Chapter 13

Between the map provided by Virec Xan and Rayf's previous experiences with Point Nadir, it was simple for Foyi and Rayf to locate the warehouse belonging to this Sho Sura character. Reaching the coordinates required crossing the majority of the Trade District's expanse, which required an arduous and stealthy journey, keeping to the walls of shops, warehouses, and hangars, moving through the shadows, and sticking to alleyways instead of the oft-frequented streets. On more than one occasion they had to avoid roving bands of mercenaries who were attentive and alert, as if searching for particular individuals amongst the sparse crowds, droids, laborers, and speeders. Both Foyi and Rayf recognized more than a few of these mercenaries as members of the guards and entourage surrounding Yuelo the Hutt, and so they assumed these armed patrols were out looking for the pair. Foyi kept her overlarge hood drawn over her head, tucking her lekku into its folds to make it even more difficult to identify her, while Rayf, for his part, walked openly, acting as if he belonged exactly wherever he walked. Foyi could feel the Force eddying about him, and knew he was drawing upon it to make himself seem insignificant and ordinary, so that most passerby's gazes would merely slide off his form, unless he did something violent or abnormal enough to grant him notice.

Over an hour of walking and slinking through shadows and alleys brought them finally to their destination. The warehouse owned by the individual known as Sho Sura was noteworthy among other such edifices in the fact that it was squat and solidly built, as if it were meant to withstand an orbital bombardment. There were two doors allowing the passage of humanoids and other sentients built in the front wall, flanking a massive blast door large enough to allow entry to a pair of speeder trucks abreast, or possibly a small starship. Just below the flat roof was an overhang that encompassed the entirety of the building, and embedded in the underside of the overhang at regular intervals were autoturrets, their deadly repeating blaster cannons swiveling back and forth, seeking targets with their sensory sweeps. There were at least two autoturrets per wall, so that no matter how one approached the building, they would be quickly caught in a crossfire of blistering blaster bolts. Also attached to this overhang were frequent holocams. No other guards or sensor systems were present that the two of them could see from their position, ensconced within the shadows of an alley across the street.

Rayf gave a low whistle. "No wonder Xan gave us the location to this place free of charge. He probably thought we weren't going to get in."

"Sithspawn," Foyi cursed, sinking deeper into the shadows, then whipping her hood back so that she might view their situation better. "You mentioned you were something of a slicer. Think you can do something about those turrets?"

Rayf shrugged. "Sure, if I could access whatever security console those thing are slaved to. But they don't make autoturrets so that you can access them through the HoloNet from a distance...they're on a closed system, with the commands given by a terminal on the inside of the warehouse. Of course, if we could manage to get into the warehouse in the first place, we wouldn't really have to worry about the autoturrets anymore...unless there're more inside..."

Foyi massaged her temples. "Then we're going to have to find our way around them. I don't really want to start another blasterfight like the one back at the Cruelest Cut. If we can, we should try and get in and out as quickly and quietly as we can."

Rayf scratched stubble on his jaw. "What do you think Sura's so schizoid about? I mean, the place is a murglin' fortress; what's so valuable he wants no one inside?"

Foyi's eyes lit with realization. "Do you think...slaves? Could Tama be in there?"

Rayf gestured expectantly at the warehouse across the street. "She's your sister. Do you feel her presence?"

Foyi sunk deep into concentration, submerging herself in the incomprehensibly vast ocean that was the Force. Soon, the presences of others began to bob in the waves about her, giving her a feel for who and what they were, as well as their spatial distance from her. Rayf's presence was particularly strong and bright, creating great ripples and waves in the Force, but he had closed himself off to her, so that she could not get more than a general sense of his thoughts and wellbeing. She turned her focus ahead of her, sending currents out to the warehouse, as well as the unfamiliar beings within. There were not many humanoids in the warehouse, perhaps a half dozen, maybe even more, all of which creating dark, cold ripples due to their poor mindsets and pasts rife with violence and malice. She felt none of the desperation, fear, despair, or loathing she might expect from imprisoned slaves. She reached out further, her extended consciousness searching throughout the warehouse's entirety, but she found no presences she could positively identify as slaves or prisoners.

But then a familiar essence rippled across her senses, a presence she had gotten to know well when attempting to severely injure or end the life of its owner. A presence surrounded by a mass of others of like mind and demeanor, the group causing dark, choppy waves to shiver through the waters of the Force. She opened her eyes, and down the street, walking purposefully toward the warehouse upon which they were focused, was a motley crew of sentients. Weequay, Houks, a Nikto, a Zygerrian, and an Aqualish formed ranks more or less orderly as they followed a particular Weequay with a bandana bound about his dreadlocks and the fur of a wampa trailing behind him like a cape. Her gaze darkened with anger as she identified Ak-vir Vri and several members of his crew of slavers, cutthroats, and pirates. Rayf followed her gaze, and his regard similarly clouded, but not in anger; rather in determination, as if he were getting ready to race across the street in a bold move and put the targeted Weequay in a chokehold. "Well, well, well, speak of the rancor..."

