(L,F&E 34) A Special Punishment

[kalenath]

(For any who have not been following my characters -and if you haven't I don't blame you at all, they seem be everywhere atm- One of my characters broke a rule a while back. She had been ordered by her master to not get involved, to stay hidden, to escape. Instead, she showed herself, fought and well... basically made a mess. Her master was NOT happy...)

 

<Alderaan>

 

The elderly human grimaced, and then cursed. Then he grabbed for something behind him.

 

“Go away! I don’t want to talk to you today!” The red skinned Twilek in the white tunic dodged a thrown cup with unbelievable grace. She caught it before it could hit the ground and held it close, like a treasured memory. When she spoke it was kind.

 

“Did you take your medicine, Gundar? You know the docs get annoyed when you don’t take your medicine and they take it out on me.” Her voice was calm, and… sweet almost. But something about her spoke of sorrow and pain. The old man paused in the act of throwing the next object he had managed to grab, a datapad, then he sat down heavily.

 

“Don’t wanna… I don’t wanna forget… I wanna remember…” The Twilek waited until she was sure that he wouldn’t throw anything else, then came to his chair and squatted beside it.

 

“I know Gundar. I know.” Her voice was sincere, gentle and full of compassion. The elderly human shook his head, and then bowed his head. She took his parchment skinned hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He nodded, his ire spent. She handed him a cup and without a word, her slugged back the contents. When he spoke it was shaky.

 

“Once it works… I won’t remember… what is your name girl? You are so full of life… I want to know… please?” The Twilek shook her head, and then handed him a cup filled with water that he drank slowly. “I… I wish my kids or grandkids had half the patience or vitality you show an old fart… like me…” His head nodded as the medicine took effect.

 

The Twilek waited until she was sure the old man wouldn’t wake. Then, showing strength that belied her fragile appearance; she lifted him out of the chair and carried him to the bed. She laid him gently down and arranged his limbs so he would be comfortable. Then she hooked up his tubes again. His daily exercise consisted of wheeling himself around the room in his chair. She smoothed the sheets that covered him and sighed inaudibly. She hated this. She hated being around people like this. She…

 

She looked up and saw the doctor standing in the door. The male Bothan waved to her and she sighed inaudibly again and followed. Once they were outside, the doctor spoke quietly as he closed the door.

 

“He took it?” The Twilek nodded, but kept her eyes on the floor. Her control was slipping, she knew it was. A gentle touch on her shoulder surprised her. She looked up into the tired eyes of the only true medical professional in the facility. “We have done what we can.”

 

This place was where the elderly went to pass on in peace. It was word she had never known before coming here. Hospice.

 

The Twilek nodded without speaking and started off down the corridor towards her next patient. But she froze as the doctor held up a hand. “Call for you on line five. Said he would wait.” Her eyes narrowed and she nodded, but remained silent.

 

She went to her next patient, but Ms. Adamir was sleeping. She smoothed the sheets, collected the waste containers as she had been taught, then left the room without a sound. Only then did she head towards the privacy shielded cubicle that housed the facility’s single phone. As she walked she thought to herself.

 

I knew his punishment would be bad, but… this… this is ridiculous…

 

Ca, she never thought of herself as anything else if she could help it while here, entered the cubicle and sat. Then she keyed the screen on and froze. On the screen wasn’t who she expected. Not her master no, but…

 

“What?” Her voice was loud in her ears. She played a quiet soul here, so she almost never talked. It was so different from her normal persona that it forced her to stay focused on what she was doing every minute. The human on the screen, his bandaged empty eye sockets as always seeing far more than a normal person could, smiled at her.

 

“Hello Chari.”

Edited June 30, 2012 by kalenath

[kalenath]

For a moment, she just stood contemplating the image. When she spoke it was guarded, cautious.

 

"What do you want?" Her voice, to anyone who knew her, would have sounded odd. It was quiet, melodious –as always- but… there was an undercurrent in it. Chari of the Bladeborn might have been a cold blooded killer, but right at this moment, she wasn't Chari of the Bladeborn. She was Ca, volunteer assistant at this hospice. She was a Sith. As a whole Sith -and to a lesser extent, Bladeborn- detested the sick, the weak, the old, the infirm, so this where the Grand Master had sentenced her to work for an eternity. A month… Admittedly, by the letter of the Code, she should have been put to death for her willful disregard for the Emperor’s command that no Sith Forces interfere in the conflict between the forces that followed Zelkin Infinium and the others that followed Janelle Fatir. Of course she hadn’t expected that the ship she had stowed away on, the flagship of the fleet would have been attacked by no less than three Force users. And, she told herself, she had known she was violating the order when she had killed the sniper that had delayed her enough to be caught.

 

Of course she detested snipers. With reason. A sniper had shot her early in her career. While she had managed to find and kill the fool, even after having a hole blasted clean through her body, the same sniper had been responsible for the deaths of no less than three other Bladeborn. So she had cause to hate people who did that for a living. But… as Master Trugoy had pointed out, she had violated the order that she had been given. So… here she was, talking to her battle brother. Idjit smiled at her.

 

“I wanted to see how you were doing. Master’s punishments can be… extreme.” The Twilek nodded, not smiling. The man on the screen did. He knew better than most about Master Trugoy’s punishments, he had managed to get many inflicted on him.

 

“I am fine. It has been a week, I can do this…” She broke off as the holo grimaced.

 

“Chari, listen… He had a reason for doing what he did… I.. Aw flarg…” The holo cut off, leaving Chari to stare at it in bemusement. She shook her head slowly, then sighed and put the communications gear back in order. Her shift wasn’t nearly over for the day yet.

 

<Five hours later>

 

Ca cursed herself. She had been so sure that no one would bother her on this route of all places. After all, the entire trip from the hospice to the hole in the wall apartment she had rented took perhaps ten minutes. And truth be told, she liked having the time to think. But now… She shook her head again as the sounds that she had caught faintly came louder. There were some things that she just couldn’t stand. And this was one of them. Sith she was, sure, but… She wasn’t a sadist. Most of the time anyway. And the code… She shook her head again. Then she moved cautiously to investigate the sounds.

