Star Wars: The Twilight Frontier

[TheDarkDM]

The Twilight Frontier

It is an age of darkness. The Galactic Republic, a beacon of light for a thousand years, teeters of the edge of annihilation.

The JEDI ORDER, long the protectors of the peace, have vanished, leaving unanswered questions and hungry shadows in their wake.

At the edge of the Inner Rim, a nondescript freighter called the PRIDE OF TARIS travels to Onderon, seeking reprieve from the chaos of the Old Republic...

A comet shot through hyperspace.

Its lustrous bronzium plating scored and scarred by war, its engines flickering madly with age, the Pride of Taris hurtled relentlessly towards its destination. Eleven days it had spent in that lightning-blue abyss, eleven days of hoping the engines wouldn't fail, or that the navicomputer wouldn't lead her astray. Eleven days of cramped intimacy in the cargo hold of a garbage hauler converted to civilian use. Eleven days. And it was almost over.

The crackle of the intercom was the first sign of a change, the jury-rigged speakers a familiar companion on this voyage. Captain Petek Norv was not a man for socializing with his passengers, you had learned, the warm bluster of New Holstice replaced by detached professionalism once your credit-chits had cleared and you were safely beyond hope of disembarking. The heavy, dry voice eventually broke through the static, for once reinvigorated with the enthusiasm he'd shown before.

"We're on final approach to Onderon - we should be exiting hyperspace in the next few hours. You might want to get some dinner in before then, though - it'll take a while longer to clear the blockade."

The captain and his lumbering first mate had taken dinner in their quarters every night of the journey, leaving his passengers to manage with a few pre-fab tables and a chest full of Republic military rations. All save the Twi-lek, of course - she dined with the captain. Still, the rations were at least moderately fresh, and Mrs. Dara Nestina had proven an able hand at spicing up the vacuum-sealed packets. The withdrawn Rodian veteran Madaanti Lofar had eventually been cajoled into assisting her, and to the surprise of all managed to improve the fare even further. The activity had seemed to calm the twitchy Rodian, to the clear relief of the Nestina and Tollu families. Now he made his way to Dara's side without prompting, pulling out a packet of freeze-dried Alderaanian peaches. The two chefs exchanged some whispered words, until their shared laugh rose above the hum of the engines. Wiping her eye, Dara called out across the cargo hold.

"We should be ready soon!"

The announcement was met by murmurs of happiness from the two Duros, who nevertheless returned to the jigsaw puzzle that had fascinated both for nearly a week. It was a monstrously complex thing, more than a thousand pieces put towards the service of a three dimensional replica of the Senate building. That they wouldn't have finished it before their arrival seemed to vex the couple. Meanwhile, Dara's husband Loreck seemed intent on finishing his brief nap. The poor man hadn't slept well on the journey, no doubt due to the cramped quarters and his own ample frame. He had been a farmer, and later an agricultural engineer at the Telos Reclamation Project, and he looked the part. But there was a kindness to his eyes, a kindness often seen when he entertained his daughter Sulen.

For her part, the young girl began making her way towards Cass' bunk. Every "berth" on the Pride was separated by tattered partition curtains, allowing for the illusions of privacy, and it was with a tentative hand that she pulled aside the divider leading to the mysterious former racer's bunk. Only one dark eye managed to peek around the curled cloth before she managed a soft murmur.

"Um...we're having supper soon Miss Cass..."

[Jade_Tarem]

Cass

"So we are." Cass had learned early on to keep her cloak on, given that Sulen seemed to want to hang around her - not that she could get upset with the kid. Her hammock... thing that she slept on swayed and bobbed as Cass twisted to sit upright from her napping position. While she normally approached military ration dinners with the same enthusiasm as she did her breathing exercises, at least the two temporary cooks did a better job than Dreyis, the gang's old 'chef.'

A low bar to clear, to be sure. Doing a worse job was not physically possible. Still, it turned composite nutrient bricks into something vaguely edible, so she couldn't complain.

If she was being honest, a terrifying blockade bypass after a cramped 11-day ride through hyperspace in a glorified bathtub was a step up from her previous circumstances. Watching her opportunities and credits leak slowly away while waiting for an unknown baddie to snuff her in the dark one night was not how she wanted to die. So it was that the padawan stretched and yawned, remembering to shoot Sulen a grin. "Was that an invitation?"

[TheDarkDM]

A shy smile was the only response Cass received at first, at least until Sulen's manners returned to mind and she took a shallow breath.

"I mean, if you want, maybe you could sit next to me? If you want."

Clearly she was trying to play it cool. If the stories from Citadel Station were to be believed, Sulen was only a few months removed from nightmare, yet it seemed to have left no scars. Perhaps it was the promise of a new life, or perhaps the presence of someone she found so fascinating. Regardless, the smile didn't fade as she slipped back, gracious enough to allow Cass a few moments to freshen up before thy shared a last meal.

