Dark Shadows

The trooper pushed the now protesting Nelkf forcefully down the hall. Even with the restraints on and the threat of being shot, she struggled to disobey. Her shrieks and cries bounced off the synthirock walls, capturing the attention of other prisoners and guards. One prisoner, an old gray alien of some type called advice to her from between the bars of his own cell.

"Don't fight it, Girl. You'll find yourself there no matter how much noise you make."

Nelkf stopped her hellish cries. He's right, she reflected. I should save my strength and words for whatever Imperial flickodog meat is in charge of my interrogation. She started to walk carefully, putting up a facade of bravery, her savage green eyes reflecting the anger within her.

The trooper snorted a laugh as he pushed Nelkf along. "Decide to save yourself a little dignity, Xeno?"

She glared angrily at him, wishing his blaster were in her hands. Harsh words don't do as much damage as a blaster bolt, but that's what I'm stuck with I guess. "Dignity? What do I care about dignity? I'm plotting your grisly demise, Plasteel Boy," she prepared to aim a glob of spit at his eye, but a sudden movement caught her attention.

The door they had stopped in front of was now sliding open to reveal a room full of uniformed dull looking men. They were obviously Imperials.

Another man stood there, obviously superior. Nelkf felt the need to snap his neck. He moved fluidly forward arms open as if to imply welcome. He spoke, his voice as reptilian as his appearance. "Ah, greetings Rebel. I am Admiral Rakson."

Nelkf was waiting for this. "Rakeson? Raisin? Rattler? Never heard of ya'. But you know, even if I did, I wouldn't care. You're only a stinkin' Imp after all."

"Your courage is admirable, but what these scientists have concocted will take more then simply courage to endure," he shot a sly smirk at her that made her stomach turn. "You are but the nerf here. I am the rancor."

Nelkf's eyes began to glint savagely in the dim green light they themselves created. Deep inside her, she felt the need to maim, to kill, to murder. Damn these restraints! If they were off, I'd have more then my tongue to fight with! Unfortunately for her, the trooper had made sure the cuffs were tight around her wrists, and no matter how she twisted them and shifted her wrist bones, she could not pull free. She had to do something! Good thing planning insults and comebacks. "Well Rokeson, or whatever the Sith your name is, if you're the rancor and I'm the nerf, I'd start checking my food for poisoning if I were you."

Rakson was becoming annoyed. He leaned down and stared Nelkf in her sharply lit eyes. "Is that a threat, Rebel?"

Nelkf sniffed, but didn't turn away from his unblinking stare. Nothing could suppress her flippant attitude. "Maybe. You'll never know until it's too late though."

"Don't toy with me, Rebel scum!"

"Don't contradict yourself Imperial Dog!"

Rakson backed up, casting a critical eye over his alien prisoner. "I have no time for foolishness my little nerf, so I will cut to the chase. I believe you will find the real version of TYNAX much more interesting then the diluted form you were given earlier. Especially since your race never uses any form of drugs," his sickening grin penetrated her once again, making her want to vomit.

When the word TYNAX entered her mind, she sucked in a quick gasp. One of the scientists moved from the others, a syringe with some sticky yellow serum. The needle came closer and closer to Nelkf's arm. A chill ran through her. Needles terrified her.

Through her cloud of fears, Nelkf felt a deep hatred for Rakson and all for his lackeys. From within, her natural need for defiance of Humans surfaced. Before she had a chance to shift her arm, the stormtrooper grasped it and forced it forward. Rakson grinned evilly at the prisoner's struggle.

"Now, you will experience the full brunt of the TYNAX serum."

Abruptly, from the hallway there came a noise, like the sound of blasters firing and receiving no return fire. The door began to slide up, but stopped partway and a slim form ducked under it. The doctor holding the serum dropped it in surprise and fell to the floor to get out of the range of fire.

The figure that had entered the room stood up and shook his head of scraggly brown hair.

Rakson snarled and drew back. "No! Not you again! You've been implanted! You can't make here! You'll-"

"I'll get one helluva migraine is what I'll get!"

Nelkf leapt in surprise. "Jax!" she was cut off as the trooper slid forward and cupped a hand over her mouth.

"Aarx," Rakson began. "I tire of your constant escapes. Yet, your elusiveness of the mindkill device intrigues me. I wonder if it has short circuited," Rakson cocked his head in a taunting and evil way, awaiting Jax's reply.

"Don't worry Rakson," Jax squeezed his eyes shut, obviously trying to fight pain and vertigo. "Your little toy is working just fine. I can't tell left from right just like you assholes planned."

Nelkf noticed his breathing was shallow. He must be feeling pretty dizzy by now. If they implanted a mindkill device in a simple smuggler, I wonder what they'll do to me, a New Republic pilot? Nelkf suddenly felt a slight respect for Jax. Humans were supposed to be too weak to withstand such pain. Jax obviously had something other Humans didn't. Courage? Willpower?

Jax shivered and fell against the wall. "Nelkf! Get out! Move! Do something! Get out of here!"

The Sklinth bit the stormtrooper restraining her and he let go with a yelp. "And leave you like that in the middle of an Imp nest?" Nelkf flipped the stormtrooper over her back and smashed his body into the floor. "Forget it pal! I'm staying!"

It took the scientists a minute to survey the situation and take action. They pulled small tranquilizers from their lab coats and started towards the two escapees.

Jax spotted them coming and dragged a small blaster from behind his back. He couldn't aim, the vertigo was too intense, but snapping off a few shots at whoever happened to be in his way wasn't that bad a thing. Unfortunately, before two of the scientists fell, a stun bolt form the hallway behind him shot Jax down in the back. He let out a cry of pain and the small blaster slid away. One of the scientists picked it up and pointed it nervously at him.

Nelkf saw him go down and rushed away from the ongoing battle and knelt by his side. "Jax! Get up! Now! We're going to get out! Get moving!" she shook the unconscious form hard. "Ja-"

She was cut short as a tranquilizer penetrated her vulnerable skin. Rakson hovered in her vision, laughing evilly. "Did I forget to mention, Rebel, that our tranquilizers are three-fourths diluted TYNAX?"

Nelkf's eyes began to fall shut. Her arms wouldn't respond anymore, her eyes were showing her colors she didn't even know existed. She fell to the hard cold stone floor, the image of Rakson stuck in her vision.