A Tricky Predicament

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

A Tricky Predicament
Location: Nar Kreeta

Hannah was not a fan of Nar Kreeta. It seemed… Bustling, urban, and very… Deserty. She didn’t like that. She preferred the temperate climates of Kesh, or perhaps the mountain. Anything but never-ending desert with buildings stuck in sand. Being a world that was under no galactic power, Hannah wasn’t sure what kinda government it had.

But, the transport needed to be refueled and this was the only area that had enough to do so. At least, that’s what the captain of the ship kept telling her. Really, Hannah just wanted to get back to Kesh. It was a fun trip out but… She missed home.

And she really hadn’t been expecting a bunch of armored people starting to shoot at them. Panicked, and young and dumb, Hannah bolted away from the ship – and the crew. She found herself minutes later somewhere she didn’t know, with no real understanding of how she got there. The uncertainy creating a worse panic in her, she found an alley where she hid for a few moments as she tried to calm.

Remember what dad and grandpa always said about emergencies. Stay calm. The 8-year-old breathed heavily as she tried to calm her riddled nerves. Why had they even attacked the ship to begin with? They surely couldn’t have known they would be there. And it wasn’t like anyone really cared about Kesh. She fiddled around for her datapad she kept with her – only realizing it was back on the ship. That she had no way to get back to.

Ughhhhhhhhhh.

[member="Milla Ordo"]

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

The sounds of blaster fire rang out across the small village from the direction of the spaceport. A clear sign that somebody had caught the wrong attention from the local Hutt Cartel. Who those poor souls were, wasn't much business of most around here. From the sounds of the fighting, though, the Hutts either wanted what they had really badly, or they wanted those people really dead.

Milla took a bite of the fruit she had gotten earlier and watched thin plumes of smoke rising from the direction of the spaceport. She mulled over her options as to whether she wanted to risk heading in that direction or wait till things calmed down. All she wanted to do was head to her little refuge as it was going to be dark soon. After a moment of thought, she decided to risk it.

Her bare feet quickly carried her through the sandy streets of the small village. The village itself reminded her a lot of where she grew up. Poor low class citizens just trying to survive. So most of what she saw was nothing new. Except one thing, or person really.

Milla came to a stop when she saw a small girl about her age hanging out in an alleyway. She definitely didn't look like she was from around here, to well dressed, to...clean in a way. Even at a distance, Milla could read the panic the girl was trying to hide.

Curiosity was starting to get the better of her as she studied the girl. She wondered why a well dressed girl would be hanging out in an alleyway. Cautiously, Milla approached the girl. "H..hi. Are you alright?"

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Don’t cry, Hannah, don’t cry, she thought over and over. Things seemed bad, but things worked out. It always did. That’s what mom and dad would say. Stay strong, you’re a princess. But she wasn’t a princess here. She was just a girl with no idea what to do or go.

She covered her ears as she tried to ignore the yelling, shooting, and sirens that were going off. Did… Did the captain and her crew live? What would happen if they were hurt? And she… She should be helping them! She should have been fighting with them! But she ran like a coward, the coward she is. No, no…

She jumped as she heard [member="Milla Ordo"] ask her a question. Unbeknownst to Hannah, tears had already began to drip down her cheeks, despite her earlier attempts at stopping them. Her dress had gotten dirty and her ponytail was all sorts of disheveled. Milla probably thought her as some runaway, some rat…

“I am terribly sorry,” she whispered through tears as she used her sleeve to wipe her face. “I… I think my ships crew is dead…”

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

The first thing Milla noticed was the tears, then her disheveled appearance. Milla had seen more poorly dressed kids around here. So maybe she hadn't been out here very long. Milla herself wore brown cargo pants that were rolled up to her knees, and a black tshirt with a gray undershirt.

Milla wondered where the girl had come from. When she mentioned a ship and a crew, things began to piece together. This girl was from the ship the Hutts were after. No wonder she was crying. "It's okay, there's no need to apologize."

The sound of shouting could be heard just down the street, much closer than where the star port was at. Milla peeked around the corner of the alleyway and saw three heavily armed beings making there way down the street. She stiffened some at the sight before turning to the other girl. "You mentioned a ship and a crew? Was it the one being attacked?"

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She sniffled. Once more she wiped away the tears from her face as she tried her best to act strong. Hannah wanted to be strong. But was she? She ran. Ugh, she had to quit feeling sorry for herself. She had to do something. And something that wasn’t just sitting here.

“Still…” She whispered, as she pushed herself to her feet. “I’m Hannah Charr,” she said quietly to introduce herself to the other girl. Similar age, perhaps just a hair older than Hannah? She wasn’t quite sure, but… It was reassuring to see a friendly, at least so she hoped, around on this Gods awful planet.

Hannah noticed [member="Milla Ordo"]’s reaction – stiffened. She gave a nod, ”Yeah.. I guess they wanted something of ours. I don’t know. I don’t know how or why they knew but…” She walked over slowly to the other girl as she peered out the side as her eyes widened. “Oh no…”

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla gave a nod when the girl introduced herself. "Milla Ordo." She gave the girl a once over and determined that she was slightly younger than herself, but kinda tall for her age.