[Jade_Tarem]

"Well, when you put it that way..." Cass's ability to freshen up was limited, but she did what she could. Not that she would have declined even if the family hadn't been so friendly - there wasn't that much to do in the hold. Jedi exercises wouldn't be a terribly bright move, lightsaber practice was right out, and she had no money with which to gamble. The choice between socializing with normal people and strip Sabacc with the battle droids was no choice at all.

[Nefarion Xid]

From his rack, Kyran poked aside the yellowing canvas curtain and peered out as the other passengers prepared for dinner. He still had his aging datapad in hand, open to page seventy-two of an allegedly classic alleged comedy from Alderaan's alleged cultural renaissance. Since Ashra Ran philosophical musings had failed to hold his interest, he focused on Cass as he tugged his boots on. She was the one he hadn't figured out, or so he imagined. The free droid was likely a bounty hunter and he fully expected it to attempt an arrest the second they were clear of the landing pad. If it wasn't after him, it was one of the others. Probably Cass. The Chiss woman was intelligent (which he liked) but blue (which he didn't) and beyond those two things he didn't think she held any mystery of great interest.

Mysterious people made him anxious when he didn't have his blasters.

"Hey," he muttered, reaching down to bang his astromech on the head. "We're landing in a few hours, so start powering up now. I'm not carrying you."

[Othniel]

Karina

This was a stupid idea. Tersik'arin'aisha - Karina to those who had trouble with tripartite naming structure - gazed at her datapad and silently upbraided herself for her situation. The blue-skinned woman laying in her bunk had been going over her old accounts and new plans, but was now musing over how she had come to this point in her career. A life of relative luxury and steady if unrewarding work at home in the Ascendancy had been replaced with a wild ride that was half-feast, half-famine in the wilds of the greater "known" galaxy, as those with whom she currently traveled would have pretentiously considered the state of things. Her opinion was that a strong local currency could perhaps ride out the ups and downs of the greater galactic market that was currently in flux from the unrest currently occupying the Republic. Something about a war between Jedi and Sith, and then a war with some people called Mandalorians, and then a war between more Jedi and Sith, if she remembered all that correctly. These people and their wars.

Karina tried to stay away from warzones. She liked excitement - quite a bit too much for her family actually - and could handle a blaster reasonably well, but a little excitement went a long way. Besides, Karina's kind of excitement usually involved nights on the town with well-bred suitors, expensive meals, and lavish wardrobes. Weapons usually didn't factor in, although there was that one big game hunter from the Outer Rim. Now she was running to a peaceful planet with a strong economy. She hoped it would work out that way, at any rate. There was no telling if the galactic economy worked the same way it did back in the more collectivist Ascendancy, and while her investments had paid off more often than not, she wasn't an economist. That was House Csalpa's realm of responsibility. Her own House, Inrokini, focused their energies and collective brainpower on industry, non-military science, and communications, the latter of which was Karina's strongest suit. She was very, very good with computers. She hoped to find a position where her talent would be recognized and rewarded, and if she could not do it the legal way, well...there were alternatives.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the imminence of mealtime was announced. She switched off her datapad and tucked it back into her collection of possessions, which was significantly reduced after selling off much of what she either didn't need, couldn't carry, or was of better use in credit-form. She slung her pack over her shoulder and gave a quick glance to make sure she hadn't left anything behind. One could not be too careful; she'd learned the hard way when she'd left Csaus that crime in the greater galaxy was rampant, especially theft. Nothing was missing save her blaster, and that was in the dubious safekeeping of a communal locker in the cargo hold. Passing by the Duros couple working on their puzzle, she gave them a polite nod followed quickly by a genuine smile. "Trying to finish before we make port?" Karina asked. She'd almost asked to join in - she enjoyed puzzles, and loneliness was starting to set in - but she didn't want to impose. Moving slowly toward the other end of the hold where the "cooks" held forth, she noted the presence of her fellow passengers with nods and smiles. Even if she didn't trust these people or droids, she would still be nice. One never knew when a favor might be needed.

[Tychris1]

Gazing down at its own hands, PB-1858 watched with rote curiosity as they rotated clockwise and then counter clockwise "Is this what it feels like to be a fleshbag?" It thought, the never-ending fright of one day having its core shutdown out of nowhere nagging at the back of its heuristic processor. It's fellow Battle Droids simply stood beside it, hands to their side, and they moved to follow PB-1858 as it moved through the hold and approached the chefs in their preparation of food. PB watched in idle amusement, its head tilting to the side slightly at the sight of the peaches, and then turning back to look at its underlings who began to ask it a question in binary. Turning back to the chefs, it spoke in the voice of its previous commander "These battle droids, they ask, may we sit in?" the words after the first three were clunky and occasionally tainted with random background noise collected from the various parcel moments stitched together to form a cohesive sentence.

