The nexu still breathed, but lay unconscious on the ground. The door they had entered through opened. Jayce limped towards it, and Zapal followed. The chain dragged through the sand behind them.

Krella welcomed them back with a wide grin.

"That was certainly entertaining. And I'm glad you did not kill my poor nexu. They're very expensive."

"I didn't want to kill anything," Jayce said.

"I meant to," Zapal said glumly.

"Come, come, we really should get out of here before it wakes up." Krella undid the chained belts and led them through the odorous dungeons to an infirmary. Half a dozen med tables jutted from the walls. In the corner the weequay that had been in the dungeons with them was immersed in a full bacta bath, being watched over by a medical droid.

A twi'lek strode towards them with a sultry smile. "Welcome," she said in her native tongue. "We'll have you fixed up and feeling better in no time."

Zapal nodded to the weequay in the bacta tank. "I'm surprised to see that one still alive."

"We're not savages," Krella said. "We do our best to keep our combatants alive. Though it was a close thing with him. Didn't put up much of a fight at all, the first massiff nearly ripped his throat out. Anyway," he turned towards the door, "I leave you in Do'lona's very capable hands."

"Oh, you are both bleeding." The twi'lek said, and beaconed them to the med tables. "Lie dow. My, those are some impressive horns," she said to Zapal. Jayce rolled his eyes.

The post-fight recovery was actually fairly soothing and enjoyable. The bacta cream Do'lona rubbed over Jayce's clawed arms stung for a moment, but quickly soothed the pain and closed the wounds. Do'lona set Jayce's dislocated fingers back in place, then injected the hand with something that made it stop hurting and then wrapped it in a tight cast.

As they were being attended to, the door opened again and the dark-haired wookiee from the dungeon ducked his head to step inside. There was a bit of mud and blood matting the fur on his arm. A dark collar was around his neck.

"Oh, Charruua," the twi'lek doctor said as she stepped over to look at his arm. "What have you done to yourself this time? Sometimes I feel like you get hurt intentionally just to come see me."

The wookiee let out a soft, amused roar. As the doctor tended to the wound, the wookiee looked over at Jayce and rumbled in Shyriiwook.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," Jayce said. Wookiees were a rare sight at the jedi temple. There was one youngling, not even yet a padawan, that Jayce knew of but had rarely interacted with. If he made full jedi knight, he'd make for a terrifying sight.

"She says not many who face a nexu come out of it as well as you did," the doctor interpreted. "She's impressed."

Zapal grunted. It was clear who he thought had done all the work.

Jayce ignored him. "Is that what did that to you?" Jayce asked of the wookiee.

Doctor Do'lona interpreted the reply once more. "She fought four gamorreans with vibro-blades. One of them got a lucky strike."

Jayce tried to imagine fighting four on one against those hulking things. "I think I'd rather have the nexu."

The wookiee chortled and roared.

"She says the nexu is probably smarter." Doctor Do'lona patted the big wookiee on her shoulder. "There you go," she said and turned to the two zabraks. "Follow me."

She led them out of the infirmary and through a couple corridors. A gamorrean guard plodded after, keeping an eye on them. They passed through a door and into a nicer area of the building, tastefully decorated for comfort, and finally to a richly carpeted hallway lined with doors.

"You in here," she said to Jayce, and motioned him through into a room with a cushioned massage table in the center and a bath in the corner. "And you," she said to Zapal with a smile, "follow me."

Jayce stepped into the room, and the door closed behind him. A short while later, it opened again and a female togruta with elegantly decorated montrails stepped in. The silver band around her neck was much nicer than the rough collar around his own, but was still just as obviously a slave collar.

"Please, remove your shirt," she said in a not-quite-fluent common and motioned to the massage table.

"I... uh... don't need..." Jayce stammered.

"You have blood all over you. I will help you clean it. Quickly, before it all dries."

She had a point. Jayce allowed her to remove his shirt and lean his head over the bath to clean away the anooba's blood.

"That is very beautiful," she said of the crystal around his neck.

"Thank you." Jayce hated the idea of being cared for by a slave. But he suspected his refusal could only get her into trouble. And besides, after days of tension and travel and fighting, it felt really nice.

Once he was relatively clean, the blood washed away at least, the togruta laid him face down on the table for a massage while the dirty water drained away and the bath refilled.

"Is there anything else you desire?" she asked with a hint of trepidation.

"No," Jayce said quickly. "Thank you very much."

She nodded, bowed slightly. "I will be back shortly with clean clothes," she said, and left the room.

Jayce undressed and lowered himself into the freshly-filled, steaming-hot bath. He closed is eyes and let the warmth seep into his tired body. A few minutes later the togruta returned and set a pile of gray clothes on the table before leaving once more. After all the chaos of the last few days, he thought he should take some time to meditate, to clear his mind. Instead he started to drift off to sleep.

And would have if not for the muted sounds of passionate lovemaking bleeding through from the adjoining room. He glared at the wall. It grew louder. Impossible to ignore.

