o:o:o

Assuring herself Zak was going to make it back into the city, Phaelon keyed the com and requested permission to take off, which she was granted almost immediately. Carefully, she eased the freighter up on its repulsors and kicked in the engines, pointing the craft towards the clouds.

She entered the cloud cover and continued until she was nearly out of the atmosphere. Assuring herself she hadn't been followed by doubling back over her own trail several times, she then began a graceful arch that would take her far away from the city and ensure her unnoticed reentry. Carefully, she set the ship down under the trees on the border of some swampy lowlands and watched.

It wasn't long before her comlink beeped.

It was Zak. "The Trandoshan closed up the cantina early, and I'm tracking him. We're heading towards the outskirts and their supposed hideout."

"Don't let yourself get caught," Phaelon warned him, "but keep an eye on him. I'm under the cliffs, and haven't seen any activity yet."

A double-click was his reply.

The sun had set long ago, and Phaelon was starting to wonder what had happened, when she heard her comlink beep again.

"I'm inside," came Zak's whisper, "and their hideout was right where we thought it'd be. They've got lots of cages stacked around, but they're all empty. So far, I've seen a Bothan male, a Twi'lek female, and a human male. Hang on, I think someone's…" He broke off, and Phaelon tensed, but he didn't say anything more.

If he was in trouble, there was no way she could climb up there fast enough, but if he was okay she might scare off their chances of grabbing the slavers. There was a moment's indecision, before Phaelon kicked the ship up on its repulsors and pointed it up the sheer cliff face before kicking in the thrusters. She was up to the entrance in less than a minute and settled the ship down in the cavern mouth.

Cutting the engines, Phaelon watched through the viewport as Zak's blue lightsaber deftly batted away blaster bolts from three attackers. However, when they noticed Phaelon, they broke off and sprinted for their ship. She wasn't even down the boarding ramp when the slave ship kicked in its repulsors and soared towards her, narrowly slipping above the Jedi's ship. She dropped and rolled under the ramp to avoid the wash as the engines came online and the ship headed towards the sky, raining bits of rock down on her where it scraped the rough ceiling

"That went well," she muttered, picking herself up and watching the slave ship disappear into the night.

Zak, however, was bending over something behind a large cargo container. "We may not have gotten all of them, but now we have a bargaining chip."

Curiously, Phaelon walked over to see what he was talking about. Crumpled in the dirt was a young human female with long, curly blonde hair wearing a sand-colored robe. "Is that who I think it is?"

"She must have taken a stunner on accident," replied Zak with a smirk. "Meet Cammi Freelancer."

o:o:o

The Jedi were in hyperspace on their way back to the New Republic before "their cargo" began to come around.

"That must have been some stunner," muttered Phaelon, who was happily back in her Jedi robes.

The girl moaned and rubbed her head. "What the-? Where-?"

"Cammi Freelancer, you're under arrest for the operation of an illegal slaving operation," the Jedi read off her datapad.

"Huh?" asked Cammi. "I'm what? Where's my-?"

Phaelon sighed and ran a hand through her black hair. "You're in Jedi custody on the way to Coruscant."

She gave Phaelon an uncomprehending stare.

"Just know you're on your way to Coruscant," said Phaelon, shaking her head and leaving the room.

"How's she doing?" asked Zak when she appeared back in the cockpit a moment later.

"Unless she's really good at playing stupid," she said, "she must have taken quite a hit. She's coming around, but hasn't got a clue where she is or what happened."

He nodded. "Keep an eye on her. The last thing we want is her running loose."

She sent him the impression that she would like to do anything but, but spun on her heel and headed back towards the med-bay.

o:o:o