saying it. Usually."
"That outburst right before Aiyek took the hit? That's what you mean right?"
"That just made me even more worried. There's repression going on."
"I thought Dana was the psyc-" Maarani clutched at her forehead with her left hand, while her right arm tugged on Izan a bit more. "I don't actually know if I can help the remarks. I've had to make them for four years to keep things from getting ugly with the squadmates."
"Yeah, I've been getting the impression you weren't too fond of them. Suppose that's the problem with being in the military, you don't get to pick friends for company."
He led her to a free table, this time in the middle of the spacious room where a lot of activity was going on around them. The fellow customers looked even more disreputable than those at the Exchange, and had eating habits to match.
Maarani was ready to sit down when the past caught up again. "I'll order. It's going to be a long while before I forget that first drink you bought for me."
Contests weren't a particularly appealing pastime to Dana. Work, study and meditation had been fulfilling enough in her life, and training in the refined art of lightsaber combat had been entertaining in their own right. There was never a desire to raise the stakes in such matches. After all, the risk that came with using actual weapons for training in her later years was all the excitement she needed.
On the other hand, staring at Zariba across the table was about as mundane as contests could get. Second only to a similar contest with Cecile. Whose ocular sensors flickered so rarely outside of conversation that her own eyes would dry out well before the droid lost.
It really was a mentally tiring line of thought. But it was also the easiest to remain focused on at that moment while she waited for Zariba to make her move. A rival to her own observation skills was not to be underestimated. Any distracting thought that trailed her mind off could potentially allow the Twi'lek to break through. Unlikely as it was, she couldn't take the chance.
Cecile did manage to interrupt with two tall drinks that she placed before them. "You must stay hydrated, Master Jedi, and traitorous whoreslut. Is there anything either of you would like to eat?"
"Cecile, we talked about not using vulgar language weeks ago. It's bad enough with Teegs."
"I am only repeating what she said while crying into her pillow for several hours." Cecile turned her head to Zariba. The Twi'lek wasn't even acknowledging her presence, or else was doing a very good job of pretending to be unfazed. "Given the lack of physical contact between the Mistress and the traitor, I merely assumed it was not meant in a pleasing way." Her head twisted back to Dana with a slight creak. "Requests for food, please?"
Dana broke eye contact with Zariba to look back at the droid. "You're not a servant here Cecile. You don't have to attend to our every whim and need. I personally like preparing food anyway."
A loud spitting sound came from Zariba's direction. At the same time, she felt something wet hit her cheek.
It had been nearly two decades since she had last let the emotional restraint go. The spit itself was not what bothered her, rather the act of defiance that had been shown.
"CC-13, initiate shutdown."
Her eyes glowed just a little once she was certain the droid had deactivated herself. In that same moment, she turned to Zariba. The spittle left on her cheek began to boil, and eventually evaporated off her skin altogether.
"You don't scare me, Jedi. I know you can pull all kinds of tricks to-" Zariba instinctively clutched at her throat, only to find that it was not the sensation of a hand gripping it like she expected. On the outside, it was very cold. Inside, it felt as if there were hot oil being poured down through her mouth.
The way Dana stood up from her seat was even more uncanny, simply rising up without moving her arms even a bit for support. "Let me make something very clear to you, Zariba."
Every light in the ship dimmed down when she stepped towards the struggling Twi'lek, who now had tears welling up in her eyes while she continued to cough uncontrollably.
"You didn't just break Tegama's heart. You betrayed our trust, when you had the perfect opportunity to come clean. This little tantrum of yours is going to be the last. Or a broken heart will be the least of the injuries you will suffer."
She placed her fingertips on Zariba's forehead and closed her eyes for just a moment. Upon opening them again, the lights had returned to normal, as had her own eyes. Zariba's head remained in place when she released her hand.
A gesture brought Cecile back online, giving Dana just enough time to return to her seat. "That said, I don't have experience with preparing Twi'lek cuisine. And the way Teegs described 'rycrit smoothies' made me feel equally disgusted. If you want to give preparing meals a go though Cecile, that should be by your own choice."
Cecile's eyes flickered in the usual manner while she processed everything said. "Something that does not contain meat, but still has a distinctive Twi'lek origin. I will do my best with what little we have."
Zariba remained silent, still gazing at the table surface like she had been since being let out of her effective cell. She had been told to behave after all…
"So I told her to stop giving me tentacle envy, she scowled and walked off. That's Nautolans for you I guess."
Izan was slowly shaking his head in bemusement. "I wouldn't know, not having met one to date. Though now I'm curious. I suppose people sound more intriguing when described by others."
Maarani took a few good gulps of her drink. The raw sweetness of it often made her choke at first, but it was also putting her in a good mood. "She was a bitch anyway. Some engineering corps division thingy whazam doopedy doo." She nearly broke down into hysterical giggling when the last surge of the drink seeped through into her bloodstream.
When it passed, and some of her senses returned, she slumped forward onto the table and looked up at him with wide eyes and a big grin. "Lia Sturo. Maybe we'll run into her sometime. You can get a good feel of all those slippery grey tentacles. Sliding all down around your shoulders, ooh."