Jayce got out of the tub and dried himself off. The new clothes were plain pants and a gray tunic in a cut that reminded him slightly of the robes jedi usually wore. There were no pockets, though, and the deep-cut V neck didn't offer an easy concealment for his crystal. But he got the feeling that no one would bother taking it from him now.

To his surprise, Captain Takka was waiting for him in the hall.

"Ah, Daro. It gladdens me to see you alive and well," he said. The rodian glanced down at the crystal hanging around Jayce's neck, but made no comment about it. "Walk with me." He turned and started down the hall, and Jayce padded after him on bare feet. The gamorrean guard started to follow, but Captain Takka waved him back. "He'll be secure with me," he said.

When they rounded the corner out of earshot, Captain Takka turned to Jayce. "We've only got a few minutes to talk alone. I wanna help you," he said.

Jayce grunted in disbelief. "Then you shouldn't have taken us captive."

"Ha! If I had tried to let you go, you and I and that other zabrak would have been fed to much worse than a nexu." He made a clicking sound and shook his head. "No, I don't wanna help you that much. But a little. It's good that you survived. And you two fight with such gusto! Getting that anooba with your horns was excellent. Just for that, they're callin' you Crimson Horn. And the way you ended the nexu with the chain! Just..." his hand made a gesture through the air like sweeping aside a curtain to reveal a picturesque landscape, "perfection."

The rodian led him up a flight of stairs and into modestly appointed hallways, and Jayce realized they weren't going back to the dungeons.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"Well, you see, the crowd loves you. And that's a problem. If the crowd loves you, Ogutta won't want to let you go. Even for ransom. It's a bit of a pickle you accidentally put yourself in. But I..." he waved one of his green fingers, "I don't wanna see you stuck in here, fighting bout after bout until somethin' finally gets you."

"Why do you care?" Jayce asked.

"Even pirates care about people," Captain Takka said. "When they can afford to. I have a nephew close to your age, out on Tattooine. He's got a bad habit of pickin' fights with people. It'll get him in trouble one of these days. You remind me of him a bit."

"Then... can you help me get out of here? The Republic will pay you, if I can just contact them."

Captain Takka shook his head. "No, no that won't work." The rodian fell silent as a pair of gamorreans headed past, carrying a third between them. When they were alone again, he went on in a hushed whisper. "Ogutta is is old, and too caught up in her own vices to make good decisions. Won't think of giving up profit now, even if it means a greater profit later. She's bad for business overall, and there's others who think the same. Soon we can make our move, and I can take control."

Jayce stopped walking. He really didn't like where the conversation was going. "What does this have to do with me?"

The rodian cocked his head. "When I am in charge, I will let you go free. All you have to do is stay alive and, when the time is right, fight for me."

Jayce took a breath. He'd already seen enough to know Ogutta had quite the security force. But if the captain was serious, and Ogutta meant to keep him, this could be his only chance to get out.

"What about my ship?" he asked.

"Nothing I can do there, I'm afraid. Ogutta's people already cracked the nav computer. It's gone. But I'll get you on a ship bound for wherever it is you want. Coruscant, I expect. You don't have to say anything now. Just think on it. Come, I'll show you to your new room."

"Wait, not back to the cage?" Jayce asked.

"You're a real fighter, now," Captain Takka said. "You get a real room."

Captain Takka led him to a carpeted hallway lined with doors. A gamorrean stood quart at the end of the hall. Jayce's room was modest but comfortable, with a sitting area around a table with a holoprojector and a small bed in the corner. In the far wall was a window that looked out over the lights of the Nar Shaddaa skyline. Lines of ships crisscrossed the night, and a green planet hung in the sky. This whole time he hadn't seen daylight, he'd even felt like they were far underground and it was a small shock to be reminded they were actually high above it.

"Sleep well. And think about what I said." The rodian left, and the door slid shut and locked behind him.

Jayce did sleep well. Long and deeply.

It had been his intention, once the captain had gone, to try to unlock the door and find a way to escape, perhaps even get to Zapal and recover something of this botched mission. It would be tricky. The collar he wore was tracking his location, meaning they'd know if he went somewhere he wasn't supposed to. And it was tracking his vitals, meaning he couldn't just take it off.

He sat down on the bed to think over his options. In a few minutes, all such thoughts had flown out of his head as he slumped over and fell asleep.

He woke to the sound of his door sliding open. It was still dark outside, but that was no clear indicator of how long he'd been asleep, it seemed the sun never shone on this moon. A twi'lek in a slave collar stepped inside, carrying a tray of food. Without a word, he set the tray on the table and hurried out.

Jayce got up. He was achy all over, but his hunger was more powerful than his desire to stay in bed. He was even too hungry to tell if the food was actually good, or if it just tasted good after not eating anything in far too long.

As he was finishing up, his door opened again and Zapal took a step inside his room.

"What the hell do you want?" Jayce said.

"Get up," Zapal said.

Jayce leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "I don't think I will. Got no reason to do anything you say."

"Listen, you little..." Zapal restrained himself off. Apparently he was attempting to be diplomatic. "They're going to make us fight again," he said.

Jayce closed his eyes. "And?"