Foyi watched as the slavers came within sensor range of the warehouse's autoturrets. The weapon emplacements swiveled to gain targeting solutions upon the newcomers, but a programmed friend-foe identification subroutine kicked in, and the autoturrets returned to their idle sweeps. Foyi glared at the autoturrets, the genesis of an idea forming in her mind. "Rayf, how twitchy do you suppose those autoturrets are? I mean, how likely would they be able to mistake a 'friend' for a 'foe', and vice versa?"

Rayf gave her a quizzical look. "I suppose...pretty likely. You'd just have to do something out of the ordinary, like making sudden, threatening moves, and they'd probably open fire. Why? What're you thinking?"

Foyi reached over her shoulder and withdrew the discblade from its harness. "I'm going to try something." Without further explanation, she cocked her arm and threw, whipping the discblade across the intervening space, the jagged edges whirling about the handle while the object curved in midair, rising higher in a trajectory that would carry it within the autoturrets' line of fire. The blaster cannons turned sharply as they began to track the object curving in at them, but Foyi's telekinesis carried the blade into range faster than they could acquire a targeting solution on it. The discblade ricocheted off the housing at the base of one of the autoturrets, then spun up and over the overhang, disappearing atop the roof. While the Force-imbued metal could have cut through the turret's durasteel if enough of a spin and telekinetic force was applied to it, this had not been Foyi's intention. The turrets, their limited processing capabilities believing they had been attacked, swiveled about until they found the closest individuals who could have attacked them, then subsequently opened fire.

One second, the sounds of raucous laughter and jeers could be heard from Vri's crew, only to be replaced with screams the next as both autoturrets lanced blaster bolts through their company. The Aqualish went down in a heap immediately, four smoldering holes burned through his torso and legs. The others ducked, drawing blasters as lasers screamed down at them. Ak-vir shouted something, and the group scattered, making more difficult targets as they ran for the nearest cover in the form of parked speeders, as well as containers and piles of refuse. One of the Houks collapsed as he lumbered toward a landspeeder his captain was using as cover, two blaster bolts stitching through his right leg. He bellowed in pain, before another bolt ended his cries with a shot to the base of the skull. Two of the Weequay were dragging themselves away from the firezone, smearing blood across the street. The cacophony of the turrets pouring seemingly endless bolts of laserfire at slavers and their positions of cover was deafening; acrid smoke accompanied the nauseating stench of burned, rank flesh and boiling blood.

Ak-vir snapped a comlink from his belt and began shouting into it, his words barely heard over the din by those watching from across the street. "Sura, you karkin' sleemo! Shut your damned turrets off, now! NOW!"

The turrets continued to whir back and forth, spitting blasterfire, ending the life of another wounded Weequay before suddenly ceasing their death-dealing. They froze in place for a moment, then the barrels of the cannons sagged, the red lights upon their bases going dim. One of the smaller doors on the warehouse's face slid open, and a male Gossam exited the building, his diminutive blue form clothed in pristine brown robes with gilt embroidery. His yellow, reptilian eyes were wide with a combination of fear, horror, and indignation as he rushed toward Ak-vir, who was just beginning to tentatively stand upright, not confident that the autoturrets would not longer fire upon him. Behind the Gossam man came four or five humanoids covered head to toe in impressive and fearsome armor, in various shades of yellow, ochre, and brown, with thick plating and oblong helmets meant to house heads larger and thicker than most near-humans. Their powerful arms carried blaster rifles and longblasters, while vibroknives and blaster pistols were sheathed at their hips, bouncing along as they ran behind on legs unnaturally short for their forms. The Gossam and his entourage jogged over to Ak-vir's position, and immediately engaged in a heated argument, Ak-vir clutching a fistful of the shorter humanoid's extravagant robes and hoisting him in the air, while the Gossam's mercenaries raised weapons.

It was not difficult to hear what was being said, as most of the words were uttered at the top of the respective opponents' lungs. "Sura, this had better not being some lame way of backstabbing me and me crew, you monkey-lizard piece of bantha poodoo!"

"There must be some mistake!" the Gossam squawked, wriggling in the Weequay's grip. "My turrets don't fire on business partners...one of your men must have attacked them!"