 

As she moved through the shadows, she became aware of another shadow ahead. No, two. They stood on either side of a small alleyway and she could hear muffled shrieks from further in the alley. The shadows resolved into a human and a Rodian, both armed with blasters. Ordinarily, the threat would be laughable, but she was unarmed. And then it registered. They were carrying things, things that sparked a deep well of fire in her soul. Slave collars… Even on such an enlightened world as Alderaan, beings practiced that ancient and despicable trade.

 

She shook her head again, then relaxed into an almost Zen state. If there was ONE thing most of the Bladeborn agreed on, it was that the only good slaver was a very dead one…

 

<Twenty minutes later>

 

Ca tried not to curse aloud. This… She was sure Trugoy’s wrath would know no bounds. But… The young human boy and younger human girl who she had just rescued from a horrid fate stared at her in shock. And who could blame them?

 

Five slavers lay in positions of violent death around the area. Ca felt pain at the edge of her awareness. She ignored it, cursing mentally as she tried to get the blasted slave collar off of the little girl. The boy spoke, quietly.

 

“You are hurt.” Ca looked up from the slave collar, shrugged, and then went back to fiddling with it. She smiled as it finally fell off. Ca pitched her voice out of its normal range and spoke for the first time in twenty minutes.

 

“I will live.” She helped the human girl to her feet and snarled inwardly seeing the bruises and… She froze. The girl was hurt! “Come on, you need help…”

 

The girl shook her head, terrified, and Ca bent down until her eyes were on the same level as the human girl’s.

 

“I won’t hurt you. I swear it.” She tried to keep her voice as gentle as she could. And the girl seemed to freeze, then with a small choked cry, the girl threw her arms around the Bladeborn and hugged Ca tight. Ca lifted the girl easily and held her as she sobbed.

 

“I… I can’t…” The girl’s tears ran down Ca’s tunic as she sobbed, but Ca didn’t mind. Children were a blessing. And for someone, even slavers, to knowingly and willfully hurt a girl in such a way… For just a moment, she wished the slavers were sill alive, so she could kill them again, slower. But Ca kept her rage out of her voice through sheer force of will.

 

“Listen to me…” Her voice was calm. “You are bleeding. You need help. What is your name? Mine is Ca.” The boy shook his head violently and Ca looked at him. He stared at her, then at the ground.

 

“I am Joruk and this...' He waved to the girl in Ca's arms. "...is Hana. If we go to the med clinic, they will call the orphanage, and they will call the slavers again. They…” He broke off as a look of pure rage crossed Ca’s face. It vanished quickly.

 

“Who said anything about a med clinic? Follow me.” Ca knew her life had just gone completely screwy, but at this very moment, she couldn’t have cared less. She led off towards her apartment.

[kalenath]

<Two hours later>

 

It had taken a lot of coaxing but Ca had finally managed to get Hana to sleep. The girl’s injuries were not as severe as they might have been, and Ca shuddered to think what might have happened if she HADN’T intervened when she had. The shower had helped and the Twilek’s gentle hands probably had as well. But now, the girl’s injuries were tended, and Ca had clean bandages on her own.

 

The Twilek sat in a chair at her small table and looked at where the girl lay on the apartment’s sole bed, silent and peaceful at last. Joruk sat as well on the only other piece of furniture in the apartment, a stool. He alternated by staring at her, and then at the girl on the bed. Ca spoke quietly.

 

“You are in no danger here.” Joruk jumped as if something hot had been applied to a tender part of his anatomy. He was a mess. He had finally subsided after Ca had glared at him while bandaging Hana’s wounds. He had been… upset was too mild a word. He had been incandescent in his fury. If he had been even a minor Force user, the sheer power of his rage would have killed the slavers on the spot. “Want to talk?”

 

The boy stared at her, then at the supine form on the bed. He slumped. He looked, but not at anything, his eyes went far, far beyond Ca. When he spoke, his voice was quiet.

 

“Hana and I were raised at an orphanage in another city. We… We were told we are brother and sister.” Ca nodded. Anyone with eyes, they didn’t need the Force, could tell that. But Joruk was continuing. “It wasn’t an easy life, there never was enough to go around with so many mouths to feed, so we learned early to take care of ourselves…” Ca nodded again, the hardest lessons were usually the best remembered. “And then… they came…”

 

Ca spoke when Joruk faltered. “The slavers?” But Joruk shook his head.

 

“No, the government. They said it was unsafe, said that there were too many people there. They put a new headmaster in place and he…” Ca didn’t prompt him and after a moment, he continued. “Kids started disappearing. He said they went to good families. And we believed him. Until one night we, Hana and I that is, saw a hovervan come in and leave with some of our friends in chains. So we ran. They followed us. We had no money, and…” He looked at the floor again, and this time Ca surprised herself by taking one of his hands in hers and giving it a squeeze.

 

“You are safe.” He looked at her, unsure. “The slavers will not bother you again. What happened? You had gotten away…”

 

“We had holed up in an abandoned building. The local police found us, questioned us, then let us go… but…” Ca nodded. The police report would have told people with the right connections exactly where to look for the two runaways. “We were running again, I heard someone tell me to stop and we ran harder. I heard a blaster and I woke up to find that collar around my neck and…” The boy’s body shook and Ca found herself holding him as he sobbed.

 

“It’s all right.” She crooned as she held the shuddering boy. “It’s all right. I won’t let anything happen to you.” And she wouldn’t. She swore it to herself. Her punishment be damned, this was more important. Even if the Code hadn't specifically said that children were to be protected when possible, the Twilek's own horrific past would have made her help these children. If just to keep them from suffering a similar fate.

[kalenath]

<The next day>

 

“Ca, do you have a moment?” Ca looked up from her finalizing a prescription request and nodded as the head of the hospice came down the hall. The human was actually someone that Ca thought she would have respected even if she had met the man as a Bladeborn. He played the academic and healer quite well, but underneath that lay a core of steel that anyone would have to admire.

 

“Yes Doctor?” Ca kept her eyes downcast. Her persona here was a shy, bookish sort who was trying to find her path in life. It grated on her, and that was the point. She was being punished. The doctor came up to her but stayed outside of her personal space. She appreciated that. Many humans seemed to feel a deep rooted need to get close enough to touch. And… well… That was not a good thing around someone as high strung and creatively violent as a Bladeborn. Of course, being a Twilek around humans did seem to make many of them think they could take liberties with her person. Ca had been forced to show that not all of her schooling had been in books –not that much of hers had been anyway-. She hadn’t broken any bones and the bruises had faded and the orderlies and other volunteers left her alone for the most part. But…

 

“There was an incident near here last night.” Ca looked up into the doctor’s eyes and hoped she had the right amount of surprise and inquisitiveness on her face when she did.

