X: The Escape

Aliix sat in the jailhouse, cuffed to a chair. Jun loomed over him smirking; Keyes was busy, writing extensively on his flimsiplast with a stylus—more than likely a report for the whole affair. The bounty hunter just sat there and waited. There was nothing he could really do. There was a chance the Regulators could pull something and rescue him but Aliix was not going to hold his breath and hope they would come calling for him. People, he found, only care when someone they hold with signifogance was in trouble—he could imagine the Regulators would hold him in very low regard. He had, after all, killed some of their friends. And they barely knew him, anyway.

He could not but mentally laugh though that this would be the way he'd go out: shot to death by a cadre of canting, former nerf herding, militiamen. All 'cause he was just doing a job.

There was a chance he could've escaped on his own, but that, Aliix believed, would ultimately be fruitless. Even if he could get out of the bindings and owverpower both Jun and Keyes, he still had a town full of militiamen who would be eager to blast him away. His armor would give him an edge but that would only get him so far.

"I gotta tell ya, Keyes, I'm lookin' forward to noon."

Keyes sighed. "Jun…"

"Blzzz!" Jun said, trying his best to emmitate the sound of a blaster rifle. Doing so poorly. Aliix glanced up at the contenptible militiaman. He showed no fear, only utter apathy toward the Duros. That annoyed Jun to his bullying core. "Really looking forward to it, bounty hunter."

"Go to Haran." Aliix muttered. Maintaining his eye contact with Jun.

Jun raised an eyebrow, "The hell is a haran?"

"Just that." Aliix told him coldly. Finding some satisfaction than the ignorance of the militiaman. "Nothing more."

"I outta…"

"Jun!" Keyes interjected. Rising to his feet.

Jun ignored him. Continuing to look into Aliix's eyes with dissatisfaction. Then he took a step back. "I'm goin' out for a drink. Be back in a sec."

They both watch him leave saying "That blast'll be worth the wait." and then Keyes reclined back into his seat. Aliix watched him. If it wasn't for his enabling of the Marshal, Allix could've likely gotten along well with Keyes. He was a decent sort. It was a shame that wasn't happening any time soon.


Cass watched and waited. She observed the comings and goins of the people of the fuel debot. She knew the habits of the people at the space port. Knew them well before things went to hell and her employer was murdered. And she was pleased to see the habits had not changed.

Those who guarded soon departed for the change in shift. Once they were out of sight, she looked to Wes and whispered "Move, move," before theys scurried for the entrance to the fuel depot. Cass waited by the door whilst Wes went to work.

Tinkering with the bomb, Wes asked "You sure about this, Cass?"

"I'm sure." Cass answered. "Besides: you were the one who wanted to rescue the barve."

"Yeah, yeah."

The task was rather easy for Wes to accomplish. Out of the Regulators he worked best with explosives. So he knew the explosive's preperations almost instinctualy.

"Done."

"Good. Let's move."


Keyes continued to write on the filmsiplast, and Aliix continued to be silent, when they heard a sudden explosion. Sounding like the thunderous eruption of a volcano.

Grabbing his blaster pistol, Keyes left to take a gander. Aliix waited. Heard him traverse down the stairs. Each individual step creeked as he troddend down. His stride was less confident than Duros'. With him gone, Aliix was left alone, with his blasters and rifle on the table. It was not much for him to contemplate upon: he knew what to do.

He jerked forward, sturggling, but manageging to seize a WESTAR by the handle. Using it to blast himself free of the chair. There wasn't much time to think. Keyes would have heard that noise and would be coming to investigate.

Keyes was half up the stairs when Aliix reached it.

"Don't move, Keyes." Aliix ordered, training his blaster for the militia man's chest. "Unless you want to die."

He was not fond of the idea. He supposed in a way he had a soft sport for Keyes. Though they scarcely had interacted, from what he could tell the man was not a good person at heart—certainly he was not as insufferable as the duros was. But by the same token he was standing between the mando and his freedom. But he hesitated to kill him as if he was some cold hearted bastard.

Keyes may not have been aware of this, but he seemed to be willing to test his luck.

Aliix saw his hand with the blaster stirred, the militiaman seeming to consider shooting him.

"Keyes, I'm not bluffing." Aliix told him. "Drop it. Now."

It was too late, Keyes had made up his mind. One of them had to die.

"Keyes!"

The blaster raised and thus Aliix was forced to end him. Sending the body fumbling backwards down the stairs.

"That was monumentally stupid, Keyes!"

After that Aliix heard a scream from a woman as he ambled through the jailhouse's upper level. Seeking out a weapon. His pistol was good, but he wanted something that hurt. He was pissed beyond reason. Eventually he found himself something that was ideal: a shotgun, a trandoshan shotgun that looked as if it was left over from the days of the Clone Wars. It had a small stick protruding out from the side. Aliix seized it, loaded it, and found his way to a balcony. Knowing that the Duros would be on his way.

And low and behold…

Not so fun on the other end of the barrel, Aliix thought to himself amusedly as he leveled the Trandoshan shotgun.

"Jun!' a local called out to the militiaman, "He's killed Keyes!"

"Yeah," the Duros nodded, seeming either apathetic toward the situation or accepting of it, "He's killed me, too." mere seconds before the scattergun erupted and a myriad of pieces of the shot embedded themselves into the bully's chest and he fell back onto the ground—dead before he hit the dirt.

"You're right. That blast was worth the wait."

Throwing the shotgun to his side, Aliix then went to retrieve his armor and other weapons. It's gonna be a long day.