Ash could hear a faint murmuring as she awoke, she kept her eyes closed making sure not to arouse suspicion. When unsure of her situation it was best to be cautious, what had just happened? they were talking to Amy then she… oh yeah she drugged their drinks. She was furious she'd let her guard down around her this never normally happened, the murmuring got louder as Ash got her bearings, the accent sounded clipped and noble with a similar twinge to the noble they met on Nar Shaddaa. Damn it Ash knew they wouldn't give up that easily, why was she always right to be paranoid.
As Ash opened her eyes just a slit she could see he was talking into a holocommunicator he seemed gaunt and hunched with messy grey hair covering his head and chin. "yes your highness we have them captured and the information shall come shortly" The man on the holo seemed to be sitting in some sort of throne Ash could only guess this was the current ruler of what was it Dubrillion? He was bald with a stern frown, wearing some form of ridiculous robes, that's all she could make out from her view.
As he responded Ash could hear his grating voice pierce the chamber like a knife "very good Armande once your done send them here" with that the imposing figure's holo dissipated and 'Armande' began talking to the guards. Ash began to assess the room it looked unlike any interrogation chamber she'd ever been in, a bed a closet this almost looked like… oh they were still at the hotel. These guys were clearly amateurs Ash had counted 4 guards total none of which carried electro shock sticks, if she wasn't stuck to this chair they would all already be on the floor. It felt like zip ties holding her to the chair but they were definitely breakable, just noticeable she needed to be subtle. She saw Gacen slumped next to her seemingly still asleep which was probably for the best he would make a scene when he woke she had to assess their chances of escape. She saw three possible exits, the obvious door but that seemed like more trouble than it's worth with more guards probably outside, the window which Ash didn't want to repeat because they got extremely lucky last time and third was a vent she could see leading into the room seemed covert and possible. But none of that mattered if she couldn't get past these five, they still seemingly hadn't noticed she was awake so she still had a chance. Armande seemed to be preparing some interrogation tools, all pretty basic stuff tweezers to pull out nails, small drills and a number of liquid syringes she'd have to watch out for those. She looked to Gacen who was still sound asleep she would have to take her chance soon.
The guard to the right of her seemed unenthused and bored seems he'd be the easiest to take advantage of she just had to get out of the zip ties. She slowly turned her hands forward tensing them into fists, then a quick turn back and relaxing of her muscles and her thumbs were out. Ash shook them off honestly using zip ties was embarrassing it wasn't that hard to get handcuffs, she kept her hands behind the chair as she looked to the guard next to her. He held a knife in his side pocket perfect, quickly she went to grab it then proceeding to stab it into his leg. He screamed out in pain alerting the rest of the room, three guards two left one right but she knew who she needed to go for. The guards on the right would go for their blasters aiming them at her the one on the right would try to grab her. She ducked immediately avoiding the volley of fire from the guards then slid under the left guard sweeping his legs as she went, she stood up quickly ready to assess her next move. Armande stood in the corner surprisingly unfazed by the commotion, the guard next to her would get up try to stop her and the other two would continue firing. Easy way to solve that she grabbed the guard lifting him up and throwing him in the firing line of the other two guards, she had to tense as she did it but nonetheless his body flew in the way of the blaster fire and knocked the guards to the ground. She proceeded to grab Armande putting the knife to his throat. He would try to wriggle free but Ash held him in a grip where that wasn't possible too easy
Armande seemed to chuckle to himself "he he well my dear that was very impressive what amazing anticipation" he seemed strangely calm for someone who had lost which was never a good sign.
Ash could smell a musk coming from the man which was fairly off-putting "you move you're dead" Ash unfortunately didn't mean it but only because they could get information from him, they could still maim him though.