 

“An incident?” The doctor snorted at her careful words.

 

“It seems that a group of thugs were killed last night. They had blasters which did them no good. Whoever attacked them didn’t use weapons.” Ca maintained her questioning look, and then nodded slowly.

 

“And?” The doctor shook his head and Ca raised an eyebrow.

 

“I just wanted to ask you if you heard anything while you were walking last night.” The doctor’s tone was… odd. It was a known fact that Ca walked from her apartment to the hospice every day and then back at night. “These thugs apparently worked for a slaver gang…” The doctor broke off as Ca’s face lost all expression. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” Ca shook her head.

 

“I was busy thinking about Miss Anna… I didn’t hear anything like that.” And that was the literal truth. When she faced slavers, she never heard their pleas. And the human woman who had passed away the day before had been kind to Ca, talking with the Twilek, guiding her on the path of the hospice. Ca had liked Miss Anna. She hadn’t expected to. When she had arrived, she had been full of anger, full of hate. But Miss Anna had shown her another path, a path of peaceful acceptance of what couldn’t be changed. Ca doubted that she would ever be able to be as peaceful as Miss Anna had been, especially near the end, but she tried. The doctor looked at Ca and nodded.

 

“Be careful when you walk. I doubt that is the last we have seen of these scum, and whoever killed them is still out there.” Ca nodded, and the doctor left to continue his rounds. Ca smiled slightly, and then went back to her work.

 

<That night>

 

Ca, for once in her life, was unsure. She knew what she wanted to do. She knew she could do it. These slaver scum were not the brightest of bulbs. She had no doubts that she could find and kill them all. The problem, well, the two problems, sat and looked at her as they finished the meal she had cooked for them. Hana was moving easier now, and Joruk also seemed to be recovering some of his spirit. Ca knew that part of that was the lack of threats. When one lived for a long time surrounded by threats, real or imagined, it took a toll on the body and the mind. Ca knew that better than many. She looked up as Hana spoke.

 

“Ma’am…?” Ca finished her last bite and smiled at the girl. Hana had almost inhaled the food that Ca had put in front of her and the Twilek wondered again how long it had been since the waif had seen a decent meal.

 

“Yes. Hana?” Ca kept her voice calm and gentle as she picked up the dirty dishes and placed them in the sanitizer. The girl looked at her and Hana’s eyes were wide and scared.

 

“What are you going to do?” Ca froze as the fear in the girl’s voice hit her hard. She turned towards the girl with a puzzled look on her face. She opted for humor.

 

“Right now I am going to put the dishes in to get cleaned, then I am going to check your wounds, help you get cleaned up and put you back to bed. If you have no objections that is.” Her voice was teasing and Hana smiled a bit. But then the girl sobered and looked far, far older than her years.

 

“You can’t hide us forever. They will find us.” Ca nodded.

 

“I don’t have to hide you forever. I… I know some people. People who take a very dim view to slavers and people who work with slavers. I contacted them today, and I should hear something back soon. When the slavers have been dealt with, you will be safe. You can go…” Ca broke off as Hana started to cry. She was around the table in an instant, holding the girl loosely. “Hana, it’s ok… I won’t let anything happen to you.”

 

She held the girl until Joruk made a small cry and toppled over. Then she smelled it. Knockout gas. She stood and was moving towards the door when it crashed open and a small device came flying into the room. She had just a moment to recognize a concussion grenade before it went off, throwing her into blackness. Her last thoughts before unconsciousness took her were fierce.

 

Somebody is going to die soon…

[kalenath]

<An indeterminate time later>

 

She woke, annoyed. It had been a while since she had let down her guard enough to get blindsided like that. She relaxed slightly, just a bare movement. It was enough to show that she was not restrained. Truth be told, she hadn’t expected to wake up. Slavers were not known for being merciful to those who killed their compatriots. She cracked her eyes and froze.

 

“Good morning.” The human male dressed as a smuggler -which he was- sitting beside her smiled as she opened her eyes all the way, taking in her surroundings and situation at a glance. A somewhat sleazy hole in the wall apartment, much like hers had been. But… the top of the line anti-bugging gear and the weapons that lay on the single table were nothing that she would have had in her persona as Ca. She shook her head.

 

“Cole Shanas… I might have known they would send you…” She sat up and regretted it as her head spun. The human known as Cole didn’t move. He knew her, what she was capable of. He was no slouch at combat himself, but he much preferred to fight ‘smart’ as he put it. And his skills lay in other places than melee fighting. She ordered her brain to stop spinning inside her skull and it did. She took a deep breath, and then looked the human full in the eyes. “The kids?” Cole shook his head.

 

“Gone. I caught the clean up crew just as they were preparing to leave with you. I guess they wanted to dump you somewhere. You have been out for three hours.” Ca’s eyes narrowed. Cole shrugged. “No prisoners from the cleanup crew, I apologize.”

 

Ca shook her head. “They won’t kill the kids, not yet.” Cole nodded at her harsh tone. He had encountered slavers many times himself, and his feelings towards them were very similar to Ca’s. For much the same reasons actually...

 

“You will need this.” He passed her a wrapped bundle and her breath caught as she took it. Even without seeing it, she knew what it was. She opened the bundle and was not surprised when it proved to be her sword. She looked at it, and then at Cole.

 

“Master sent me here. He said, and I quote ‘Chari is needed. But her punishment isn’t done.’” Ca, no Chari again, looked at him and nodded. Then she swung her legs off the bed and sat up, holding her blade. Cole nodded, but did not offer assistance. He knew it would be considered an insult. And insulting a Bladeborn was… bad. “Where to Masterblade?”

 

Chari shook herself, the sharp movement erasing the aches and pains that she felt. When she looked up, there was a feral gleam in her eyes.

 

“The kids were from an orphanage. I have the coordinates. The headmaster of that place is in league with the slavers.” Cole grinned, echoing Chari’s evil look. Then he started picking up his equipment. They had a meeting to arrange and not a lot of time to do it.