So the Hutts were after them, but Hannah didn't know why. Either way, having a Hutt cartel after you wasn't a good thing in any sense. The fact that Hannah was just a kid made it even worse. She gave Hannah a nod once the young girl noticed the armed thugs heading up the street. "Yeah, oh no is the right answer. Come on, I know where wewe can hide from them."

Milla wasn't one to trust strangers easily, but Hannah was young and needed help. Besides, Milla had been in the same position as the other girl. Gesturing for Hannah to follow, she darted further down the alleyway, away from the threat. She lead them through several alleyways and small streets. Finally, they reached and abandoned looking storage yard for old shipping containers.

Milla lead them to a small container off in the corner, well hidden from prying eyes. She felt around the small door till she found the locking mechanism. With a soft pop, the door opened and Milla entered the small container.

Inside it looked like what had been a small portable office. Boxes filled with stuff lined the walls, a little dust covered window let some light filter in, while a small bed made out of a lot of collected blankets and other clothes lay in the corner. Milla ushered the other girl in before shutting and locking the door. "We can hide here till everything calms down. Then we can figure out what happened to the ship and crew."

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She wiped her face one more time. How many times was she going to have to do that? Stop wallowing, Hannah! You got things to do to protect yourself! You aren’t just a Princess, you are… Okay, maybe she was mostly just a Princess right now but still! She didn’t need to be this weepy. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Milla. I’m sorry that it had to be in this way,” she said confidently at first but then much quieter.

[member="Milla Ordo"] was very honest about the approaching Cartel members. Her eyes widened as she mentioned she knew where they could hide. “Oh! Please, please help,” she said quietly as she stared at the girl with a pleading look. She had no idea what to do. Or how she’d get off this planet. How could she get away…? If the Hutts had her ship… And her crew…

Hannah followed Milla fast, though. A container, through the alleyways and streets. She perked a brow as she followed behind. She went through the small door as her eyes widened at the bedroom. “Do… Do you live here?” She asked, as she glanced around the small makeshift house.

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla turned to Hannah when she asked if she lived here. "Yep. It's not much, but its kept me safe so far." She double checked the lock to make sure it was secure. Moving over to a box, she pulled out a small emergency lantern. She twisted the top into the on position before shaking it. After several shakes, the small lantern let off a faint glow. The dim light filled the room just enough to see, but not be seen outside.

Sitting down on the edge of her makeshift bed, Milla gave the other girl a once over. She had many questions, but knew exactly which one to start with. "So...how come the Hutts are after you and your ship? I mean, you're definitely not from around here. What do they want?"

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Hannah moved her hands along some of the boxes in the room with an awe stricken face. It was like a holomovie. Or some drama from the holotv. Was this… Really how people lived? She glanced nervously to [member="Milla Ordo"] at the realization. She didn’t have any parents or family? She was homeless? A frown tugged at her lips although she ended up sitting crossed leg towards the middle of the rom.

The light let on enough light for them to see more clearly, despite the small light from the small window. Hannah rubbed her eyes, one sneeze escaping as her lungs and nose adjusted to the dust. “I… I’m the Princess from Kesh,” she said quietly. “I guess… They some how knew… I don’t know how.”

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla watched the young girl as she took in the site of her little home. The look on Hannah's face was, it was clear to see that she was taken aback by the whole thing. She didn't blame the younger girl for such a thought. This wasn't exactly the best place to live, but it was better than nothing.

Moving to the center of the room, Milla sat down cross legged in front of Hannah. She listened to what the other girl told her. Who she was, where she came from and why the Hutts were after her. There was only one thing Milla could think of. The girl sitting right in front of her, Hannah, was a princess. That was so to get her mind around.

There was a moment of silence as Milla stared at the girl, registering what she had just said. Hannah didn't look like a princess, at least not from the stories she'd heard. Then again she had never met a princess before. Milla got some of her thoughts together before speaking again. "I've...never met a princess before. So...this is a first. Although that definitely explains your Hutt problem."

The Hutt problem was now Milla's problem if she was caught with Hannah. She couldn't just leave her to them though. She let out a sigh and gave the room one quick glance. "I've never heard of Kesh and I don't know a lot about being a princess. Although I do know about the Hutts and what they do to people. It's not nice." She glanced up at the cracked timepiece sitting on a box. The hour was late and it would be dark soon. "I'll help you find your crew. But, it's almost dark out and I don't like traveling in the dark if I don't have to. So do you want to go now, or wait till morning?"

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Hannah fiddled he thumbs as she thought about her parents. They were probably so worried. Did they know she was here, trapped on a hell world? Or maybe they just thought she’d be in later. Maybe they had no idea. Hannah breathed in some panic, trying to control herself. No… Things would be okay.

[member="Milla Ordo"] was so nice. How had she managed to stay so nice while living with monsters? She rubbed her eyes, which burned with tears once more. No, she could not cry anymore. She had to think about what to do. Milla had her head on her shoulders and she didn’t even have the luxuries Hannah had.