"None o' 'em were doing no such thing!" Ak-vir shouted back, his mouth open so far and so close to the Gossam's face, it looked as if he were ready to take a sizable bite of it. "I tol' you I ain't been liking walking under 'em guns every time I cruise by, an' I tol' you time an' again! An' now I know why they making me so nervous every time...'cause my partner was planning on usin' em to stab me in the back down the road!"

The Gossam was shaking his head desperately, while making a motion at the guards behind him, a nonverbal command to have them stay back and not escalate things further. The guards, all of them practically itching for a fight, refused to back down, still aiming blasters at the enraged Ak-vir and his men. "Isn't true! Isn't true at all!" He swallowed visibly. "Was mistake, simple mistake...you know how touchy these turrets can be! I will make it up to you, promise, promise!"

Beady, dark Weequay eyes stared long and hard into large, yellow Gossam eyes for a long, tense moment. Finally, Ak-vir lowered his Gossam partner to the ground, then made a show of smoothing the creases his clenched fists had created in the man's tailored robes. "Alright, Sura...I'm inclined to be believing you. At least, believing you ain't that much of a ranat to even think 'bout killing me." He stabbed a vicious finger up at the deactivated autoturrets. "But I want them things to stay off the entire time me an' me crew are being here, an' no 'scuses, otherwise I'll be less inclined to be believing you no more, an' I'll put a blaster in yer mouth an' pull the trigger until I'm satisfied. Got me?"

Sura nodded, obviously relieved that there seemed to be a way to appease the wrath of his partner. "Got you good. Please, come inside. I have medkits and bacta patches for all your wounded men...they'll be well-treated..." He made a cutting motion with his hand again, and the guards accompanying him reluctantly lowered their weapons, even managing to look forlorn despite their helmets, which revealed nothing of their facial expressions. Those of the group as a whole still standing and able to walk properly followed Sura's entourage through the door, many of them still looking wary and carrying blasters openly. The bodies of those who had been killed by the autoturrets were drug in behind them, and the door slid shut once more.

"Fierfek," Rayf cursed. "I think those were Gank Killers. Sura's packing some serious heat." He turned to Foyi. "Nice job, by the way. That was astoundingly clever. How'd you know Ak-vir would demand the autoturrets to stay deactivated while he was on the premises?"

Foyi shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't know what would happen. I saw an opportunity to turn Vri and Sura against each other, and I took it." She glanced back at her companion. "What are Gank Killers?"

"Particularly grumpy and violent aliens I would suggest not getting in the direct path of," Rayf replied, standing straight and flattening himself against the closest wall. "You've given us an opportunity. Let's take advantage of it."

Foyi required no further invitation. She led the way across the street in a quick, low sprint, navigating a wide, circuitous berth about the warehouse, approaching it from the shadows and sneaking into the darkened alley beside Sura's edifice. She gathered the Force around her, felt it surging through her muscles, and she picked up sudden speed as she approached the structure's wall, climbing up the sheer surface as if it contained sizable handholds. She crested the roof just as Rayf launched himself into a Force-enhanced leap, landing on his feet beside her. The pair of them dropped into low crouches, trying to lower their profiles so as not to be seen from the ground below. The roof was level save for the occasional metal protrusion provided by a generator or a ventilation system and air scrubber. Foyi stretched out her right hand, and her discblade slapped into her palm, leaping from where it had been resting upon the roof, near the front edge. She replaced the weapon in its sheathe, and hurried to join Rayf, who was busy using the Force to pry a panel off the ventilation system. She came to his side to find that he had exposed an opening into the ventilation shafts below, a ready access point for any enterprising intruder. Rayf grinned at her, gesturing into the dark space. "Please, I insist; ladies first."

"You're too kind," Foyi responded sarcastically, sliding into the opening as fluidly as a mucous salamander poured into an empty container. She found herself in the expected ventilation shafts, dark tunnels of thin metal with cool, stale air sending tingling sensations along her lekku and stirring the folds of her cloak. In such a confined space, her armor was beginning to pinch and chafe at the joints, but she let the pain sharpen her focus as she crawled forward, navigating the narrow spaces and blind intersections more by instinct and feeling than by any actual sense of direction. Rayf crawled quietly behind her, so stealthy in his movements, she could barely hear the rustle of cloth and slight thump of his knees against the duct's floor.