"And they're going to make us fight together. As a team. And I can't have you putting up such a pathetic performance as you did last time. So you're gonna get up, we're gonna go down to the training room, and I'm gonna try to teach you to fight properly."

Jayce looked at the older zabrak in disbelief. "You're serious?"

Zapal nodded. "Can't fight if I have to drag your dead body around."

That actually made a lot of sense. Jayce had to admit Zapal was better at hand to hand combat, particularly the style of brawling the fighting pit seemed to favor. And there was another perk to this. Once they were free of this place, they would be enemies again. Whatever Jayce could learn of the older zabrak's fighting style would help him win.

"Why not just escape now?" Jayce said. "Whatever you're hiding in that fake horn of yours, I bet you could get yourself free of that collar."

"Shut up!" Zapal hissed. He leaned in close to Jayce. "In a place like this, assume they're always listening. Besides, yeah I might get free. But I don't really like my odds against every guard in this place. Now come on."

Ogutta the Hutt kept quite a collection of fighters of many species. To accommodate them all, Ogutta's casino had quite a large training gym. Half the space was dedicated to weights and strength training, while the other half was wide open, with training sticks mimicking a wide variety of melee weapons.

Whatever time of day it actually was, the gym was already quite busy. Several pairs of fighters sparred with each other. Most wore the same gray tunics Jayce and Zapal had been given. Some wore collars, most didn't, differentiating between captive and hired combatant. The trandoshan from Takka's crew threw a stack of weights about that could likely crush a human. They paid no mind to the newcomers as the two zabraks found an open space and squared off against each other.

Zapal sighed. "Let's start with your stance. Your feet need to be wider apart. Keep your hands up and at the ready. A little higher. They stay up, never let them drop. Good. Now give me a kick."

So it went. They worked on kicks, punches, and a few grapples that would be most useful against beasts. Despite the soreness, it felt good to be training. In the temple a lot of emphasis had been placed on saber forms, dueling, and combating ranged enemies. So while Jayce knew how to fight with a weapon, unarmed brawling was an entirely different animal.

After a while, they stopped for water and a rest. Jayce's hearts were pounding from the effort. He sat against the wall and watched a pair of humans practice staff forms.

"You know, compared to much of the galaxy this place isn't that bad," Zapal said as he leaned against the wall next to Jayce. "Comfortable beds, good food..."

"Great entertainment," Jayce added sarcastically.

"That, too." Zapal wasn't joking.

Jayce snorted in disgust. "Oh, I'm sure you love it here."

Zapal glared down at him. "What's your problem now?"

"They're slaves! The people serving you, entertaining you, they're all slaves! And going along with it, just enjoying yourself... it isn't right."

"Perhaps I haven't lived such a comfortable life as you. I have to take my pleasure where I can find it."

"Even from slaves?"

"Do'lona isn't a slave," he said. "She's a highly skilled doctor hired to look after the combatants."

"Who just happens to like zabrak?" Jayce said.

Zapal smiled. "At least this one."

Jayce shook his head, feeling even more disgusted.

Zapal glowered at him. "Don't act so righteous, it doesn't go down well out here. This place, you may not like it, but the people here have it far better than those in the lower levels of Coruscant. Even the slaves. Trust me. But you come out here, and pass judgment without knowing the whole story." His eyes narrowed, and he peered down at Jayce with a curious look. "Are you sure you're not a jedi? You have the attitude for it."

"I'm not a jedi," Jayce insisted. "Or I would have used a lightsaber to capture you instead of a blaster."

"Never trained at the temple?"

Jayce hesitated for a moment. "No. Why?"

"The way you fight. I can tell you've had combat training, but not hand to hand."

"My father worked security at the temple," Jayce said, quickly inventing the story as he told it. "He taught me to use a blaster before he died. That's how I wound up working for them."

The other zabrak stared at him for a moment, as if he were trying to read him, just like before on the ship. Then he shrugged. "Too bad for you, then, this isn't a damned shooting range. Get up, we've got a lot to work on."

Jayce stood. "Is your plan really to stay here, win fights, and enjoy yourself?"

"Of course not. I'm getting the hell out of here. I don't know how, yet, and until I do we have to work together to stay alive."

Working together meant a little bit of trust. Whatever happened after they got out, in here Zapal was his ally. Jayce glanced around. No one was within several meters, and the closets people were the humans engaged in a furious clacking of wooden sticks.

"That rodian Takka told me something interesting after the fight last night," he said quietly. "He claims he wants to oust the hutt and take over the place."

"He told me the same thing," Zapal said. "I'm guessing he also told you he would free you if you fought for him. You know you can't trust him."

"You keep saying that, as if I should trust you instead. Except you're the only one who's actually tried to kill me!"

"Think about it!" Zapal hissed angrily. "If you want to overthrow a crime boss and not get your throat slit immediately after, you need instant profit to prove to everyone you're the right person to lead. And that means Takka can't afford to let captives go, not if it means giving away the possibility of ransom."

Zapal shook his head. "No. If you want to get out, you'll have to do it yourself. So come on."