A/N: Enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 3: Escapes and Interruptions

Jango paced the length of his cell. Feet tapping an irregular rhythm on the durasteel floor as he stopped and started to the beat of his churning thoughts. Going over their plan over and over in his head, he couldn't help but pick it pieces. There were so many unknowns at the moment, too many what-ifs. He blew out a breath and went back to his pacing.

Ben who had been quiet for most of the morning let out a huff slapping her folded thighs, barking out that she couldn't think with the sound of his boots on the floor and if he was going to continue could he at least keep the rhythm steady. When he'd asked what she was doing, she replied, meditating, and snapped her eyes shut again.

He rolled his eyes, but complied with her wish for quiet and sat down.

Hooking his legs through the bars of the next cage. He began repping out punch sit-ups till his abs burned. After that, he jumped up to reach the bars on the top of the cage using them as a pull-up bar. Then he moved on to fighting forms.

Working out had always focused his mind and gave him a sense of calm nothing else had. It was the one good thing that came out of this kriffing cage.

When he'd gone through most of the forms that Jas'buir had drilled into his head, Ben opened her eyes.

"Feel more centered, Verd'ika? Less like you're about to bite off my head?"

She pursed her lips giving him an annoyed look. "I'll take that as a no."

Her hands went to her temples rubbing in small circles. And he felt a bolt of shame creep in. He'd thought she was angry with him not having a migraine. Lowering the volume of his voice he whispered, "Head hurt?"

"A little, but it's not as bad as before," she replied continuing to rub at her temples.

Obi-wan had tried to meditate every morning. Yet, even with the small successes, she had failed in truly clearing her mind.

When she meditated with the Force, she could stretch herself out across the stars to the other ends of her bonds. She could make sense of her surroundings beyond mere sight, and sometimes she could find answers regarding the visions the Cosmic Force sent her. Every time she tried with the collar on she ended up giving herself a headache.

Now she could no longer hear the hum of the life around her or feel the full emotions of others ebbing and flowing like the waters in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. She thought that there must be some getting through, though.

Lower end force suppressants usually didn't entirely cut someone off from the Force, only dampened the connection.

The dream with the spider might have been a vision, or maybe her nightmares were just that strange. Either way, it had left her unsettled. She took a breath imagining the thought floating away from her. It was a leaf in the current of a stream flowing away. It would do her no good to focus on what she couldn't change for the moment. She moved on to the next thought bothering her.

Her bonds with her crechemates and her Master had gone silent. When the collar was latched around her throat, they were just gone from her. She hadn't felt like this since Xanatos had her collared on Bandomeer. Obi-wan felt her stomach turn at the thought of his mocking voice. She took another breath and let that thought float away.
She continued until she reached a peaceful sort of focused floating and remained there for a time. When she opened her eyes again, she glanced towards Jango.

She quietly observed him for a while. He was going through a complicated hand-to-hand form. She let him finish before offering to show him some of the drills she knew. Though her hand to hand wasn't as refined as Jango's, her room clearing, and disarmament was proficient enough to teach him a few tricks.

They spent the rest of the day and the day after that teaching each other different hand-to-hand combos as best as they could with only being able to demonstrate. It was awkward with no partner, but they managed.

Jango was amazed at some of the differences between what they had practiced. It seemed like many of Ben's hand-to-hand forms were aimed at facing an opponent with a bes'kad (sword) when one is unarmed. It reminded him sharply of the bes'kad training his first Buir and the other Journeyman Protectors went through.

When he voiced this, something seemed to shutter behind Ben's eyes, and though she smiled tightly and continued, Jango got the feeling he was missing something. He let it go for now. Ben had promised she would tell him when she was ready.
Evening came, and after they had choked down the nutrient paste, all they had to do was wait for the lights to go out.

It didn't take long. The slavers always shut them off early when they had a sabacc night planned. Jango didn't mind. It would only make tomorrow easier. A hungover slaver was much easier to subdue than a sober one. Intelligence notwithstanding.

That was precisely what came stumbling the following day. Corton looked like he had way too much fun last night. His normal shifty gait was exaggerated and it only served to accentuate the dark circles under his still blown eyes. His overall appearance was that of a homeless vagabond, hair limp, clothing rumpled, and alcohol stained.
Jango snorted from his cell. He was right Corton was still hungover and high-off spice. This was going to be fun.

Obi-wan thought he looked like Quinlan the day after he turned eighteen. Quin had dragged her to one of the many clubs in the mid-levels of Coruscant. One that allowed minors among those eligible for drinking. The shadow in training proceeded to drink himself sick flirting with everything that moved.