Foyi turned a corner and slowed as she crawled to a grate that allowed her to look down into the warehouse's interior. All she could see were shelves stacked high enough for their upper surfaces to be within a meter or so beneath her. They were laden with durasteel crates and plasteel containers and cylinders in orderly piles, with Aurebesh marks and identifying information stenciled into their sides and locks. She could hear voices floating up to her from somewhere else in the warehouse's expansive interior, though they were barely audible enough for her to distinguish that they were in fact voices. She leaned her face down to the grate, peering through and trying to crane her neck so that she might see the beings gathered within, but the multitudinous shelving and cargo dissuaded her from this action. Rayf shifted behind her, then hissed, "Hey, Foyi, as much as I appreciate the view back here, are you going to resume moving at any point soon?"

Foyi glared at him over her shoulder, her lekku twitching in annoyance. She placed her palm against the grating, and the air began to shiver as the Force came to bear upon the crisscrossed metal, which could offer no true resistance to the weight of the universe itself. The grating's bolts popped free with a minute clang, and Foyi lowered the freed barrier carefully to the shelving below. She curled up into a ball, maneuvering herself so that she could slide out of the opening feet first, then landed on a crate atop the shelving below, throwing her arms out momentarily to maintain her balance. The shelf creaked slightly under her added weight, but it did not buckle or sway, as it was built to contain many metric tons of heavy materials.

The Twi'lek crept to the end of the shelf as Rayf dropped down behind her. Had she not felt his presence, had not been attuned to his signature in the Force, she would not have even heard him drop out of the vent and atop the shelf. The two of them crept forward along the shelf's length, crawling over several crates and even a neatly-placed row of DUM-series Pit Droids compressed into their power-saving and storage modes. They were astride merely one of dozens of similar storage arrangements, running the length of the warehouse in even, parallel rows. Beside these rows was another wider, more open area, where landspeeders and repulsortrucks rested, their repulsorlifts still running, as if waiting for their drivers and passengers to return. Toward the front end of the warehouse were a collection of haphazard piles of cargo and cylinders, waiting in queues to be transported out of the building or catalogued along with the other containers sitting on the shelves. By one of these piles were a small collection of tables and chairs, most of which were laden with scanning and sensor equipment, datapads and terminals, and a holoprojector, displaying a hologram in the center of the collection that looked like a series of worms connected at disparate angles, with no overall form or function for the entirety of the design. Standing or sitting around the hologram were the combined forces of Ak-vir Vri and Sho Sura, easily identified by the fact that they kept themselves separated, glaring at each other from either side of the shimmering blue image. A pair of men from Vri's crew were leaning against one of the stacks that obscured the meeting from anyone that might walk through the front doors, whimpering as bacta and stim-shots were applied to their blaster wounds by a GH-7 Medical Analysis Unit, its corroded plating painted in mismatched and garish colors.

The source of the conversation she could barely hear was produced entirely from Ak-vir Vri and Sho Sura. The Weequay's statements were harsh and staccato, underlying the anger her still felt at being fired upon, while the Gossam kept a firm but appeasing tone in his own voice. Foyi carefully laid her body flat, pressing her stomach and chest against the cargo stacked beneath her, then peered over the edge of the shelf, staring at the pair while extending her awareness through the Force. In mere seconds, the conversation began to fill her ears, though she understood little of what was being said. "...not sure I'm ready to go through with this," Ak-vir was saying. "Not now that I'm knowin' yer so intent on shootin' at me an' mine."

Sho Sura's answer was plaintive, but his voice was hard, as if he were subtly suggesting that the Weequay was dangerously close to pushing him too far. "Once again, Vri, that was a malfunction of some kind. My turrets have never been known to do something like that, no." He gestured with a clawed hand at the hologram. "Look, we've been planning this expedition for months now...you're needing Fische's Legacy as much as I am. You really want to put this off again, risk another day, or week, or month where we might invite Zietta's attention and ire?"

Ak-vir said nothing, but his stare was telling. Sho Sura nodded, a smug expression on his face, then gestured upward at the slowly revolving hologram. "As promised, gleaned from all my sources, this is the best map of the Mines that has ever been put together. At least, those parts that are already heavily explored by those before. Now, if Fische's Legacy was anywhere in the tunnels before us, someone would've found it all out already, yes, what with so many previous explorers. But this provides us the starting point for our journey, familiar territory with which we can easily navigate about and strike out into the unknown from. With this as our starting point, and the mining and sensors equipment you and your band have provided, we shall find treasure in little time, I expect."

"We better," Ak-vir replied, crossing his arms over his chest and peering at the hologram. "None of this stuff was being cheap, don't you know. Had to do alotta slum work fer Yuelo an' that creep, 'the Shepherd' to get enough creds to pay fer all this slag."

Sura walked about the table to better inspect the equipment, casting a sly glance at the Weequay. "I heard you ran into some trouble at the Cruelest Cut only earlier today. Drink too much again, yes?"