"oh yes of course but I think you've put yourself in a bit of a bad situation" she completely had the upper hand this guy was full of it "because you seem the best at anticipating but you can't let go of me to stop this" As he said that she realised he was going to stab something into her leg but she would have to let him go to stop him. Before she could decide she felt the sharp prick in her upper thigh, instinctively she sliced with the knife but as she started she began to feel very woozy and gave up as she stumbled away for Armande. The room began to spin she could see people shifting from their positions very weirdly, she turned back to Armande who seemed to be covering his throat hah she had got him. She turned to see the guards coming towards her let's see there was 3 wait no 5 wait no 4 wait, she felt herself grabbed by the guards and she was suddenly back in her seat, what the fuck she should've anticipated that. Wait she got stabbed with something was she drugged? she didn't feel drugged? just kinda woozy, Armande came over still holding his throat. "well that was a regrettable decision now wasn't it Ash" Armande spoke rather raspy all of a sudden that cut must've got him. Ash spat in his face causing him to flinch back
Ash was confused she totally got him "how are you even alive I just sliced your throat like so bad" that wasn't what she meant to say that was weird
Armande laughed as he wiped the spit from his face "My dear that was an hour ago the drugs have kicked in" she waass drugged she totally knew it. Ash snorted to herself giggling loudly "am I missing something my dear?"were was that coming from she never giggled
what an idiot "this is by far the worst truth serum I have ever had I'm gonna be too loco to answer you, stupid moron" it was true this truth serum sucked
Armande raised his eyebrow "well good news it's not truth serum I knew your skills and knew my guys wouldn't be able to stop you so I inhibited your ability" aw that was so not cool she was gonna beat this guy into the ground
"so what you're saying is that you're a big baby coward pants" Ash giggled to herself, woah hold on why was his face all swirly no wait the room was swirly no wait she was swirly maybe they all were swirly.
Armande let out a long sigh as Ash began to stare into space "wake the other one up he's the one we're after" this prick just because his eyes were like bigger than hers he thinks he's hot shit
Ash turned to see Gacen being jostled awake "ugh wha where am I" he looked around the room and spotted Ash looking at him quizzically
Ash waved " good morning sleepy head we've totally been captured by this lizard" Ash gestured to the lizard where Armande was sitting, Gacen frowned at her looking ever so confused
Gacen looked deep in thought for a second "well still not the weirdest place I've woken up in the last week" had Gacen always had that many horns? had Gacen even had horns to begin with? oh my god Gacen was being attacked by horns! wait no he'd always had horns "who's this smelly prick" he gestured to the lizard man in front of them
"oh that's Armande captain of the cowardice ship he turned into a lizard a fe…" she looked at him that's not a lizard that's a human "never mind he's back"
Gacen turned to Armande "ok I know you guys are the bad guys but what the fuck is up with Ash" Armande let out a very long sigh
"we drugged her to stop her from attacking us" he grimaced as Gacen began laughing to himself
"that actually makes a lot of sense" Gacen seemed like he didn't have a plan
Ash leant over to Gacen and shouted "hey have you got a plan to get out of here I totally got the guards covered" Gacen turned to her giving her a long stern look
"I dunno Ash but maybe don't shout it in front of the enemy" oh yeah Ash nodded in agreement winking
Armande interrupted them before they could say any more "ENOUGH look tell us what you know about Risha Drayen" Gacen nodded taking in a long sigh
"ok I'll tell you just get in really close" no Gacen we were doing so well
"Gacen no don't tell them" Ash pleaded he was gonna give it all up but Gacen put his hand up
Armande sighed and leant in Gacen grinned as he said "nothing" Ash let out a series of giggles as Armande's face dropped into a grimace.
Armande got up "ok hit him" he began striding around the bed as a resounding whack hit Gacen square in the jaw. Gacen just smiled it off but Ash could feel a boiling rage build up inside her she would totally crack their skulls if moving wasn't so hard right now.
A few loud punches later and Gacen's face was full of bruises he spat blood onto the floor breathing heavily. Armande returned with some assorted tools "are we ready to talk now Captain" he held a blade of some kind
Gacen laughed "nah mate you can punch me as many times as you want that's pretty much what I feel on a daily basis" Ash took a look at the tools on the desk seemed like your average setup bonesaw, drills more syringes wait she felt like she knew that already.
Ash chuckled to herself "yeah trust me it took me years to get him to open up you'd have better chances with the drugs" oops that may have been bad to say, Gacen turned to her slowly with wide eyes "Um never mind disregard that I'm drugged" Armande smiled picking up the syringe and jamming it into Gacen's neck
Gacen's pupils dilated instantly "ahhhhh woah Ash you weren't kidding this stuff is banana S" Gacen cracked up at his own joke and began laughing to himself
Ash joined in as Armande tried to speak over them "Ok I'll ask again what do you know about Risha Drayen" Gacen began grinning, Ash thought she spotted an Ortolan in the corner and needed to find it
"She's pretty awesome in bed Mr flying spaghetti oh also also also she's really pretty" where was this spaghetti she couldn't see it.