 

<Two hours later>

 

Chari lay on her belly and examined the orphanage through her binoculars. Binoculars might be outdated, no zoom or electronic enhancement capabilities, but they had one redeeming quality. They had no power source to be detected. The orphanage looked very much as such a building should in the middle of the night. Most of the lights were off. Most of the building was dark. But… one section was lit. And a shadow had crossed in front of the window twice now. Chari turned to where her partner was fiddling with apiece of equipment and then he nodded. She took the small wire he handed her and inserted it in her ear. And she could hear through the directional microphone that was trained on the window. A male voice, probably human, came through loud and clear.

 

“…I don’t care what you want. I can’t do that. There is already a lot of scrutiny… yes… yes I know… wait… I… Yeah I can do that, but… it won’t be cheap. I… Wait...! I can… Please, just listen. I know you lost people… how can you guarantee…?” The voice broke off for a moment. When it continued, the undercurrent was fear. “No, the police have no idea who did it. No, we lost her… No! If you leave me hanging… Wait… I can… I can deliver the rest, tonight. Yeah… yeah… Same place. I’ll be there. You better have my payment.” The voice stopped and Chari shared a glance with Cole. They both slithered off the hill and back towards their hidden speeder.

[kalenath]

<Twenty minutes later>

 

The speeder bus moved through the suburbs of Alderaan as if it belonged there. The forty kids in the back were quiet. Per the headmaster’s orders, they had all been given drink pouches as they had entered the bus. And those drink pouches had contained a sedative. Not that the kids needed much help into sleep in the middle of the night. The driver was worried. This wasn’t what he had signed up for. To work ferrying kids from place to place, sure. But this, something was very wrong with this. First of all, the headmaster coming in the middle of the night… the human liked his beauty sleep. Speaking of which… the headmaster had handed him a dataslate with coordinates on it and told him to drive. Now the headmaster of the orphanage was sleeping in the other front seat. The driver sighed silently, and then froze as lights appeared in the distance. He jerked upright as he recognized the pattern. Police. He waited and then exhaled as he saw the cop airspeeder alter course in sighting his vehicle. The cop was after him? And in the distance he saw more lights. And now the cop was close enough for the siren to be heard. The headmaster of the orphanage jerked awake and swore as the cops closed fast. The driver sighed and started to decrease speed and altitude.

 

“What are you doing?” the driver looked over at the headmaster and shook his head.

 

“Running from cops doesn’t work. Kind of hard to outrun a comlink.” He waved ahead of them where two more sets of lights could be seen. Then he froze as the headmaster pulled a blaster out of his clothing and pointed it at the driver’s head.

 

“Get us out of here.” The human snarled, but the driver just shrugged.

 

“How? How am I supposed to outrun four cop speeders? In a bus?” The driver settled the speeder on the ground and waited. Either for the cops to come or the headmaster to shoot him. He shook his head and then looked up as the passenger door opened and the speeder bounced. Then his blood froze. One of the closest seats was empty. It hadn’t been a moment before. He jumped out of the buss, but a loud voice called to him from the closest police speeder.

 

“Freeze! You are covered! On your knees!” The driver complied but shouted back as he knelt.

 

“He is a madman! He has one of the kids!”

 

<A few minutes later>

 

Hirum Fraggle, the former headmaster of the Juril Sector Orphanage, cursed under his breath as one of the cop speeders arced across his path again. He had managed to get away from the bus, but now the cops were everywhere. He grinned and tightened his hold on the arm of the girl he had managed to grab before fleeing. She was still dazed from the sedative she had been given, but ahead he could see the entrance to a sewer. If he could get in…

 

A heavy weight hit him from the side and he cried out as he went sprawling. He lost his grip on the girl and she went down in a heap as well. He tried to draw his blaster but froze as a long silver blade interposed itself into his field of vision. He looked up into the cold, dead eyes of the red skinned female Twilek holding the archaic sword. She spoke.

 

“Headmaster. I am glad to finally make your acquaintance.” The words were kind, the tone… he shivered. It was as if death itself had spoken to him. A human male stood behind her and his expression was almost worse. It was as if he was already a corpse and didn't know it. The human was holding the little girl and examining her for injuries as she cried.

 

“I…I can pay….” The headmaster grunted as the Twilek hit him with the pommel of her sword. He went down in a heap again, losing his blaster from its pocket.

 

“Oh you will pay all right. But right now… We are going to have a little talk…” She grabbed his collar and seemingly without effort, picked him up and threw him into the sewer inlet he had been running for. She followed, slowly. The human picked up the girl and consoled her as he started walking away. A scream sounded from the sewer, followed by another. The human spoke to the girl and distracted her as the screams continued. Then the horrific sounds ended. A few minutes later the Twilek came up behind them and nodded to both. The little girl looked at the Twilek and spoke, timidly.

 

“Are you a good guy or a bad guy?” the Twilek looked at the girl and smiled.

 

“Today I’m a good guy, girl.” The human hugged the girl again, and then set her down. He pointed in the distance where the bus was lit up by the lights of several police cruisers.

 

“Go.” The girl looked at the distant light, then back at the mismatched pair. But… she stiffened in place They were gone! She shook her head and started towards the police, and safety.

[kalenath]

<VERY early the next morning>

 

Hana had finally stopped crying. She had cried herself out. Joruk was mad, but he knew better than to let his rage out. They liked hurting him. They had, when they had taken him, and then they had hurt Hana in front of him. In a way, that was worse. That had finally made him stop fighting. He froze as Hana spoke. She hadn’t moved from where they had thrown her.

 

“Do you believe them?” He shook his head and grimaced silently as the slave collar, which they had set to maximum power, twinged against his neck. Pain was nothing new to him. He had lived for days with broken bones at the orphanage and after running away. But this… it was worse. He felt pain deep, deep inside now. But he had to be strong, for Hana. He spoke quietly.