Ak-vir spat on the floor. "Ha! Barely got a good stiff drink in me 'fore some crazed schutta tried to beat me senseless, wanting to know what I'd done with one o' 'em damned slaves Yuelo 'ad me flyin' around fer the Shepherd. Like hell I was gonna tell her a damned thing, an' I tol' her that fer Yuelo's boys chased her an' her barve of a friend outta there. Made a flamin' mess o' the place, too, righ afore they went runnin' out. Them two better hope they're five parsecs or more from Point Nadir by now, anyway; ya don't jus' piss off a Hutt an' be thinking ta get away wit' it."

Rayf, who had crawled up beside Foyi, balancing on one of the collapsed pit droids, gave her a sidelong glance, and while he said nothing audible, nor imparted any telepathic communication, his expression and presence basically screamed: He's right, you know. Foyi merely made a short, dismissive gesture with her tchin; she realized the great heap of trouble she had landed herself and Rayf in with her recent actions, but firmly believed all of it was worth the rescue and preservation of Tama's life.

Sura looked about nervously, as if he could feel spying, unfriendly eyes on the back of his neck. "Well, as long as your personal issues don't cause trouble for our mutual expedition, we shall be fine, no?" He gave a short, excited clap of his clawed hands. "Then if you've no other business to attend to, my friend, shall we be off? We have much tunnel to cover and explore...to get started immediately is my desire."

Ak-vir snarled under his breath, then turned to the remainder of his crew still standing on their feet without assistance, and made a motion. They began loading up equipment and materials from the table about the holoprojector, their arms laden as they carried the sensors and scanners to a few waiting repulsortrucks in the more open areas of the warehouse. Sho Sura's squad of Ganks began loading other crates that looked suspiciously like containers for weapons and ammunition, as well as explosives and demolitions gear. The Weequay and the Gossam oversaw the preparations, giving separate sets of orders to their own minions, displaying the fact that there was no unified leadership structure in this expedition, and no deep amount of trust between Vri and Sura. Foyi hoped that whatever trust had existed between the two criminals and their gangs had been shaken or even shattered by her excitation of the autoturrets outside. Such a situation could present opportunities for her and Rayf to exploit, even turning the two groups against each other, to Ak-vir's detriment. The conversation she had overheard had been as enlightening as it was frustrating, as she had discovered that Ak-vir Vri and his crew of slaver scum had not been working specifically for the Anjiliacs, as she and Rayf had first believed, but instead for Yuelo the Hutt. Though, by the way Ak-vir had been speaking, it sounded as though Yuelo was simply another middle man for someone or something called "the Shepherd". Who was this "Shepherd"? Was Tama held captive by this mysterious individual, and if so, were both of them still on Point Nadir? She needed to get to Ak-vir again, while he was still up to his nefarious schemes in Point Nadir, and was not contemplating vacating himself and his crew to another part of the galaxy.

She heard the rustle of cloth beside her as Rayf shifted his weight, being unusually noisy about it in the process. She peered down at the Weequay and Gossam, who had both opened one of the crates to be loaded on the speeder truck and were inspecting the vac suits kept within. "We need to follow them," she hissed to the human beside her. When he did not answer immediately, she turned to give him an annoyed expression, but her face twisted with horror long before she could fully form the original expression she intended. For Rayf was busy trying to extricate a squirming bundle wriggling about in his tunic as noiselessly as possible, his face contorted in an almost comical expression of bewilderment, surprise, and discomfort. He slapped his chest wildly for a long, tense moment, as random bulges appeared here and there in his clothing, meandering toward his belt, where he unbuckled the strap to pull his tunic away. Finally, the creature having caught itself in his clothing leapt free with a tiny squawk. The small, bipedal, spotted reptile scrambled out of Rayf's tunic, tripping on the hem of his pants before tumbling free, giving another little squawk as it impacted the edge of the shelf they were all astride and nearly fell off. Foyi recognized it as a gizka, a pest found all across the galaxy, even on Yanibar, which managed to reproduce at alarming rates. The gizka clung to the edge of the shelf, squeaked with a shrill tone, then scurried toward Foyi, as if intent on trying to find its way into her own tunic and armor. Instinctively, Foyi kicked out at it, but the spry creature evaded her limb, jumping clear of the shelf and landing upon another parallel set of shelving.