Armande gritted his teeth "fine let's be more specific where is Risha Drayen" Ash snorted to herself
"your mothers butt!" Ash shouted out, Gacen quickly began dying of laughter as Ash followed suit
After he stopped laughing Gacen leant close in "nah but for real I dunno that's what we're finding out dumbass, it's been like a day give my lady a little more credit." Armande looked like all his anger was about to come out as Gacen made a kissy face at him
"you are very lucky I've been ordered to keep you alive, but I still need to know what your relation was to Risha, we are unclear on your previous statement on Nar Shaddaa" Gacen leant back and took a long sigh, that did seem pretty unavoidable phrasing, stupid truthy druggy serum.
"ugh fine I was her husband and her business partner, you know where it says the voidhound was Skavak well that's a load of bs to throw you cucks off I don't know who changed it but hey it got me off the hook from you guys for years" Gacen looked at the floor pursing his lips "is that enough can we go now"
Armande began to chuckle to himself "oh no I'm afraid King Actavarus III asked for you personally so don't think we're letting your little conquest continue" Gacen's anger was visible now which was pretty rare for him, he tensed up snarling at Armande
"oh that giant pompus cunt wants to see me well we'll see about that" He began to try and wriggle out of zip-ties but after about 30 seconds gave up panting "damn it Ash how do you do this? you make it looks so easy"
Ash had been completely somewhere else and when she snapped back she tried to stand up again. Summing up all her effort she stood up and looked ready to fight, as she did she saw a little canister enter the room from the vent and suddenly a searing white light filled the chamber causing her to reel back in pain. She could hear some muffled noises around her and when the white light cleared she could see all of the guards and Armande unconscious on the floor and a familiar zabrak form standing there.
Amy threw a gun in her direction "sorry I took so long they were really clingy with the money" Ash went to catch the gun but missed it fumbling as it fell onto the floor
Ash frowned at Amy as she began to untie Gacen "but you totally betrayed us why would you help us" Gacen was still swaying lightly clearly rattled from the beating, the drugs and the white light.
Amy finished untying Gacen who slumped to the floor "I was always gonna save you I just wanted a bit of money in the process" Ash frowned that seemed kinda unnecessary and still selfish if a bit less "is Gacen ok?"
Gacen grumbled on the floor "yeah he's just been beaten up and drugged" Ash went to pick him up and even while still drugged it was an easy task
Amy sighed deeply "are you both drugged" Ash nodded wide eyed
Gacen lifted his arm up "I knew you'd come and saaaave us Amy I always had faith" he slumped back over Ash's shoulder as he finished speaking
Ash didn't believe that for a second "you did not" Gacen struggled limply as Ash began moving him towards the door
"I did so she's always been loyal, anyway you're the one with a crush on her" Ash felt her skin flush going a deep shade of purple
"i do not Gacen" Ash looked back to Amy who was checking a holopad "shut up she might've heard you" Gacen chuckled to himself as he gave in and let Ash carry him
Amy looked at them agitated "Guys we gotta get out of here it's gonna be crawling with guards soon enough" Ash nodded as they left the hotel room, in the corridor things were conveniently quiet so they easily made their way to an elevator.
As they arrived in the elevator Ash stumbled nearly dropping Gacen "ok buddy you hold yourself up my arm is tired" she awkwardly laid Gacen down on the floor
Gacen lay there not moving "fine I guess I'll just walk myself I'm fine now see look at what I can do" Gacen continued to lie still while his eyes darted around
Amy frowned at him "what are you doing" she had been loading some form of gadget on her arm with canisters Ash wondered if she had a air gun
Gacen's eyes widened "crazy backflips and frontflips can't you see them" Gacen continued to lie flat
"no we can't" Amy let out an exasperated sigh, Ash had gotten distracted by the view from the elevator she could see the whole planet it was so shiny "damn it looks like they already got guards out looking for you we're gonna have to hide you guys"
Gacen giggled "we're great at hiding no problems Amamamamy" Gacen sat up looking out the window "ooooo we can go to the pool" Ash liked the sound of that idea
Amy didn't seem to however "ok no there is no quicker way to get found out than hanging out at the pool in normal clothes, go hang out at the Pazaak tables you'll fit in there" Gacen beamed at the idea and began to get out a credit chip "BUT do not play" Amy said with an exasperated sigh.
