Dark Shadows

Jax's head was splitting. The device was sending enough electricity into his mind to theoretically knock him out, but Jax made it a personal hobby of his to prove theories wrong. To him, it seemed like a rancor city was having it's annual sing-along in his head. It was almost the same feeling that a person got entering hyperspace for the first time. Nelkf allowed him to lean on her shoulder. She smiled at him comfortingly. "You okay?"

"No better then I expected." Jax muttered.

"Do you think you can make it?"

"I don't know. At first I thought I could, but this is like vertigo. I can't stand vertigo. I might not-"

Nelkf kissed him softly on the cheek. Jax seemed to feel better already. "Think you can make it now?" she asked.

Jax grinned. "Watch me try."

Nelkf grinned, but then changed it quickly to a frown. "Well, don't be tempting Necho and Noio by telling them to give it everything they've got to stop us. We don't want more trouble."

"I'm so sorry, but it appears you've got some."

Nelkf and Jax turned to see Rakson standing in their path, blaster poised. His face was now a maze of scratches and cuts. Blood streaked all along his features, turning him into a nightmare. His hands were no better. His once majestic Imperial Admiral's suit was now tattered and blood stained.

Nelkf drew her own blaster, but she could not help Jax and fight at the same time. "You," she snarled, "You leave us alone. You're defeated. We've won. Can't you see past the tip of your nose, you conceited Human parasite? Nothing you can do can stop us."

"That is where you're wrong, my little nerf. I will soon notify the guards, and every stormtrooper in this compound will be on your tails in an instant! All exits have been sealed off save one. I hold the key to that one." he dangled a key-card in front of him. "Besides, once you open that door, if you open that door, all the ships in the bay have been locked to you."

Nelkf's blaster did not falter. "You just gave us three great reasons to kill you."

"You won't." Rakson sneered.

"What makes you so positively sure, flicko bait?" He could be bluffing, but it was better for Nelkf to stay on the safe side of things.

"You'll need all the firepower you can manage if you plan an escape attempt. Besides," he cocked the blaster towards Jax. "Mister Aarx here will have the electrical charges in the mindkill device increased tenfold if I'm shot. It is so with all the others imprisoned here. It decrees the chance of a rebellious uprising."

"You mean Justice," the Sklinth snarled.

Rakson laughed. "What would a killer like yourself know of Justice, Karlian? Or should I say Car-"

"Shut up!" Nelkf snapped, firing her blaster at the ceiling above Rakson's head. A bit of dust fell down.

"You would not want to harm innocent beings, would you?" Rakson said with a sickening grin. "That is what will happen if you shoot me."

Nelkf could care less about innocent beings. It was not her nature to. Not what she had been trained to do. She fired the blaster again.

It went flying over Rakson's head and hit the ceiling, creating more cracks. The Imperial laughed. "Pitiful shot."

Nelkf took a glance at the ceiling above Rakson and smiled. "Depends where I was aiming," she said coolly.

Rakson glanced up, just in time to scream as the ceiling caved in on him. Nelkf could hear the crunch of bones breaking.

Ducking from under Jax's arm, she retrieved the key card that had slid away when Rakson was crushed.

Jax just looked at the ruble in confusion. "You really killed him," he finally said. "You risked my life and the lives of everyone else here to kill him."

Nelkf just looked at him coldly. "That is my job." She shook her head and quickly jumped off that topic. "Besides, he said you would be hurt if he was shot. He wasn't shot. Come on. We're going to need to try slicing the codes on the ships in the hanger." she sighed, recalling just how much the murder and chance of others dying brought back. "Do you know where the dock is, Jax? You've tried to escape before, I assume."

"Yeah, lots of times," Jax was still glancing behind them, unbelieving that the Sklinth had actually committed a murder and then was able to shrug it off. Who cared if the mynock deserved to die? Nelkf should have felt a little guilty about it. Something was wrong here. "Lots and lots and lots of times, only never with a mindkiller."

Nelkf narrowed her eyes in thought and let out a sort of purring sound. "Are you sure you know the way?"

Jax shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll probably be able to get us to a lift or something."

Nelkf sighed. Still, half a map was better then none, and without Jax, she'd have less then none. She owed her life to him about ten times over. Okay Jax. Time to save my tail again.