But Foyi's poorly-aimed kick ended with her heel striking the central eye of the DUM-series Pit Droid that Rayf so precariously balanced upon. There was a brief second for a startled look to flash across Rayf's face before the pit droid beneath him literally sprang to awareness, chittering and clicking in Binary as its deceptive levels of strength bodily threw Rayf clear of the shelf. Foyi winced as both her companion and the droid careened off the top of the shelf, falling several meters to the floor with a cacophonous tumult as their flailing limbs caught against canisters, cargo crates, and cylinders on their way down. Rayf even let out an anguished and high-pitched, "Damn it!", before his expletives were cut short by sudden contact with the permacrete floor. The entire warehouse echoed with the sound of boxes and bodies falling to the floor, metal clanging against permacrete. She peered over the edge of the shelf to see Rayf struggling to extricate himself from a pile of plasteel cylinders and crates under which he had been buried. The pit droid, however, sprang to its feet, and immediately set about picking up several fallen containers of cargo and transporting them back to the shelving, stacking them haphazardly and with no apparent order, the whole time chattering something most likely profound or informative but unintelligible to the uninitiated.

There was only a brief moment of silence before she heard the pounding footsteps of Weequay, Houks, and Ganks as they dropped whatever cargo they were currently loading and came running toward the source of the noise, their blasters and vibroblades drawn. Ak-vir and Sura were both approaching the spot where the pit droid and the fallen Rayf continued to produce copious amounts of noise, the Weequay having drawn his DL-44 and Sura a hold-out blaster from the folds of his robes. Rayf was just standing when almost every blaster wielded in the room swung to aim at him, and Ak-vir let out a growl of both surprise and recognition. "You! The 'ell you doin' here? Didn't ya learn yer lesson last time?!"

Rayf stood woozily, his eyes blinking rapidly as he took in the sight of so many weapons trained on him. He began to drop his hands to his sides, ready to extract the various sections of his wan-shen from his belt and put the weapon together, to dive headfirst into battle. Foyi tensed, reaching for her own discblade, sinking her consciousness into the waters of the Force while calculating how many of the thugs she could incapacitate before they could fire a lethal onslaught of lasers at her friend. But then she realized the situation they were all suddenly thrust into, as well as all the possible things that could go wrong if over two dozen blasters started going off in such a confined space. As much as she wanted to leap down amongst the scum, a meteor of Force and fury, indiscriminately slaughtering the mercenaries until she got her bloody hands on Ak-vir's throat once again.

Foyi could feel the Dark Side clawing at her consciousness, pouring the white-hot waters of rage and fury into her skull like molten lava. And the fact that this sudden, nearly-uncontrollable surge of emotion and dark power welled within her core was enough to bring her back from the brink. Below, Rayf appeared to be just grasping the shortened hilt of the wan-shen's blade, keeping his movements slow so as not to provoke a sudden and lethal response. Foyi acted before he could, raising her hands and shouting, "Hey! Ak-vir!"

Almost all the weapons in the room swiveled up to face her, as they had not even known she was sitting atop the shelf. A few of the Ganks had enough of a mind to keep their blasters aimed at Rayf, however, to dissuade him from trying anything untoward. Foyi had her discblade in hand, and with an exaggerated motion, tossed the weapon to the side, where it fell, clanking and bouncing off cargo containers before deflecting off the pit droid's head and landing on the floor. "Don't shoot. We surrender."

Rayf gave her an incredulous glance, and she projected her feelings through the Force at his presence. Rayf looked down at his blade with a forlorn look, then nodded, tossing the pieces of his wan-shen before him. He raised his hands, saying reluctantly, "Yeah, whatever. We surrender, I guess."

Ak-vir looked confused for a long moment. The Gossam looked up to his partner, bewildered. "Vri? Who're these murglaks? You bringing spies to my warehouse?"

The Weequay snarled down at his diminutive partner. "Ya wan' me to remind ya of yer damned turrets outside 'fore you being accusin' me o' spies? These are them what tried to choke me ta death in Yuelo's, probably still looking fer their little lost schutta." He returned his attention to the Twi'lek above, then hissed, "Alright, girlie, yer caught good. Why don't you be comin' down from there, as slow and calm-like as yer dumb wormbrain can manage?"

Foyi bit back a retort and leapt free of the shelf, using the Force to cushion her fall, so that she barely felt the shock of impact in her legs as she landed on the permacrete floor. Immediately, a Gank and a Houk seized her arms while kicking out her legs from the back, forcing her to kneel on the floor none-too-gently. Another pair of mercenaries similarly forced Rayf to the floor, but it was the Twi'lek whom Ak-vir approached, a smug grin splitting his lips. "So, schutta, we meet again. And this time, I'm thinking ya ain't gonna be so tough now, are ya?"