 

“No." Joruk said stolidly, but without much hope. "There is no way they could have killed her. She got away… Somehow. Or they wouldn’t be so… scared…”

 

Joruk shut his mouth and both children froze as loud boots sounded in the corridor outside. All they had seen on waking was this room, wherever it was, and a corridor outside it that they could see when the door opened. And every time the door opened, slavers came in and hurt them. But now, something had changed. Loud shouting was heard, and now, both kids cringed as blasters sounded. The slavers had told them that they would kill all of their ‘cargo’ rather than let any of them get away. And the leader, the one who had hurt Hana, had promised to take the trouble that the kids had caused them out of Joruk’s and Hana’s hides. But now, something had changed. The blasters fired again, and more shouting was heard. Both children cringed as the door was flung open, but instead of the slavers…

 

“Got two more, sergeant! We need a medic here!” Joruk stared at the fully armored figure that moved into the room slowly and carefully. The figure took off her helmet and Joruk stared at the female human who looked at him with compassion mixed with anger in her eyes. She came to where he lay and knelt down beside him as another armored figure with a large satchel came in behind her. The newcomer went to Hana and started pulling things out of the satchel. Hana looked at Joruk with fear in her eyes and the first figure spoke.

 

“I am Officer Jal, Alderaan Security Police. You are safe.’ Joruk stared at the human and his eyes were suddenly full of tears. The officer carefully removed the slave collar and then held him as he sobbed. “It’s ok… It’s ok… we will take care of you.”

 

She held him carefully as he cried. She looked at the team medic as he started treating the girl. The medic turned after a few moments and gave a thumbs up. The officer picked Joruk up and carried him out of the room. Still bodies lay scattered around, beings that Joruk recognized as slavers. He shook his head and regretted it as pain came again, in larger waves. He was barely aware as the officer set him down on something soft and a being in white came up. He flinched away, but the Mon Calamari didn’t touch him, just ran a scanner over him. Then the female alien froze. The officer looked at the scanner and froze as well. She looked Joruk in the eye and spoke.

 

“We will take care of you.” Joruk believed her, but he was floating now. He heard raised voices as he lost the battle to stay conscious.

 

<In cover atop a nearby hill>

 

Chari watched in silence as the police loaded Joruk, Hana and the other hurt children into ambulances. She bowed her head for a moment, then turned and made her way carefully and quietly out of the area. Cole was waiting for her where she had left him with their speeder outside the police cordon. Without a word, she unbuckled her sword and handed it to her ally. He nodded to her, and then he drew his blaster. A blue flash…

 

<Later>

 

“Ma’am?” Ca swam back into consciousness and regretted it instantly. She groaned, and a gentle hand touched her on the hand. She cracked her eyes and saw an armored cop standing over her. She was in a cage, and for just a moment, remembered rage fluttered almost out of her control, but she squelched it. The police officer opened the cage and she crawled out. The cop extended a hand, which Ca took. The cop helped her to her feet and she looked around at the slave cages. This slaver facility had been extensive. Many of the cages had been occupied.

 

“Joruk… Hana…” Ca shook her head against the fuzziness that still sat in the middle of it.

 

“We have found everyone else. They must have missed you on the first sweep. I apologize.” The cop seemed earnest, and Ca shook her head.

 

“You found me, that is what matters. There were two kids I was trying to help. Have you found a boy and a girl, brother and sister?” The cop checked his datapad and nodded.

 

“Both are at the hospital and the docs say they should make a full recovery.” Ca smiled, then staggered. The cop caught her. “Whoa, lets get you out of here…” Ca leaned on the police officer, carefully not noticing a shadow that moved off. A shadow just about the size of a human male.

 

“I have to get to work, they will need me…” Ca trailed off, not feigning a grimace as broken ribs grated. The cop snorted.

 

“Ma’am..." The cop helped her to stand and led her towards where a group of medics had set up. "After what you just went through I THINK you have a good excuse…” Ca snorted back in wry humor.

 

“You don’t know my boss.”

[kalenath]

<The next evening>

 

-This is an Alderaanian Nightly News special report-

Juril sector police working with Alderaan Militia forces have struck a telling blow against a group of criminals operating in the area of Spire 12. Sources inside the police forces state that a ‘massive’ installation was discovered after an anonymous tip. A strike force of Militia and police surrounded the facility in the early hours of the morning and, on determining the status of the hostages within, initiated rescue operations.

 

According to the Militia spokesperson, Lieutenant commander Yun, the slavers put up a ‘stiff’ fight. But the training and dedication of the Militia and the police in support allowed them to carry the day. According to Commander Yun, thirty five hostages of various ages and species were rescued from the facility, several needing urgent medical care. The investigation is ongoing,, as well as the investigation into the apparent murder of the headmaster of the Juril sector orphanage, whose body was found after an intense manhunt. Police have refused to comment on where the body was found or why the headmaster was sought. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity has stated that ‘it is a good thing pictures of the body are not available to the press’ when asked. The source refused to comment further.

 

All of the recovered hostages, which according to reports included beings from all over the planet, are being treated at an undisclosed location. According to Militia and police sources, non of the injuries suffered by the hostages were life threatening and all should make full recoveries. The police ask that anyone with more knowledge of this heinous group’s activities please contact them at Juril police headquarters.

 

Further information will be posted as it becomes available.

 

-This has been an Alderaanian Nightly News special Report-

 

 

The small brown figure sighed as he turned off the viewscreen. he strode

 

That girl, I SWEAR I am going to tan her hide...

 

Master Trugoy, Grandmaster of the Bladeborn Order, looked up at the still figure of Cole Shanas and shook his head. He had things to discuss with his wayward charge. But now was probably not the best time. It could wait. Shanas shrugged, and Trugoy actually chuckled.

 

"I will discuss this with her after her punishment is done. Stay here for a few days, make sure she doesn't have any problems." The soft voiced statement was a command and Shanas nodded. Then, without warning or ado, Trugoy was gone. No muss, no fuss, no nothing. As if he had never been in the room. Shanas smiled slightly and sat at his computer, trying to make sense of things.

[kalenath]

<Two days later>

 

Ca lay in the bed she had been in and tried not to curse as she wiggled, trying to dull the ache. Cole had been thorough. The idea had been that if she was unmarked from her captivity, it would have been strange. Strange enough to cause more than a few eyebrows to rise in speculation. So, while she was stunned, he had… well… It wasn’t ever day that he got to beat up a MasterBlade. The docs had counted seventeen broken bones, not that such pains impinged on her awareness normally. Most of the breaks were clean and in her hands and feet. Non-life threatening, and the kind of thing that slavers would do to cause pain but not permanently injure. After all, if they permanently damaged a potential windfall profit (as Lethan Twileks generally were), that was their loss. But the breaks were uncomfortable, even to a Bladeborn. At least the docs here were kind.