[TheDarkDM]

The conversation around the table paused momentarily as the battle droids approached, the Rodian's eye stalks twitching slightly at the sight of them. But the oddity of their presence only dampened Dara's glow for a moment, before she smiled at PB-1858 and gave Madaanti a light shove. Roused from his momentary fugue, he returned to crushing up nutrient bars to serve as the crust to an impromptu cobbler, and Dara stepped towards the droids.

"The more the merrier, I always say. It's nice to hear you speak, finally. My name is Dara."

She held out her hand in an oddly courtly gesture for the wife of a farmer, waiting for the introduction to be returned. That done, she reached back to the table and picked up a stack of lightly dented plates.

"We'd be glad to have you. I'd very much appreciate it if you could help us set the table?"

As she spoke, her small daughter crept up next to her, eyes wide and intimidated by the towering mechanical frames of the droids. Following her stare, Dara calmed her with a rustle of the hair.

"I'm sure Sulen can show you how. Would you please, Sulen?"

The little girl stared a moment longer, but eventually took one of the plates from her mother's hands.

"Sure, I can show you..."

Across the cargo hold, the Duros couple had paused in their puzzle to observe the curious scene. Karina's question was met with an irritated snort from the male, Alzer, which was swiftly followed by the sound of boot hitting ankle and a conciliatory smile from his wife Nainlai.

"Yes. We often worked on puzzles over the Holonet when Alzer was away on business. We bought this one specifically for this trip, but it seems we may have overestimated our ability."

Another snort from her husband, this time directed at the puzzle itself.

"It's all the curves! How can you expect someone to differentiate one part of a half-sphere from the other?"

"The same way you can differentiate a good motivator from a bad, dear. Practice."

"Feh."

Alzer picked up one of the offending pieces from their small table and waved it in Karina's direction.

"So, you like puzzles miss?"

Between the two scenes, the remaining passengers slowly emerged from their partitions, to be greeted by the smell of peaches cooking on an impromptu stove Alzer had rigged. Loreck scratched at his mussed hair as he regarded his family fondly, before Kyran's attempt to wake H-1ME attracted his attention. Stretching his arms over his head, Loreck sent a series of popping sounds echoing through the hold as he approached the pair.

"That's a might fine droid you have there, friend. May be none of my business, but the only place I've seen droid like her is back in the Citadel docks. You have a ship waiting for you on Onderon?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Making her way over to the refrigeration unit, Cass took a look within, "What does everyone want to drink? We have... water. And a mysterious can in the back of the 'fridge." She took it, opened it up, and sniffed. "I'm guessing fermented engine coolant, but if that's your thing..."

[Tychris1]

Looking down at the hand, PB-1858 accepted it and firmly shook it twice before replying with Dara's own voice "My name is, PB-1858." It added its model number in a clear and crisp voice of the human man who turned him on. The battle droids remained dead silent and merely moved to take a plate at PB-1858's binary instructions. Following alongside them, it crouched down partially and turned to Sulen "Instructions?"

[Nefarion Xid]

"That's a might fine droid you have there, friend. May be none of my business, but the only place I've seen droid like her is back in the Citadel docks. You have a ship waiting for you on Onderon?"

"Thanks. I guess," Kyran shrugged, still half perched on his cot, awkwardly buckling his hip holsters in place. He had no intention of lingering at the docks. As soon as this ship touched down, he was a ghost. For a moment, he seriously considered selling the droid so it wouldn't slow him down.

"She's for sale if you want to make an offer," he said hopefully. "She also doubles as a hot water heater and a holonet hot-spot."

[Othniel]

Karina

"I adore puzzles, sir," replied the Chiss woman. She took a tentative step forward and accepted the puzzle piece as her eyes drifted toward the partially-completed structure. "Most puzzles I attempt are electronic in nature, computers being my specialty," she explained. "I feel a little lost without a full computer and only my datapad for company."

Karina was momentarily distracted by the younger human woman's listing of beverage options, such as they were. She wrinkled her nose at the second option. "Just water for me, thanks. I would rather not poison myself."

[TheDarkDM]

Her face resolute in the face of their mammoth task, Sulen marched to the table and set down her plate. The long metal slab bore the scuffs and stains of more than one cramped voyage, and it had been clear on boarding that the captain did not regard its maintenance or cleanliness as any great priority. For all its neglect, though, a little elbow grease on the first day of the journey had managed a passable chrome surface. The chipped ceramic knives and forks were kept in communal jars, also washed thoroughly and regularly, and Sulen had to lean almost the length of the table to retrieve them from where she stood.

"Alright, Mr. PB. A plate should be set two inches from the edge of the table, with napkin folded on top."