It was very amusing for Bant and Obi-wan the next morning. They both recounted the shenanigans that Quin got up to while intoxicated. Flirting with everything that could move, jumping into half of the fountains in the Temple, and telling Master Windu that his head looked like a potato and he should stop shaving it. His look of horror when they told him this was their hilarity.

She giggled a little at the memory. Then shook her head and focused on the here and now.
Jango was lounging right next to the bars with all the controlled grace of a loth cat about to pounce. So, when a nutrient paste packet was tossed right at his feet, Obi-wan was able to catch the wink he sent her way.
It was showtime.

"Hey, you, Hutt fucker, where did you misplace your second brain cell? I think your last one is lonely."

"What did you say?" Corton turned to Jango.

"I said there's a reason you always get stuck with the shit jobs on this craft."

"Kriff you"

"Nah, you're not my type. I would never go for someone so weak and karking dim-witted."

"You shut the kriff up, scum." Corton took a step towards Jango. Obi-wan felt her heart rate increase. This might just work. She prayed to the Force it would, just four more steps. Come on, just a little closer. She held herself still and watched with bated breath.

"No, I don't think I will. You always have your head so far up your ass I'm sure you've wrapped back around and hit your throat. Someone has to pull it out. Even one inch would be an improvement."

Corton moved to unclip the detonator from his belt, parting his jacket to reveal the keys on his belt. They weren't latched into place. Jango kept going, but there was a renewed fire in his eyes as he lit on the keys.

"Did your Mommy try to pound some sense into your head? Is that where your inferiority complex came from."

"You leave my mother out of it, scum."

One step closer. One.

"Of course, I understand why she would find enjoyment in beating you. You have such a punchable face."

"If you don't shut the kriff up, you're going to ride the lightning, slave."

One step closer. Two.

"Oh, and there we have it, the inferiority complex manifests itself in intimidation based on his hurt feelings." The mocking baby tone of Jango's voice caused a vein to pulse in Corton's forehead. Obi-wan fought down a snicker.

One step closer, Three.

One more, come on.

"One more word, and I swear…"

"Word"

Corton took one step closer, roaring, "That's it!"

Jango struck like a Yavin IV panther grabbing Corton's wrist with one hand and his shirt with the other. He smashed Corton's head against the bars once, twice, three times before he let go, and Corton slid to the ground out cold, nose rebroken.

"Ha, and you thought it wouldn't work." He crowed, stooping to unhook the keys.

"I'll admit I had my doubts, but your ability to irritate anything that moves has saved us." At Ben's dry comment, he had stopped and looked up, only to see mirth dancing in her eyes. He snorted and replied,

"We're not out of the woods yet Verd'ika, we still have the actual fighting to do. You ready?"

He unlatched her door, swinging it wide, and stepped aside to allow her out. Then they heard it, the pounding of heavy spacer's boots in the hallway. Jango cursed and sprinted to the camera, ripping the karking thing off the wall. He readied himself in front of Ben. One way or another, they were getting out of this.

"Death or freedom, Oya."

Ben echoed his vow. Then they got to work.

Obi-wan watched as Jango front kicked the slaver in the gut. He swiftly followed that by grabbing a fist full of hair as they crumpled from the hit, slamming their face into his knee. The power behind the combo left her stunned for a moment longer than anticipated.

He smiled ferally over his shoulder and called back, "Going to help anytime soon, Verd'ika?"

"Right," she muttered, throat gone dry, as he continued to gleefully demolish the weedy-looking Rodian that came around the corner at the sound of his companion hitting the floor.

Obi-wan stooped down next to the first slaver's body. He was out cold. Sifting through his pockets, she found a datapad and the detonator to their collars. Wizard.

"Got it," she called, turning to face Jango. He was still breathing heavily as she pressed the release button, and their collars hit the floor. The sound echoed in the hold as the Force rushed back over her in one tumultuous wave. Everything went dark.

Jango was surprised that their little ambush had worked as well as it had. He hadn't expected that Shasta, the hutun shabuir (cowardly jerk) that he was, would actually have the detonator on him. But then again, he was a dikut (idiot), not that he'd complain when it worked in their favor. Jango punched the Rodian, Vek, in the face. He went down easy, but just to be sure, Jango kicked him once across the temple.

"Got it"

Starting a bit when he felt the collar unhook from his neck and fall to the floor, he turned to look at Ben. Terror rising in his chest as he watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped on the floor.

He ran to her side, heart beating rapidly in his chest. No, no, no, not again, please just let me have one good thing. Ka'ra, why is it never easy?

Kneeling next to her, he fretted about what to do next. He wasn't a baa'ur (medic). He didn't know how to evaluate a head wound, only basic first aid. They couldn't stay there though, more of the crew would come looking when Shasta, Corton, and Vek didn't check in.