 

The collarbone probably wasn’t Cole’s doing. She had broken that bone before in falling after being stunned. And since he had done it with her explicit permission, she couldn’t even retaliate. She had been in a kolto tank the day before and felt better, but was due for another dip today. And her resistance to normal painkillers was not for public consumption, so she faked that the pain didn’t exist for her. She had lots of practice in that at least. But…

 

“Miss Ca?” She looked up into the eyes of the being who had just entered the room. A human, followed by a Mon Calamari. She kept her gaze befuddled as she saw both wore the badge insignia of Alderaan police. She nodded slowly. She had wondered how long it would take them to get to her. Selfishly, she had hoped that it would take them long enough that she could be discharged, but no, here they were.

 

“Yessss?’ she dragged the word out as if slowed by the drugs, but her brain was moving at lightspeed. Options, plans, strategies all flowed through her as the police officers sat down beside her bed.

 

“We have a few questions for you.” Ca remained expressionless through sheer force of will.

 

Of course they do, and of course they waited until after my painkiller medication today to ask them

 

“How can I help?” She asked, slurring her words. The human spoke.

 

“Two of the children we rescued from that horrible place say that you saved them from a group of slavers before. That you ‘killed them all’. And there was a group of five slavers slain at that time. Yet your file says you have had no training.” Ca nodded slowly. This was something she had envisioned happening the moment she had woken in custody. Polite custody mind you, but custody..

 

“I… It just sort of happened…” She was sure she saw something pass between the two. Disbelief? She felt something, something odd. Outside she was calm but inside she was scared. The only thing that felt like that was a Jedi attempting to read her thoughts. She wasn’t worried about escape, but for what Trugoy would do to her if she had to slaughter people to get away. Hmmm… She could use that.

 

“Miss Ca. We found your genotype on the bodies.’ Ca let her mind empty of everything except her fear of the police.

 

“I… I didn’t mean to… they were hurting the kids. I… I couldn’t just… It just sort of happened...” She was babbling now. As if she was terrified. “Please don’t tell my boss. Please…” one of the cops jerked and Ca carefully kept her mind blank and terrified as she realized the Mon Calamari was not a cop but a Jedi in disguise. The human cop put his hand on hers, careful to avoid the IVs that were set in her wrist. She didn’t miss that the IV drip control inched up a bit with nothing touching it.

 

“Ma’am. You have nothing to fear from us. We were just curious how you did it.” Ca smiled a bit absently, but she calmed. When she spoke her voice was dreamy as if the drugs were taking more of a hold on her.

 

“I… I had… a bunch of… brothers,” Which was no lie. “I learned… to fight… early.” Also true. “I… I couldn’t just stand there.” More true than anything else.

 

“But how?” The Mon Calamari spoke for the first time and Ca smiled vacantly at him.

 

“Well, you know how they say…” This might be a long day.

 

<Three hours later>

 

“…and then I just…” She hiccuped. And it wasn't feigned. It was hard playing an airhead. And a drugged one? “Well… It… just… sort… of… happened.”

 

Ca watched with carefully concealed amusement as the two cops, one real one obviously a disguised Jedi, tried not to yawn. She lay back on the bed and let her eyes finally close. She had done that three times so far and then, when they had tried to leave, had woken up enough to ramble some more. Enough was enough though. She let her breathing lapse completely into sleep patterns. She heard both beings stand carefully and walk quietly out. Before the door closed she heard the human cop exhale in obvious relief. She had gimmicked the monitors early on, so she was out of the bed and listening at the door before they could have gone two steps.

 

“Well?” the human cop was obviously trying hard not to laugh. The Mon Calamari snorted.

 

“She’s no Sith. Very lucky, and obviously very good at fighting. There is something odd about her, but there is no taint of the Dark Side.” Ca smiled. Idjit’s training on hiding force sensitivity was worth its weight in glitterstim. The voices continued out of earshot and Ca resumed her bed. She had to stay. She had to maintain her cover here, or Trugoy’s wrath would know no bounds.

[kalenath]

<A day later>

 

Again, Ca tried not to curse. Playing an airhead was bad enough. Playing an injured airhead who moaned and whined about her injuries.... That stretched her patience to the breaking point. Ca barely felt the pain at all. It was more a distant ache now than actual pain. But she couldn't tell the docs that. Luckily, none of her injuries were bad enough or large enough to warrant another kolto dip. The lack of activity in the tank would have very difficult to explain. Bladeborn healed fast. Part was the Force. Much as Bladeborn disliked using the Force in battle, it did have its uses. And through surreptitious meditation while she was supposed to be sleeping, Ca was a lot better than she should have been. The other reason Bladeborn healed fast was simple. Their bodies got lots of practice. So she was in fairly good shape, but...

 

"Let's try another degree or two of slope, shall we?" Ca forced a moan out of her lips as the physical therapist, a perky young human girl, activated a control and the treadmill she was on moved up a bit. Ca wasn't tired, not even close, but she was sweating a bit. She had agitated to get out of the bed so THIS is where she had wound up. As she maintained the pace, she snorted inside, where none could see. It seemed that the single most sadistic group of people in the galaxy had nothing at all to do with the Force. Sith Lords had nothing on physical therapists. She figured that if she actually had been as injured as she pretended, she would have torn the girl apart after the first hour. Truth be told, she kind of liked the girl, a young fair skinned girl with hair the color of dirty sand. But it wouldn't do for Ca to admit that. And the girl was young, she didn't have the proper healer instinct yet. Ca smiled just a tiny bit, remembering Ona's ministrations as a therapist. The Bladeborn's healer could actually get Trugoy himself to back off when she got going. Of course part of that was...

 

Ca's thoughts broke off as the treadmill slowed. She looked up at the sadist running the machinery, but the girl wasn't looking at Ca, she was looking at...

 

Ca was off the machine and lurching as soon as it stopped. She stopped in front of the two small forms that stood by one wall and looked at them. Joruk's eyes were glistening suspiciously and Hana wasn't bothering to hide her tears. Ca knelt down and opened her arms. The children lurched into her, pain obvious in their movements, but they moved fairly easily. Ca's eyes narrowed a bit as she took in the strength and determination that both showed. She carefully gave both a squeeze. Hana snuffled into her lekku.