She paused, momentarily flummoxed. The speech had been delivered with a cadence distinctly different from Sulen's or her mother's, slower and somehow more refined. She stared forlornly at the naked plate a moment before setting her shoulders.

"But we don't have any right now. That's all right! Forks should be placed on inch from the plate on the guest's left hand side, tines pointed inward, knifes one inch to the right with blade facing the plate."

She demonstrated helpfully, managing a place setting so precise it would not have been out of place in a nicer restaurant. Her demonstration complete, the girl withdrew into herself again.

"Um, when grandma taught me there were a lot more forks and knives and things..."

She stared up at the droid with a wounded smile.

"But like this is fine, Mr. PB."

Across the hold, Dara had joined Cass at the refrigeration unit to help retrieve the water bottles. No one in the hold had cared to ponder where the captain had refilled the dull metal flasks, but it tasted good enough and no one had gotten sick. As the younger woman gestured towards the mysterious jar, Dara wrinkled her nose.

"I think our first mate left that in there as a joke. Or maybe it's a delicacy to his people. I can't say I've ever dined with a Whiphid."

Reaching into the fridge, she took two of the remaining flasks in hand.

"Thank you for helping, dear. A meal is always brighter when people pitch in."

She glanced to where her husband was examining the utility droid.

"Isn't that right, Loreck?"

Her tone was chiding, though her smile robbed it of its sting. Her husband looked over his shoulder and shrugged in apology before turning to answer Kyran.

"That's very tempting, but I can;t say I'm in the market for a droid right now. Could hardly afford one, after what this trip cost us. And I dare say you'd probably miss her after a while - a refugee ship's a bad place to make decisions like this, trust me."

He clapped Kyran on the shoulder before marching to where his wife stood, ready to help in the preparation of what was hopefully the last meal on board. As more and more passengers began to congregate, the two Duros speaking to Karina stood with small groans. They'd been sitting for too long, even for their ship-loving species. Watching the Chiss woman examine the puzzle piece, Alzer chuckled his agreement to her sentiment.

"I'm with you there, young woman. I can lose entire days tinkering, though I prefer circuits to code. I dealt in medical droids and equipment, you see, and a lot of it had to be refurbished after it was recovered from...well, from everywhere after the war."

He declined to clarify which war.

"Come, sit with us. I'm sure we'll both be back in our element soon enough."

[Nefarion Xid]

"To be honest, I'm not sure I own her." Kyran patted H-1M1 with something approximating affection. "She came with my ship and she wants to get back there. It's an obsession. Nothing a memory wipe can't fix, but ... eh."

After an overly dramatic shrug, he went to fish his coat out of the compartment above his bunk. He ruffed up the fur trim and tugged it on with a flourish ending in a double finger-gun towards Loreck.

"How do I look? Good enough to murder a Zabrak? Nah, I'm kidding. I don't do that anymore. I'm an accountant now."

[zabbarot]

H-1ME

The droid slowly whirred to life. The loss of the ship had left her mopey and despondent. Her camera shifted from Kyran to Loreck and back with a sad low whistle. She'd been powered down for most the trip to save battery so she wasn't really familiar with the rest of the passengers. A longer series of angry beeps exploded out as she realized what was going on, and an array of tools popped out and began snapping at Loreck to chase him away.

[Othniel]

Karina

"Gladly," replied Karina, pulling up a chair and leaning closer toward the puzzle. "No telling how long it'll be until we get planetside." Further commentary was interrupted by the astromech droid coming to life and angrily fending Loreck off. Karina laughed heartily and grinned at the situation. "It would seem that she is taken. I wonder who really owns whom in that relationship."

[TheDarkDM]

The antics of the more exotic passengers seemed to raise the spirits of all on board, and as they gathered around their battered dinner table it was with genuine smiles. The fact that their impromptu cobbler tasted almost like the real thing, a minor miracle in and of itself, no doubt helped, and as the meal progressed the cold walls of the hold rang with laughter. Someone even managed to produce a half-filled bottle of Arkanian whiskey, judiciously shared among the adults to Sulen's consternation. For a brief moment, the shadows hounding the assemblage retreated, and the hours until their emergence from hyperspace slipped by. Until eventually the ship shuddered with the deep thump of her emergence from hyperspace.

A green world was visible through the transparisteel viewports, its orbit cleaving to an enormous and equally green moon. The infamous Dxun, the moon of monsters. Circling the planet's equator was a glittering ring that seemed at first natural for its density and brightness, until a closer look revealed it to be long lines of starships gathering to pass through orbital customs, and an equally long line of ships freely rising from the surface. Here, then, was the beating heart of the restoration effort, Onderon's lifeblood bound for a dozen dead worlds. It was a staggering sight, rivaling Corellia for the sheer density of traffic, though the effect was enhanced somewhat by the prowling lights of Onderon's spacefleet and the solitary beacons of stations orbiting both Onderon and Dxun. Sulen gasped at the beauty of it, pressing her nose to the transparent metal in an attempt to take it all in. She was joined in short order by her parents, each one wrapping arms around each other at the sight of their new home. The Duros leaned into each other at the table, and even Madaanti seemed, finally, to relax. The moment could have lasted forever, had it not been cut short by the crackle of the intercom.