Sura waved his hold-out blaster in the Twi'lek's face, his reptilian face twisted into a mask of rage. "You! How did you get in here? This warehouse is thief-proof, it is, it is!"

Foyi gave the Gossam a wry grin. "Maybe when your autoturrets are turned on."

Sura gave Ak-vir a murderous glare, but the Weequay ignored him, pressing the barrel of his heavy blaster pistol against Foyi's forehead. "Look here, wormie, you better be telling me what you being here for if you want ta keep your worms attached to yer head."

Foyi's expression was still resolute. "I came to offer you a last deal. It's a good one, too, so you're gonna want to stick around to hear it."

Ak-vir did not answer but for a raucous guffaw. Foyi took that as incentive to continue, saying, "So here it is: you tell me where I can find my sister, who this 'Shepherd' is that you sold her to, and what Yuelo has to do with it all. In exchange, you get to keep your life, your crew, and your ship, and neither myself or my friend will bother you in the future."

The thugs arrayed around them began to laugh hideously, as if she had told a truly hilarious joke. Neither Ak-vir or Sura joined in the laughter, as they took the threat as seriously as it was meant. Ak-vir shoved his blaster forward, creating a circular depression on the Twi'lek's forehead. "Here's my deal, girlie: I've had about enough of yer intrusions, threats, and Jeedai magic. Remember when ya had yer invisible fists on me heart an' lungs? Well, I can't do anythin' fancy like that, but what I do gots right here is a blaster, an' I'm gonna burn lasers right through yer lungs, then yer heart, then yer brain. Then maybe I'll be getting myself back to making me rich." He glanced at Sura. "Us rich, is what I been meaning to say."

His blaster shifted downward to aim at her chest, and his finger began to depress the trigger. Foyi did not have time to consider her life, consider what would happen to Tama with her sister murdered in the middle of a warehouse in a shadowport that did not officially exist. But Sura's hand reached out and pushed the barrel of Ak-vir's blaster so that it pointed at the floor. Ak-vir turned an angry gaze upon the Gossam, who returned it with equal vehemence. "Hold it, Vri," Sura was saying. "I don't want these two dead. These two may prove useful to us."

"Useful how, exactly?"

"As in being the key to getting us Fische's treasure!"

Ak-vir looked at Foyi first, then at Rayf, and finally back to Foyi once more. "Yeah? An' whadda the two o' ya know about Fische's Legacy an' the Mines?"

Before either one of them could answer, Sura hissed in the back of his throat, a vociferation denoting exasperation. "That's not what I meant, Vri, yeah? I'm talking about the creatures living in the Mines, that ones that kill so many people who dare to travel those tunnels. Why should we ask our men to risk their lives an' limbs against the unknown when perfectly good bait and distraction falls right in our laps?"

Ak-vir gave Sura an incredulous glance. "'Cause...we're payin' 'em?"

"You didn't mention no monsters guarding the treasure, Cap'n," came the Zygerrian's response. One of the Ganks stepped closer to his Gossam employer, and while he made no sound, his body language spoke as loudly as the Zygerrian had, with similar concerns. One of the Houks also chimed in, saying, "Yeah, I've heard the tales, same as everyone else. There's supposed ta be somethin' in the Mines what kills anyone gets too close to finding Fische's treasure!"

Ak-vir grunted angrily. "Yeah, that's Zietta's thugs, you Hutt-lickers! Everyone knows those stories are just being tol' to give weight ta Zietta's orders and threats ta stay outta the Mines! I thought we all agreed we weren't gonna let that bloated piece of poodoo to scare you womp rats!"

"All the same," came the Zygerrian's reply. "I think I'm speakin' for all of us by saying we wouldn't mind a little extra insurance against bloodthirsty critters that may or may not exist."

Most of the gathering was now staring at Ak-vir and Sura, weapons wavering between the captured intruders and the leaders of this expedition. The Weequay looked down at the Twi'lek, murder in his dark eyes, but after a long moment's hesitation, he withdrew the DL-44 and slipped it into his holster. He gestured, and Foyi and Rayf's hands were wrenched behind their backs, where stuncuffs were slapped over their wrists before being roughly hauled to their feet. "Very well," Ak-vir was saying as the pair was shoved and drug toward the repulsortrucks. "We meetin' any of these mythical creatures yer all pissin' yer pants about, we'll chuck these two first an' head the other way. We meetin' any of Zietta's boys askin' what we're doin' in off-limits areas, we throw these two at 'em for a distraction."