The elevator arrived and they headed to the Pazaak tables it smelled weird here Ash thought it might be a mix of like alcohol and oil? maybe, woah why were they on the ceiling, wait no the floor was on the ceiling.
Amy grabbed both their wrists "ok stay here lay low I'll be back once it's safe" Gacen nodded not looking away from the Pazaak table
Ash was already bored "fiiiine mom I'll stay at the gambling tables" she didn't know how families worked, Amy gave her a disapproving frown and ran off
Ash turned to the game maybe it could be interesting, she could see all sorts of aliens quickly placing cards with little numbers on them but some were red and blue or green? Ash leant in to Gacen's shoulder "Gacen I don't understand what's going on?"
Gacen jumped seemingly surprised she was there "how long have you been there?" Ash shrugged she wasn't actually very sure how long. Gacen nodded and began to explain "well Pazaak is a simple game really you need to get 21 and the dealer deals cards with numbers on them, then you choose to fold or stay in you can go ov…" Ash stopped listening she had seen a sign that said 'observation deck' and it sounded cool she'd always loved seeing planets close up all those people down there doing things while she could see them all well sort of they were there but so small in her vision but they were there. "and that is why minus cards rock and plus cards are stupid?" Ash suddenly snapped back to the conversation what was he talking about
"oh yeah sure totally pluses suck" that wasn't convincing at all
Gacen frowned "you weren't even listening were you" Ash reluctantly nodded
Ash quickly forgot about the pazaak grabbed his arm "hey look there's an observation deck wanna see the planet" she smiled at him as he considered the idea
"I feel like we're supposed to be here but I don't remember why" he paused "sure lets go" they rushed over to a lift and within a minute they entered a private viewing booth
Ash looked up seeing the planet in all it's glory, the whispy clouds covering the sparkling blue oceans and lush green grasslands so pretty and very hypnotic. She felt herself getting very dizzy and suddenly realised she was lying on the floor, she looked up and saw Gacen also lying down, they both started laughing "I think the drugs are still in our systems"
Gacen sat up leaning against a sofa "ok let's test tell me something you wouldn't tell me normally" Ash squinted for a second trying to think of something
her eyes widened as she thought of something "oh I've got it Ash isn't my real name" she had never told anyone that not that it was very important
Gacen looked super taken aback "what do you mean?" Ash also sat up opposite him "are you a spy?"
"no dummy, my full name is Ash'shen'tor right and my equivalent of a first name is in the middle bit so Shen, Ash is my family name" Gacen looked off dizzily for a second
"what?" Gacen looked entirely confused, Ash began giggling to herself
"it's like my family name like yours is Zandar but when I was abandoned people didn't know that so they called me Ash" Gacen leaned back comprehending what he just heard
"huh, should I call you Shen then" Ash burst out laughing not sure why it was so funny
"no please I like Ash fine, anyway you tell me something you wouldn't normally tell me it's only fair" she never cared for chiss customs anyway
Gacen rubbed his chin for a second "ok sure" he paused "I have a sister that I am estranged from" Ash's eyes widened she had a hunch it was something like that but was never sure
Gacen seemed pretty serious she shouldn't press it "oh wow I can't even imagine there being two of you" they both snorted with laughter
"hey how dare you two of me would be wonderful" he paused lowering his smile "she's uh not that much like me anyway" Ash nodded
"I think one of you is enough for me, even that is excessive" Ash joked as Gacen's smile returned as he began to laugh quietly
Suddenly the elevator opened and Ash could see the form of Amy stride into the room "ok what the fuck did you think I meant when I said stay put" Ash and Gacen both laughed, Ash slipped back onto the floor
Gacen perked up wobbling as he stood up "hey that's what you get for trying to make money out of me Ames" Amy gave him a reluctant nod and they headed out…