"Welcome to Onderon, folks. Settle in, it looks like there's a line."

The line cut, once again restoring the divide between captain and passengers. The bulkhead door between cargo hold and cockpit stairs remained closed, though. Clearly the Twi'lek intended to spend the last moments of the trip in comfort. With a rough shudder, the sublight engines engaged, and the Pride of Taris sped towards the waiting planet.

Spoiler: Kyran

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After about fifteen minutes, you notice something odd in the ship's trajectory. It's hard to tell through the side viewports, but you could swear you're headed towards Dxun, not the blockade.

[Jade_Tarem]

Cass relaxed somewhat when the ship dropped to sublight - of all the things that could go wrong on a voyage, they hyperdrive motivator failing to bring them out of hyperspace was among the most terrifying (if quite rare). If the crew couldn't fix it with whatever they had on hand... game over. The ship's inhabitants would continue to hurtle through their beautiful new purgatory, food and water running ever lower, until they succumbed one by one to exposure or despair. Eventually only the most ruthless (re: the one willing to resort to cannibalism) would remain, and then just the droids, and then nothing; even their power had to run out eventually. Finally the reactor containment would give out and the ship would be consumed in fire, or the reactor would die entirely and convert the ship into a communal tomb. Either way, the names of the passengers and crew would be added to the millions upon millions who had gone on a voyage and never returned.

Not a pleasant way to go.

Good grief, that got dark. The apprentice snorted mentally at how bleak that train of thought had gotten. Not normally one to worry about what ifs, the disappearance of her master had Cass's sense of paranoia working overtime. Still, despite the number of things that could still go wrong, simply reverting to realspace in an inhabited system had drastically raised the odds of the trip having a happy ending. At least if everything went awful out here, there were more options. Distress beacons could be lit, other ships could spot them and help, emergency landings could be made... they simply had more control over their own fate out here.

She knew it was a bad idea, but maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to get a sense of her master now that she was in the same system. Stretching out her senses toward distant Onderon, she attempted to find Master Hu'lya's presence.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

UTF: take 10 for a 24

[Nefarion Xid]

Kyran lingered by the window for a moment before giving up his space to Loreck. It was enough to confirm his hunch.

"Hey," he unceremoniously muttered his first word to Cass, uncomfortably close to her face with her eyes still closed. "Em, so, funny thing. We just took a main engine burn on what I'm pretty sure is a lunar intercept. The captain isn't taking us to Onderon."

[TheDarkDM]

Reaching out with her perceptions, Cass could feel the seething mass of life on Onderon and Dxun through the Force. The planet and its moon wove invisible tendrils around each other, like lovers caught in an embrace. Or perhaps, if one were to take a darker meaning, two enemies locked in desperate struggle. Regardless, Onderon and Dxun were blazing stars in the Force, so bright that Cass realized she would learn nothing at this distance. Yet even as she turned away from the twin beacons, she sensed something else. Somewhere above, in the very ship she was travelling on, shined the aura of a Force Sensitive. A strong aura, in fact, so strong it must have been shielding itself through the entire journey. But now it wavered, as though injured. Or unconscious.

[Jade_Tarem]

A Jedi is serene. A Jedi is aware of her surroundings. A Jedi is-

"Hey." Cass didn't jump, instead cracking one eye open. Then she jumped, a full six centimeters off the ground with a sharp intake of breath to match. It was a very nice face that had invaded her personal space, but that wasn't why her heart was jackhammering away.

She hadn't sensed her master. In fact, she felt foolish for trying - Hu'lya was a Jedi Master who was trying to hide. Cass's fumbling attempts to reach her from past the moon likely never had a chance. She was simply being impatient.

Still, touching the Force had yielded some information, even if it wasn't what she'd been looking for. A new presence on the ship, now hurt or else with attention flagging. There were really only three possibilities as to who it could be, and the captain and first mate seemed unlikely... though she wasn't going to rule them out just yet.

The apprentice (padawan? Cass wasn't sure she really qualified) managed to get her mind back in her skull in time to pick up the gist of what Kyran had said. The timing was too convenient for it to be unrelated to the new Force presence, and Hu'lya insisted that nothing was truly left to coincidence anyway. Instead, she nodded, "I'll go see what's wrong. See if you can get everyone to..." she trailed off, not sure what everyone else should do. Strap in? The cargo bindings wouldn't keep anyone safe in the event of a crash landing. Putting their heads between their legs would only allow them to kiss their own posteriors goodbye if the ship hit Dxun at speed. "Actually, see if you can [get the weapons locker open/get your droid to hack into the ship's systems]."