Foyi and Rayf soon found themselves bundled in the back of one of the repulsortrucks, surrounded by crates of equipment and Ganks just itching to use their blasters on them if they attempted escape or violence. The speeder truck, a Trast A-A5 model, was like an armored cargo crate all its own, its cargo hold a rectangular interior with benches that folded out of the walls, the middle of the floor occupied by the cylinders and crates holding equipment necessary for this expedition of thieves, mercenaries, and murderers. The pair of prisoners were slammed down on one of the benches and shoved against the wall, where they sat facing the Ganks assigned to watch them. They sat there uncomfortably as the vehicle roared to life, the repulsors beneath their feet sending shuddering vibrations through the floor. There was a jolt as the A-A5 began moving forward, its unseen pilot taking them on another forced voyage across Point Nadir's expansive chambers, caverns, and tunnels.

Rayf stared at the two Ganks for a long, tense moment, but the aliens did not appear to be watching them too closely, perhaps secure in the fact that there was nowhere to run to, and not enough room to fight in such an enclosed space. He leaned against Foyi's shoulder, dropping his voice so that only she could hear his whisper. "I don't know what your plan is, sweetheart, but I hope it's a good one, 'cause I'm not seeing a lot of bright sides to our current situation."

"Honestly, I don't really have a plan. I'm just making it up as we go along."

Rayf sighed. "You know, I could have gone the next few hours without knowing that. Spend the last bit of my life under the blissful, ignorant confidence that my most capable partner had the best plan in the galaxy in her back pocket. Now I'll get to die glum. Maybe I could be so depressed that it sours my meat, and the monsters in the Mines won't chew on me too long."

Foyi rolled her eyes. She truly was not remotely in the mood for Rayf's sarcasm, but she tried to keep her anger stifled. "Look, if we had all started shooting, either we would have ended up dead, or Ak-vir would have, and neither of those options would have helped Tama. I thought surrendering was the option that would not result in too many unnecessary deaths."

"You couldn't have known that."

She shrugged. "I trusted the Force."

Rayf chuckled humorlessly. "Now you sound like one of the old Jedi Masters. Like Tholme. Or Zao. I think he was more infuriating."

Foyi's expression darkened. "Don't compare me to the Jedi."

"You've expressed discomfort and anger at the mention of Jedi before. Why's that?"

Foyi shook her head, grimacing. "That's not important right now. What is this treasure these sleemos keep talking about? What's Fische's Legacy?"

Rayf stared at her a moment, as if deciding whether he should press the issue or answer the questions meant to deflect his own. He glanced at the Ganks again. "Fische's Legacy is the fabled treasure trove left behind by Point Nadir's original 'founder', if you will: Salovan Fische, a Corellian space pirate who used this asteroid as a base for himself and his crew, and are responsible for most of the infrastructure and architecture of its interior. He and his crew of pirates successfully used the asteroid as a hideout where they could store their booty and launch raids from. Stories go that the pirates were trying to make this place into their own little oasis on the Outer Rim, but after a few failed raids and the fact that Fische lived in luxury while the rest of the asteroid had poor living conditions, his crew mutinied and left him marooned on the comet. It wasn't for another century or so before the Anjiliacs took over this place, and eventually built the shadowport the two of us have come to love so much, but stories say that Fische either gathered or discovered a disgusting amount of wealth and hid it in the deepest, darkest part of the Mines, the tunnels that are least explored and most dangerous part of this entire comet. Zietta and her Anjiliacs have banned anyone from exploring the Mines and looking for Fische's treasure, but that doesn't deter everyone, as you can plainly see."

"And what's all this about 'monsters'?"

"Remember I said the Mines were dangerous? Most who venture in don't come out, so there's rumors that there are some sort of animals native to this comet that hide in the shadows of the tunnels. Locals call 'em Nadir spiders, though whether they actually exist or are arachnids of some type has never been verified as far as I'm aware. Others claim that Fische's ghost is somewhere still in the Mines, and it's he who makes anyone stupid enough to go down there disappear forever. Either way, if there's something down there that likes chewing on errant treasure hunters, you and I are going to be the first to find out."

One of the Ganks had stood during their conversation, and without warning, swung the stock of his blaster rifle into the side of Rayf's face. He grunted and spat blood, but made no cries of pain as he straightened, giving the Gank a defiant glare. The armored alien jabbed a threatening finger at him, then went back to his bench and his partner and seated himself once more. Foyi gave Rayf a concerned look, to which he offered a brave smile, already an ugly bruise creeping along his jaw. "How 'bout I make the plans from now on?" he whispered, risking the ire of the Ganks.

Foyi merely shook her head, and glared daggers at the Ganks and the other mercenaries in the speeder truck. She would not let this detour deter her from her goal, and Ak-vir would pay for all the harm and pain he had caused Tama, Rayf, and herself.