 

"They said... They said..." Ca hugged the girl lightly, but didn't press. Joruk controlled himself with a discipline that even a Bladeborn would envy and spoke.

 

"They told us they had killed you. That they would kill us next." Ca gave him a squeeze and his control deserted him for a moment as he sobbed into her other shoulder. She couldn't blame him. She felt her own control slipping as she saw the bandages that showed through their clothes. Her rage she kept tight inside, but her grief, THAT she could show. She hugged both of the children. The physical therapist, looking a bit... lost... turned and left the room. For an instant, Ca wondered if she had blown her cover, but no, the look on the young woman's face was... envy? Then Ca concentrated on the kids.

 

<Later>

 

"...I am sorry, technician Karril, but that is impossible." Ca froze as she heard voices ahead. It had taken a while to get the kids calm enough to sleep. And the nurses that tended them had been grateful for Ca's help. Both of the children had a long road ahead to recovery. The Twilek was on her way back to her room, emphasizing her limp just a little bit when she had heard the voices. Ca peered around the corner ahead, but neither of the medical personnel in the hall ahead noticed her furtive movement.

 

"I don't understand. They are orphans, right? Why can't I adopt one or both of them?" Ca's eyes narrowed as she recognized the physical therapist from her torture session earlier. But the girl was nothing like the strict martinent who had made her do the same blasted exercises so many times. The other was a doctor Ca recognized as being high up in the administration of this hospital. The Bothan looked... upset was too mild a word. He looked almost incasdescent in his fury, but not at the tech, no...

 

"The... government... has said that these children are to be... sequestered. They say..." The Bothan bit the word out angrily. "...that a 'special' transport is on the way from Coruscant." Ca froze. That was not the way these things worked, not at all... Something was wrong. Very, very wrong...

[kalenath]

<A day later>

 

Ca had finally managed to ditch her 'minder'. The Alderaan police, none to happy, had finally been persuaded that she could return home, under 'protection'. The matronly looking human woman who had been assigned to Ca had proven far more capable than her exterior had shown and it had taken three hours and not a few airhead moves to finally lose the determined woman. But now, Ca could finally do what she needed to. She found a public access terminal and, after checking it quickly, sent a terse message. Then she retraced her steps, knowing that the cop would be very unhappy with her.

 

<Two hours later>

 

Very unhappy... what an understatement...

 

The woman had not been unhappy, she had been incandescent in her fury. It had taken almost two hours for Ca to apologize enough that the woman, slightly mollified, backed off a bit and let Ca have some time to herself. A chime came from the door and Ca blinked as the cop's blaster appeared in her hand. Ca stared at the woman, then at the door. The woman motioned for Ca to remain seated, then she answered the door. Ca carefully did not recognize the man who appeared when the door opened. The man handed the cop an ID and, with reluctance, the cop stepped outside. Ca stayed in her chair until the door had hissed shut, then with a huge grin on her face, jumped up and embraced the man. For just a moment, Chari showed her true self. Cole held a finger to his lips and after checkign his com, which was NOT a standard piece of equipment, relaxed. No bugs.

 

"I am glad to see you Cole." Cole smiled as he returned her embrace. He might not have been a Bladeborn himself, but there were... perks to working for them. "Did you HAVE to break so many bones?" There was a teasing undercurrent to her voice though. Cole grinned.

 

"You know how that kind of thing works. What's up?" Ca sighed and related the conversation she had overheard. When she got to the part about the government sending a ship, Cole tensed.

 

"They wouldn't do that." Ca nodded. "The slavers?" Ca nodded again. Cole cursed quietly. "What can we do?"

 

Ca shook her head slowly. "If we get involved, bad things happen. We can't trust the Republic... The local cops are good." Cole nodded at that, he had been quietly impressed by the dedication and skill of the local police. Ca continued thoughtfully.

 

"But the local cops are overruled by the government. So..." Her eyes glinted a bit and Cole swallowed. Any of the Bladeborn could be scary and sometimes it was a tossup which one was scarier. He shook his head. He wouldn't trade his life for anything in the galaxy.

 

"When you get that wicked gleam in your eye, my life gets interesting. So ... give." Ca smiled evilly and Cole's heart sank.

 

<Two hours later>

 

I cannot believe she wants me to do this... Of all the insane, crazy, totally moronic ideas...

 

Cole sat in the privacy booth of the holoterminal and tried not to fret. This path was dangerous, yes. He normally liked danger, it made him feel more alive, but this... this wasn't something he could outmaneuver or outshoot. This was... The holo unti chirped and he straightened. It came alive and he bit back a swallow as the recipient of his call came onto the screen. The holo spoke.

 

"You have a lot of guts, Cole Shanas, calling me." Cole nodded. "What do you want?"

 

Cole, in his work as a smuggler had worked with and for Hutts. But this Hutt... Cranna the Hutt was a law unto herself. After all, she had been exiled from Nal Hutta, enslaved, then after killing her master, had forged one of the largest and most successful weapons brokering firms in the outer rim. All the more incredible was that A) It was mostly legitimate business and B) She refused to help Sith. So... even talking to her was dangerous.

 

"I have information on a slaver ring operating on Alderaan, dealing in kids." Cranna's image froze. The only thing she hated as much as Sith were slavers. But Cole continued. "I can't act on the information." He wanted to, oh how he wanted to. He hated slavers himself, with good reason, but orders were orders.

 

"And what will this cost me?" Cranna's voice was neutral and Cole actually allowed himself to hope.

 

"Good homes for the kids. And a blind eye towards certain... irregularities, in the records." Cranna looked at him.

 

"And your... employers are ok with that? Even the little brown one?" Cole blinked. He had been aware that Cranna knew he worked for the Sith, but few knew he worked for the Bladeborn. Cole nodded, suddenly unable to trust his voice. Cranna smiled as only a Hutt could and cut the connection. Cole stared at the dark unit for a moment, and then shook himself and left the booth.

[kalenath]

<A day later>

 

The transport moved through space on its way to the edge of the gravity well of the Alderaan system. The crew was nervous. The cargo, all thirty five of them, were asleep in comfortable bunks. That section of the ship was locked down and all the doors to the staterooms were locked under control from thw bridge, but... The sensor tech jumped as her screen became busy. Her eyes went wide as the readings bagan to make sense.