"I think I'll pass on that." He took a rather more tempered sip from his own non-intoxicating drink. "Really though, you should give thought to an engaging conversation that opens the mind up to new possibilities and ideas."
"But I thought we were having a deep conversation here. So deeeeep. Deeper than the deepest deep deep parts of deep space. Where it's so deep it's black. And-"
"I know what fake drunk looks like, Teegs. I'm a master in that area if you recall."
A small trail of saliva ran from the corner of her mouth when she tried to lift her head up. "I'm not drunk, dummy. I'm just so…" She wiped her mouth clean, only to slump onto the table again. A dull pain was starting to form in her stomach. "Sick."
This time, Izan was quick to come to her aide. In a deft motion, he slid the food tray out from under her while also hauling her out of the seat into a standing posture. When her arm went to clutch at her stomach, he had second thoughts about being so close.
"I'll take you as far as the door. You'll have to handle it from there."
Maarani nodded her head with a pained groan. It was the last thing she had a conscious memory of doing before the haze set in. At some point she was released to stumble about on her own, found a suitable place for emptying her stomach, and spent the next several minutes washing her mouth out uncontrollably.
You're not safe here. Over half of us are waiting back at the colony now. Please, come with me.
The oh so familiar echoing voice nearly caused a panic until she remembered it was just in her head. Of course, it had also been a long while since Kiarna's voice had seeped through.
Things between Zimorr and I, are not what they used to be. I can't trust him anymore, and neither should you.
"That's ex-lovers for you, stupid bitch."
She splashed her face again from the sink to bring her awareness back. It was hard to not notice how artificial the water tasted, symptoms of heavy recycling.
There's a Twi'lek who somehow formed a mental link to me. I often pick up on what she says. Disgusting creature.
"You're a real barrel of joy yourself. Bet you always take cold showers, since you're so run-of-the-mill insane already."
Don't concern yourself more than you need to. She is a pest that I will deal with eventually. We have much bigger concerns on Katarr.
Maarani's balance was still sketchy at best, made evident to herself by her inability to make it back to the door of the washroom without stumbling.
Until then, she hadn't noticed the lack of others around her. Given the crowds around them, she had expected to at least notice the presence of a few others.
She had to clear her eyes upon stepping out into the corridor to be certain it wasn't a lingering effect of the high she had been on. It was in fact a completely different part of the station, very dingy in condition, and Izan was nowhere in the vicinity.
Her sudden stomach ache felt like much more than just an unhappy coincidence.
"Keep it together Maarani. Keep it…" She waited for more of her strength to return before making another attempt to walk. After a slight trip on a loose floor panel, she found it much easier to make her way through the desolation. "You had your drink from pouring to the table. Izan always had it in sight. Someone… something marked the glass then."
The first intersection left her clueless as how to proceed. There still wasn't anyone around. The structural design was identical to the rest of the station, and she doubted anyone could sneak her off the station anyway.
"Izan? On the odd chance you're out there, and not someone waiting to ambush me, mind calling out?"
Her hand slapped against her hip. For a moment she had actually forgotten about the strict ban on weapons. It made her feel far less secure to not have it with her. An opportunity to train with Jayden in hand-to-hand combat hadn't actually been settled yet.
"Anyone who is looking to ambush me, just come out and get it settled! I'm a pilot, we're not exactly known for having iron fists and steel jaws." She sighed upon passing every tall crate in the corridor ahead. No-one was leaping out in front of her, or attempting to clobber her from behind. Bruised lekku she could live with if it meant fending off a particularly stupid attacker.
The confused wandering eventually led her to a fairly sizeable room. Several dusty tables and chairs were scattered throughout. Even with the weak light available to her, she could see a definite similarity to the one she had just been in.
"This some sort of funky dream?"
"Just an old layer of the station they decided to abandon."
She tensed up when a tall man emerged from the shadows across the room. Already, she felt very threatened by his presence. The bald head gave her a good view of cybernetic implants in a few key locations around his skull. One of his hands was also cybernetic.
"Look, friend, if this was some elaborate way to get something going, you literally chose the worst person for it."
The stranger grinned, taking that moment to pick something clean from his teeth. "Excellent, their description of you was perfect, right down to your many compulsions. I do like to be certain that I have the right mark."
From within his cybernetic hand emerged a small drugstick, which he popped into the corner of his mouth to chew on.
"For every minute that you don't tell me where Zariba'Kulure is, I will put a hole through your body in places that will inflict the greatest amount of pain. When I have confirmation that she has been rescued, your suffering will be ended immediately."
Maarani took that first few seconds to look at her surroundings again. All of the tables were secured to the floor. The bar was too easy to climb over. If she tried to throw a chair, he would probably impale her leg to the floor with it.
Guile was her only ally. What little she had of it.
"Wouldn't it be great if I could suddenly use the Force to beat your face in with your own hand? Choking is just so overrated."
The assassin smirked at that, rolling the drugstick around to the other side of his mouth. "Your Jedi companion is well beyond helping you, little Twi'lek. Forty one seconds."