Not staying to see if he agreed or not, Cass started to make her way toward the new Force presence.

[Nefarion Xid]

"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about this. I think I'm going to have a word with the captain," Kyran muttered lowly, before walking to the locker and inconspicuously entering the combination.

[Tychris1]

PB-1858 watched the proceedings in silence, its optics focusing in and out on each individuals face, and its systems began to enter a passive energy conservation mode as it allowed its guard to lower briefly. The newly added information of its destination close at hand lended further credence towards this line of thought.. Zooming out, PB-1858 noticed one of the passengers, Kyran, walking away oddly, and with a light wave of its hand appendage sent one of its subservient battle droids to follow him. Standing up from its crouched and compact position, the less upgraded model walked away and questioned where the human was going in binary.

[Othniel]

Karina

"Hurry up and wait," remarked the blue-skinned woman. "If I had a credit for every minute I have spent waiting in line the last few years, I could retire," Karina suggested to the two Duros next to her. "At any rate, it will be nice to get planetside. No offense to the good captain and his crew - I have no complaints regarding the accommodations - but I want the feel of solid ground beneath me and a clear sky above. Grass under bare feet. What color is the grass on Onderon, anyway?" she asked, half-joking.

[TheDarkDM]

Everything went wrong.

It began with Kyran inputting the code to the weapon's locker. A code they'd all known. A code they'd all seen work. A code that had clearly cycled when they'd left hyperspace. The flashing red [CODE DENIED] across the access panel was accompanied by a metallic clang from above, as the center panel of the ceiling dropped down to reveal a gunmetal sphere crackling with blue energy. To her credit, Cass managed a garbled cry of warning before the sphere flashed, sending electric arcs flowing over every surface. The wave of ion energy knocked out every electrical device in the cargo hold, and a second blast knocked even the droids into shutdown. At the same time, the same speakers that had provided a constant irritant released their hidden reservoirs of gas, flooding the cargo compartment in a milky white fog. It seeped through pores and forced its way down throats, sending everyone still standing into fits of desperate coughing. Until it did its work, and muscles began to tense in paralytic spasms.

Consciousness remained, if dimly. Enough at least to see the gas vented out through yet another hidden system on the trapped barge. Loreck was frozen, hunched over Dara and Sulen in a uselessly protective gesture. Dara's face was buried in her daughter's hair, but the little girl's eyes were visible to all, frozen open as they drifted between the blur of shock and the stricken clarity of fear. Madaanti had collapsed near Kyran, racing for his own blaster, while Alzer and Nainlai slumped over their table, their precious puzzle scattered on the deck. It was a deathly silence, those few still looking at the viewports afforded the ominous view of Onderonian fighters dropping into escort formation around the Pride as she slowed to dock somewhere over Dxun.

If there was any question as to the identity of your betrayer, it vanished as the door to the cockpit opened to reveal Captain Norv and his First Mate Gharq. The Twi'lek, Yetrai Rha, was slung over the Whiphid's shoulder like a sack of flour, arms and legs secured in heavy binders, clearly unconscious rather than paralyzed. As he moved from passenger to passenger, Norv idly toyed with a slim metal cylinder in his hands, a cylinder all-too-familiar in these dark times - a lightsaber. Satisfied that his trap had spared no one, Norv chuckled to himself.

"Just as planned, Gharq, just as planned. Let Captain Imzir and his boys aboard - we've got quite the catch for them this time."

A grunt was the only reply, but the First Mate moved to the docking controls nonetheless, unlocking them with a few impatient button presses. The ramps hissed to life, falling swiftly to metal deckplates below. The sound of activity surged into the cockpit, the metal steps of droids and militant commands in Basic echoing through what was clearly a large hangar. Footsteps rose along the ramp, and within moments half a dozen armed men and women emerged from the steam. They were dressed in dark brown military uniforms, accented by gold piping and a white wrap that encompassed both shoulders. Their faces were almost totally obscured behind a brown cap and mask that covered the lower halves of their faces, leaving only hard and greedy eyes visible. They leveled blaster carbines at the occupants of the cargo hold, prompting Norv to raise his hands in mock surrender.

"You can tell your Captain it's safe. No Gundarks up here."

He laughed, and the soldier in the lead leaned into the clasp that held his wrap to his shoulder. Soon enough, another set of footsteps rose towards the cargo hold, and a man in a navy blue variant of the brown uniform appeared. Capless and without a mask, his hard face bore an ugly plasma burn across his bottom jaw, ruining what might once have been a handsome countenance. Cold black eyes met the captain's own cheery blue, and they engaged in an oft-practiced test of wills before the officer sighed.