Decision made, he reached out to lift her when her eyes fluttered open glassy with unshed tears. He withdrew his hand and clamped down on the slight disappointment in his gut.

It was the second time a force suppression collar was taken off her, and it was just as sweet as the first.

She glanced up, wondering how she got on the floor, only to see Jango's concerned face as he knelt next to her.

"Meg ru'banar (What happened?)? You back with me? You passed out when the collars came off."

"Oh, um... I think I was just overwhelmed." She blushed under his scrutiny.

"Banthashit, but we need to move. Can you stand?"

"Yes," she groaned and struggled to her feet.

By the time she was up, Jango was in position, covering around the corner of the hallway with one of the slaver's blasters. He motioned for her to hurry up. She sighed and took the knife, the kal, out of its hidden place in her boot.

"I'm ready," she said, flipping the Kal into a reverse grip as Jango had shown her. "Let's move."

They had cleared another three hallways and downed another seven slavers down, with eight more to go. It was taking longer than they had planned to secure the downed slavers. Jango felt his anxiousness and frustration grow with Ben's insistence to leave them alive. It just made more sense to take care of them permanently, so they couldn't hurt anyone again. Though it filled him with vindictive pleasure at the thought that they would wake up in their own slave-holding cells.

Ben had stored the Kal back in her boot, arming herself with a commandeered blaster. It had made clearing the rooms much easier as they went along. The two paused around yet another corner when they heard voices coming from an open doorway.

"Kriff my head."

"You overdo it last night?"

"Yeah, pass me the caff, will ya?"

"It's the nasty instant stuff."

"Don't care. If I'm going to make it through this shift, I need it."

"Captain, get a number from the Zigerians yet."

"They're offering us 5 billion credits for the pair of them. Two healthy breeders, one a Stewjoni female, and the other a captured male Mandalorian. They were very interested."

They crept towards the doorway along the wall. Jango couldn't help his rising rage and disgust, as they talked so casually about their plans for the two of them. Kriff them, he thought. They have another thing coming. His hands tightened on the blaster.

Light flooding from the doorway hit the metal hall in such a way that the surface was a blurry mirror. Though they could only see the vague outlines of four individuals in the room. It would make this room-clearing easier.

Two of them had their backs to the doorway retrieving caff from a machine by the wall. The other two were seated with their own cups of caff and something resembling bread on a metal tray.

Jango signaled for Ben to head left when they entered the room. The two then stacked up, Jango in front and Ben behind him.
For a brief moment, all was still. Then he rocked back twice against her, and on the third rock, they rushed in.

They had taken out two more than expected in the galley, missing one slaver who had been passed out on a bench in the back. He had woken in the commotion and shot at Ben's back. If she hadn't whipped around and stunned him first, Jango might have shot the hut'unn for real. Shooting at someone's unprotected back was cowardly to the highest degree.

He shook his head, quietly repeating one of Jas'buir's most crucial lesson, "Anger makes you stupid. Stupid gets people killed."

The hallway they were in led to the bridge when the proximity alarms started to blare. She glanced at the ceiling thrown by the sudden sound.

"Keep going, Ben, don't let the alarms distract you."

They pushed towards the bridge doors only to find them sealed.

"Kriff! What now?" She yelled to be heard over the alarm, which cut off almost as quickly as it began.

"Don't worry they'll have to come out sometime. They'll get hungry, and if not, we'll borrow some cleaning supplies and breach it the hard way."

"Cleaning supplies?!" Ben snapped her head around to look at Jango.

"Yep, or a bomb collar. They probably have some lying around."

"Well ok then," she muttered tugging at the collar of her shirt. "Well, I'm going to try slicing the door before we do that. I actually value my hearing."

Ben had worked on the lock, less than a minute, barely enough time to get the panel off to expose the wires. When the Captain's voice sounded from the comms on the bridge.

"We could use your help with some unruly cargo, and we are willing to split the profits of sale with you 30/70 as soon as they are on Zygeria." The Captain's attempts at negotiation were cut off by an offended snort, as the being on the other line declared.

"I am Pirate Captain Dola Ohnaka, and I do not deal with slavers. Kindly surrender your non-sentient cargo and any other valuables, and we can negotiate your drop-off at a port of your choosing. Resist and you will be spaced. Prepare to be boarded."

AN: Thanks for reading, comments are greatly appreciated!

Sneak Peek: The Captain spoke up at this point. "I knew Jaster. He was an honorable bounty hunter before he was Mand'alor. Always insisting on a fifty-fifty split; work, and profit. There are not many like him in that regard. It was disgraceful what Death Watch did on Galidraan to the both of you. I would sooner sell my ship than work with such scum. Though the chess mastery of the operation pitting two foes against one another was masterful."

"What did you say?" He felt the blood drain from his face.