She went for the bluff anyway, lifting her hands up in a threatening gesture. "I bet I could do some real damage you know. Songsteel gauntlet, right? I've seen the stuff smash through bone and droid metal."
"Thirty three seconds. Where is Zariba?"
In a desperate moment, she gestured to a chair behind him and motioned for it to strike from behind. Not even the slightest budge. Guile was starting to feel overrated. "I can beat physics with some knowledge of hyperspace technology. I've killed people in and out of battle. My sister is a Sith Lord, I'm being hunted by another, and…"
At that moment, she noticed a loose chair leg about three metres to her left. Too far to run without him catching her, not without some kind of distraction. Being an annoying prick hadn't worked so far. A physical attack on the other hand, if done right, seemed to be the only option.
"She definitely isn't on board the ship right now. That'd be a real stupid place to keep our prisoner, y'know?"
The assassin spit the drugstick out to the side with a wide grin. "Nice try little Twi'lek." He reached his cybernetic arm up to the earpiece around his left ear. "Shadow, she's on the Imperator-class. Board and extract, kill the Jedi. I'm dealing with the Twi'lek as we-"
There was a split second where he noticed Maarani's leg rising up for a strike. Given the way she lifted it, it appeared that she was looking to stomp him in the stomach. That was where his organic arm went to grab her ankle for twisting off.
Maarani's aim was lower.
"I've got no use for them anyway!" She bolted right for the table leg in question. His groan of pain was brief, indicating that her attack hadn't actually done much at all. It had bought her barely enough time to yank the leg off and take a swing for his head.
His cybernetic arm went up before she could make contact. The resulting reverberations nearly rattled it out of her grasp. Both the pain of the impact and the vibration paled to the pain of having a metal gauntlet wrapped around her throat.
"Really? You really went for that? Pathetic waste of a woman."
This time, her attack found a devastating mark, driving the chair leg right up through the connection between his shoulder and the arm itself. She was freed from the gauntlet immediately while he cried out in pain again, this time far louder.
She grabbed the nearest chair and slammed it right over his head. One of the legs made direct contact with his skull, splitting the skin open. It wasn't nearly enough to keep him from grabbing the chair in turn and lifting it back up to bring down on her.
"Oh, shit."
Her arms went up defensively, taking the brunt of the blow. The force behind it knocked her to the ground, and left two sets of searing welts on her skin.
A firm kick to his leg caused him to stumble briefly, but it was more to push herself under the table itself. Time enough for her to roll over to the next table further away, and then to another. From there she stood up and grabbed another chair, slowly backing up when he approached again.
"I'd say you're not so tough without the arm, but then I'd be asking for it. So… eat it!" She swung the chair around to send several more flying in his direction, making another run for the nearest door.
Her hand swung for the security latch a little too ripped through her shoulder when she was grabbed and thrown back over a table, sending more chairs crashing to the floor behind her.
"Last time I consider no weapons a fun challenge. This has become tedious!"
She screamed as his metal arm came down right on the middle of her right shin. The crack was unmistakable. Red was overwhelming her vision while the true pain set in.
Through the dull ringing in her ears, she could hear the door open behind her attacker.
"Get off her!"
Izan's sweeping blow with a heavy pipe connected directly with the assassin's skull. A deep thud came, followed by the clank of it hitting the floor when it wrenched out of his hands. He was in shock for the few seconds it took for his would-be target to turn around "What the hell kind of armor is that?"
He was thrown to the wall by a hard punch that left a wound on the back of his head. His own attack had apparently done something, as the next swing from the assassin missed when he clumsily stumbled out of the way.
Maarani had rolled off the table to put all her weight on the good leg so that she wasn't quite so vulnerable. The broken one shot pain back up through her body when she leaned down to retrieve the pipe Izan had dropped.
"You want me! Come get me you bastard!" She leaned her hip against the table to put all her strength behind the next swing, which crushed his nose completely and left swollen cuts around his cheekbones. It still wasn't enough to stop him.
Again, Izan was quick to her rescue. This time he charged in with a poorly thought out tackle that only served to stumble them both for a bit before he was thrown aside yet again.
"Idiot boy. I was assured you wouldn't be stupid enough to get in the way." He tore off the left arm with a mighty yell and held it at the wrist to use as a terrifying club.
Yet another person entered the scene, and swiftly ended the fight with a single punch. The assassin's head flew across the room and left a dent in the opposing wall where it had impacted. The rest of his bloodied body fell to the floor.
Jayden lifted Izan up from the growing pool of blood while stepping over to lift Maarani up. "I had trouble following Izan down here to help. How bad is it?"
Maarani cried out in pain again when her leg was bent out more from being picked up. Tears were streaming down her face and along her lekku.
"Don't tell me later that's a stupid question. All I felt was the pain in the stump that was my thigh." She stepped back over the corpse into the empty corridor. The dismal light made it hard to work out exactly where she was headed. "Izan, we need an alternate way off the station. He is bound to have reinforcements waiting. Any ideas?"
"Yeah, just follow me while I bump into every wall and accidentally blow us out into space. This way." Through bleary eyes, and with a lot of dull pain all over his body, he led on through the increasingly dark corridors, relying solely on what little he remembered of the place.