"This batch had better be an improvement over the last one, Norv. The Exchange has more than enough desperate labor slaves."

Norv's grid widened sickeningly.

"Oh, I think they'll be willing to pay top dollar for this catch. We've got a doctor, two tech-savvy merchants, an agri-scientist, a couple of pilots, some pretty ladies, combat and utility droids, and..."

He leaned close.

"A Jedi."

The silence stretched several heartbeats.

"Process them."

Spoiler: Karina

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Whatever that gas was, it shouldn't have affected all of you so quickly. You realize there must have been an accelerating agent, and on consideration you come to only one conclusion - your food was laced.

Spoiler: Kyran

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These uniforms are clearly Onderon Military. This slaving ring is connected.

[TheDarkDM]

The two Captains, Norv and Imzir, were quick to leave the ship, their prize carried behind by Norv's brute. In their wake, the soldiers began their work. Belongings that had been carefully stowed in bunks were retrieved and searched with cold precision, whatever valuables were discovered loaded into metal bins carried by military patrol droids. It was a wonder, really, how quickly almost a dozen lives were stripped of memories, photographs and mementos that were personally priceless left discarded and broken across the deck in favor of credit chits, jewelry, and a few bruised antiques. It was clearly not the first time these soldiers had raided this hold, and before long they had scoured even the most secure hiding places. Then they turned to the paralyzed cargo. Rough hands rifled clothes and unfastened belts, pulling off further jewels and baubles with more care for the objects themselves than any discomfort caused to their former owners. Meanwhile, one of the reavers pulled a military dataslate from his pocket and pressed it against the weapon locker, its military decryption quickly accessing the lockers second, secret code. There was, at last, a ripple of surprise through the soldier as they examined the arsenal held within, but it too was summarily loaded onto the waiting droids.

Lying despoiled on the ground, it was difficult to separate one set of footsteps from another. But as the soldiers completed their search, there was the whisper of rubber on metal from the loading ramps. As one, the soldiers within the cargo bay snapped to attention, staring with anxiety at the figure casting a shadow from the entryway. The whisper of footsteps came closer, and soon each captive was greeted with the smiling face of an older woman, blond hair cropped close to her head, wearing a red version of the soldier's uniform. Pausing by each comatose prisoner, her fingers probed sensitive areas with practiced firmness, moving to check pulses and snap fingers in front of staring eyes. After each examination, she would nod, her smile unwavering, and as she completed her last on Sulen she stood to address the soldiers.

"How long?"

"An hour, Doctor Kared."

"Mmm, you're behind schedule. We're nearing the safe limit, especially for the girl. Bind them."

Protesting muscles were quickly forced behind each prisoner's back, the only relief from the searing pain the sharp intake of breath. Binders were fastened in place, as well as metal bits that closed painfully tight around the head. Her charges suitably restrained, the Doctor produced a hypo-syringe and deliver swift injections into every neck. The pain began to recede, and after a few moments the paralysis followed.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to Cannok Station. You will not be with us long, I'm afraid, but while you are our guests you will be treated according to your attitude. Behave yourselves well..."

She ran thing fingers through Sulen's hair as one might pet a cat.

"And you will be treated well. Behave poorly..."

She prowled around the kneeling prisoners, eventually stopping before Kyran and placing a sharp nail at his forehead.

"And you will be punished."

She stepped away, turning back to the waiting soldiers.

"The girl first. The price will be lower if there's any permanent damage."

As Sulen was wrestled to her feet to walk barefoot out of the ship, Dara finally emerged fully from her haze. The metal gag strangled her scream, but it still pierced the ears of the entire assemblage as she launched herself towards the Doctor. The violence of the action seemed to take the soldiers by surprise, but Dara's legs betrayed her. She stumbled, and as she strugged to regain her feet a shock baton caught her between the shoulder blades. She collapsed writhing to the deck, only to be struck by a second baton, and then a third. Loreck, overcome with rage, attempted to come to his wife's aid. But the soldiers were ready, and soon he too had collapsed beneath the blows of his captors. After a few more blows, the Doctor responded in a clipped tone.

"Enough. Any more and you'll leave a mark."

She moved closer, placing a bootheel atop Dara's shivering head and forcing her to the ground.

"I did warn you. But I'm confident you can be taught."

She descended the ramp accompanied by one of the soldiers and a weeping Sulen, as the remaining soldiers hauled the adult prisoners to their feet. Led out on unsteady legs, the last any passenger of the Pride of Taris saw of their former accommodations was a pair of technicians installing restraining bolts on the quartet of droids.