 

"Captain, unknown ship ahead, it just dropped out of hyperspace." The captain jerked as well. After all the trials and tribulations of this voyage he had sworn -and the rest of the crew had agreed- that this was the last time they would run this trip. Bad enough to be carrying what they were... He knew that the kids were not destined for good homes on Coruscant, no matter what the official story was, but he had taken the money. And the ten goons with guns made dissension... unwise. Speaking of which...

 

"Who are they?" The thin human who had introduced himself as Dun when he had come aboard was obviously the one in charge. He carried himself with an arrogance that belied his obvious competence. The captain had carried a lot of cargo for the Republic, some legal, some not so much, but this... Something about this guy said 'military'. Not slaver, or pirate, military. And that made this a black operation. The kind of operation that nosy captains and crew disappeared after finishing. So the captain kept his mouth shut and his ears and eyes open and the crew emulated him.

 

"Unknown." The sensor tech scanned her readouts, trying to make sense of them. Then she jerked. "They are lockign weapons one us! Fighter launch! Twelve Aureks, Chepal Variants!"

 

The captain cursed. Aurek starfighters could run rings around his transport. And Chepal variant Aureks carried heavy weaponry instead of long range ordnance. And before he could do anything his day got worse. The com system chirped. He looked at it, then at Dun. Dun nodded and the captain answered.

 

"This is the free trader Omen Sprite. Who are you?" A modulated voice came back, impossible to tell who, or what, the actual voice came from.

 

"Put Dun on." The captain looked at Dun who looked back at him in bafflement, then came to the com terminal.

 

"This is Dun." Whatever they had been expecting, when the holo of the com terminal lit up they were NOT expecting this... Cranna the Hutt stared at them with malice in her huge eyes.

 

"Major Dun, you have one minute to surrender your command and the ship it is on or I will blow the engines off of it and board." Her matter of fact tone and the screen showing the fighters assuming firing positions around the transport showed her threat was not an idle one. The captain stared at the human and the Dun looked at the holo. Cranna spoke again. "Your support got delayed Major. Permanently. You now have thirty seconds. What will it be?"

[kalenath]

Cranna's ship engulfed the transport and then made for the hyperspace point. Part of her had hoped, no PRAYED, that the Major in command would fight. Unfortunately, he had seen reason. Of course the fact that his transport had two guns and Cranna's battleship had fifty might have made some difference in his thinking. She was pondering what to do with the prisoners when the Major and his people were ushered into her presence. They had been searched, ungently and disarmed. Three of the soldiers had concealed weapons of various kinds in places, but none had passed her security forces. None of teh prisoners had enjoyed the searches, but the Ubese who worked for Cranna were proessional and thorough. She stared at teh motley assortment and sighed. The Major spoke.

 

"You have no right to detain us, we are on an offical mission for the Republic..." he broke off as Cranna laughed. A cold sound.

 

"Your masters at Special Branch don't give you much information do they Dun? The woman you were supposed to deliver the kids to is dead." Dun goggled at her. That wasn't the whole truth, but the pirate and slaver who the Special Branch of Republic Intelligence had contracted with to make new and better weapons for them WAS out of circulations, permanently.

 

"I am afraid that you and your crew disappeared en route." Dun swore and then dropped as stun beams came flying from her Ubese guards. All of the soldier types fell as one. The crew of the transport, all four of them, huddled together. Cranna sighed again, and when she spoke it was kinder. "None of you will be harmed. You all have a choice. Talk and die at my people's hands or Republic Intell's. Or work for me."

 

All of the crew stared at her. Cranna smiled, a kinder smile.

 

"They would have eliminated you as witnesses after this flight. It was in their orders. I can show them to you if you wish." The captain looked at his people. they looked at him. There really wasn't a choice. The captain nodded to Cranna and Cranna smiled. She spoke to one of her guards.

 

"Give them quarters and see them fed. I will talk to each later." The captain, dazed, let hmself be led away by the Ubese who were gentle now. One Ubese came up to Cranna and spoke in his native tongue.

 

<The soldiers?> Cranna snarled back in Ubese.

 

<Dun we keep, the others we dump as soon as we hit hyperspace.> The Ubese nodded. When dealing with monsters, sometimes it was needed to be monstrous yourself. And they couldn't take the chance on witnesses escaping to tell the Republic what had transpired. The Major would break, sooner or later, and Cranna remembered the last time she had entertained Special Branch guests.

 

Matter of fact... Cranna grinned evilly as she turned to her comconsole.

 

<An hour later>

 

Ca woke, warm, dry and comfortable. She froze. This wasn't her house. Without opening her eyes, she could hear murmurs around her. Sleepy voices. The last thing she remembered, she had fallen asleep in her house after Cole had called and said the deal had been struck. She tensed, feeling a woodenness in her limbs. A feeling she remembered. Drugged. Probably gassed. She tensed and then froze again as a voice came to her.

 

"Chari of the Bladeborn." Chari's eyes shot open and she looked up into the face of Cranna the Hutt. Cranna sat across the room and held a sonic pistol in one hand, a remote in the other. There was no way Chari could stop the Hutt from killing her, so she just sank back into the bed and sighed.

 

"The children?" Cranna nodded, but didn't take her eyes off of Chari. Her weapon didn't move either.

 

"Safe. Your cover is blown." Chari nodded. "Ordinarily I don't care one way or another of one of you gets killed, but this time I will make an exception. Tell your oversized Mama that this squares us. When next we meet, we meet as enemies." Chari was sure her jaw hit the bed as far down as it went. Cranna slithered to the door and opened it. The Hutt stopped at the door as Chari spoke.

 

"Thank you." Cranna didn't turn back.

 

"I didn't do it for you. I did it because I hate slavers. I helped you because your clan matron helped me once. This squares the debt. We will get you a lift to a neutral port, the rest is up to you." Chari nodded. Then the Hutt was gone. Chari sat up in the bed and marvelled. Then she sighed. Trugoy would not be happy...

[kalenath]

((And that ends this fanfic. I think Chari is in even more trouble now. As always, comments and or suggestions welcome. Flames might get punished by Trugoy, and if you think THIS was the worst he could do... You ain't seen nothing yet...))