Emerging into a cavernous hangar, the prisoners were marched into an inner ring that seemed to run the length of the station, with only a single hallway leading to a central spire. There they boarded turbolifts that took them up a level, into another inner ring that seemed to accommodate barracks for further soldiers. None of the brown-coated regiment deigned to meet their eyes as they moved with increasingly steady steps to a prison block. Past an inner guard room, they discovered a processing chamber which seemed to be the final destination of their stolen belongings, the hoard being cataloged by a pair of dispassionate soldiers. Then past another security door, to have their pictures taken by a bored-looking guard before being forced into one of four cells. The two Duros and the Rodian were confined to one, the Nestina's to another, and to a third the ragtag trio of Kyran, Cass, and Karina. The rooms were blank durasteel, lacking even elevated slabs for beds, but there was one kindness. Their binders and gags were removed once they were safely esconced.

Of the Twi'lek Jedi, there was no trace.

[Jade_Tarem]

Unbalanced by the lingering effects of the gas and the sudden removal of the bindings and gags, Cass fell forward to her hands and knees as the cell door shut behind her, coughing. A touch hoarse from the gas, the gag, or both, she she still managed a clear rasp. "Spaceports, am I right?"

The flippant quip served as good cover for internal screaming. The apprentice had a good imagination, and she'd heard the stories about slaving rings through the galaxy. The fact that her looks and possession of girly parts apparently comprised her value to this particular band were not datapoints that fell into the positive column.

The Jedi Code held that there was no emotion, only peace, but Cass was honestly feeling any number of emotions. Terror, a sick sort of disbelief, and rage that any of the rodents wearing human suits outside had dared to touch Sulen. She wasn't sure why her mind stuck on that, but it did. Maybe just because the girl was the only one to reach out to her during the trip.

And the other Jedi. Cass didn't know what her deal was - she hadn't known much about her to begin with, and had (like everyone except Sulen) cheerfully assumed that she and the captain had spent the voyage kriffing like Ithorian puff-bunnies. The Jedi reveal blew all of that to smithereens. Was she a full Jedi? An apprentice like Cass? A follower of a different Force discipline? Hu'lya had spent nearly all of their training time getting Cass through remedial discipline and Jedi lore, though she'd hinted that there were other ways to access the Force. The whirlwind of questions was enough to jar Cass out of her building hate.

Focus. Her captors had failed to spot that she was also Force sensitive. That didn't solve any problems immediately, but it did make more opportunities available. If she could get alone with a guard, or within sight of a useful object, she could perhaps act. Inside a windowless room, she had nothing to do but talk to her new roommates. She could always try to sense where the other prisoners were, but being the last one shoved into a cell meant that she already knew. Trying to make contact with the other Jedi might just result in being detected - or perhaps the Twi'lek would sell her out. She was better off starting locally. After a short time hyperventilating, the padawan - she'd just been sandbagged by slavers, the universe could humor her and let her use the title - twisted around to sit cross-legged on the floor, then scooted back so she could sit up against the wall. "So... ideas? Info? Spot anything good on the way in?"

[Othniel]

Karina

The idea of being kidnapped and murdered has entered Karina's mind...back home in the Ascendancy. It was part of why rumors of the existence of Shadow Children - publicly unacknowledged children to prevent the extermination of bloodlines - persisted, despite claims to the contrary. Inter-family political warfare was not uncommon, though she thought she'd left that sort of thing behind when she was "asked" to leave home. Guess not.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when the other woman in the cell spoke. "Yes, do not order anything from the ship's cook again. Considering how fast we went down, the food was likely laced with an accelerating agent." She groaned as she pulled herself into a position mirroring Cass, and muttered a half-hearted complaint, "That was totally uncalled for. I actually paid my fare this time." She looked around their enclosure and tried to get her bearings. "I do not suppose either of you fine, upstanding citizens managed to smuggle in a weapon?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Cass shot the... whatever she was a look. "If either of us did, we should probably keep it to ourselves. They could be watching, y'know." She got up to take a close look around the cell. She didn't know how old the station was or whether this room had started off as a cell or not. Any number of factors could play into just how good the security was for this operation. The one thing that was going for them was that it all seemed a bit sloppy so far - crooked law enforcement and career criminals not being the most professional of opponents. "On an unrelated note, I dunno how to say this in a non-racist way, but what are you? I've seen lots of different species, but none like yours before."

[Nefarion Xid]

"Chiss," Kyran said, slightly louder than he'd imagined in his head, still unsure if his muscles were responding properly. Experimentally, he got himself up to a sitting position against the wall and began to check for his effects and credits. For a part, he cared more about his coat than his blasters.

"They're from ... well, way out there. Only three flavors of near-humans with blue skin and only one of those has red eyes." He gestured overhead as if to indicate the unexplored regions of the galaxy. "I'm guessing your vacation isn't going as planned? Come for our highly advanced culture, stay because our culture enslaved you. Aaah. Anyone else still having a dull pain between their eyes or is it just me?"