She nearly laughed at Milla’s admission that she had never met a princess. “I don’t know if Princesses are common or not,” she admitted after a few seconds of thinking. Yeah, she had no idea. “It’s because I’m a Princess… I… I guess that makes sense,” she whispered as she pulled her legs up against her chest.

She gave a nod at the next words from Milla. “We… We can wait until morning,” she said quietly. “Maybe.. Maybe my parents will know by then and help us! And… Maybe they can help you, too.”

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla gave a nod when Hannah said they could wait until morning. What she said next made Milla pause. Hannah's parents coming to look for her made sense, but them helping Milla? That was something she hadn't thought of. "Okay. We'll wait till morning."

She looked over at her bed, sure it wasn't big but it was large enough for both of them to fit. The bed itself didn't have a mattress, just a large amount of blankets tossed into an empty crate lid. Even still, it was surprisingly comfortable. Milla turned back to Hannah. "So....I don't have a lot of places to sleep. The beds comfy though."

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Hannah could only hope that some signal would get to one of her parents, or maybe her grandpa. Someone would find them, save them. Maybe… Hannah watched [member="Milla Ordo"] with a sad look. Life stinked. She gave a little nod, “Morning it is! Then.” She sighed as she looked up at the window on the crate.

One breath at a time, Hannah. One breath at a time. Things would work out, they had too. “Milla? Thank you. I… I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m so scared and I don’t like this planet…” She confessed, holding back another round of crying.

Hannah gave a little nod, “At least it’s comfy. I’ll just curl up in a ball, so I don’t think I’ll take much space.” A plus of her weird sleeping position, she was always curled into a tiny little position most of the time. She crawled into to make her little space, leaving most of the bed for Milla.

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla gave Hannah a small smile when she thanked her. "No need to thank me. I was in the same position as you are now." She grabbed the small lantern off the crate and set it on one next to the bed. Dropping onto her bed, Milla covered up in a blanket. "I don't like this planet either." The events from moments ago played out in her head. She knew she did the right thing, but how would they even go about it. That was tomorrow's problem, she figured. Sleep began to win out and the girl quickly drifted off.

The sound of voices woke Milla from her sleep. Rubbing her eyes, Milla crawled out of her bed and up onto a crate and peered out the small window. Her stomach dropped when she saw several armed beings searching around the crates. What was worse, was that one of them had a strill. The six legged animal was sniffing the ground, searching for any sign of Hannah.

She jumped off the crate and began to shake Hannah, careful to keep her voice down. "Hannah! Hannah! Wake up! We have to go now!"

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She didn’t like it either. Well, Hannah and [member="Milla Ordo"] would have to change that. They’d get off of it, away from this place. To home, to Kesh. A much nicer, friendlier, and generally better planet in almost all possible ways. Hannah fell asleep soon after, the emotional weight of the day finally taking its toll on the girl.

Hannah woke to Milla yelling. Go now? Why? Hannah rubbed her eyes as she scrambled off the bed. Her foot got caught, causing her to trip, knocking the lantern over. After a second, she got up and peered through the window. “I… Where do we go?” Where could they run? If they had a strill… Her ship was likely blocked off by now. They’d expect them to go back there.

Which meant they couldn’t. Hannah’s eyes were wide with panic and in truth, she had no idea what to do. “I… What can we grab that you want to bring with you?” That was logical, right? Milla wouldn’t be able to come back. That dog and the hunters would tear this little crate apart...

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

"I'm not sure where to go, but we can't stay here." Milla was already grabbing a small backpack from beside a box. She held up the bag for Hannah to see. "I already have what I need."

She went to the small door and opened it a tiny bit to peek out. Several beings stood a distance away, not paying any attention to her little hideaway. The building they needed to make it to was just a few yards away, so close she could see the vent that led into it. Milla turned to Hannah and spoke in a low voice. "When I saw go, you follow as close as you can. We just need to make it to that building. Okay?"

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Hannah gave a small nod. That was an understatement... They had no choice but to leave. Who knew what kind of suffering they would have if they didn't escape. She gave another nod. [member="Milla Ordo"] was prepared. That... Hurt Hannah, emotionally. She was too young to have to worry! Hannah never had to worry about this kind of stuff. Why should Milla?

Either way, Hannah gave a nod. "Okay," she said quietly, fear clearly showing on the girls face. Would they be able to get to the building in time? She bit her lip as she prepared herself, waiting the go signal from Milla.

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla watched the strill carefully, it was the biggest threat at the moment. Once it was out of sight, she signaled for Hannah to follow .

Quickly and quietly, she darted the short distance, keeping low the entire time. She reached the grate and began to slowly pull it away incase it made any noise. Luckily it didn't squeak when it finally came loose. Milla motioned for Hannah to go first.

[member="Hannah Charr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Hannah quickly scurried through the gate, hopeful that the strill or any of the other hunters wouldn't hear her. She motioned for Milla to come through quick too. "Where to now?" She asked quietly, nervously as she heard the loud noises from the strill.

It was coming, along with all the hunters. "Hurry!" Hannah motioned, quickly putting the grate back as if it would somehow protect them. Ugh, they were in such doodoo. And Hannah had gotten [member="Milla Ordo"] into a terrible situation. If she got hurt... It was going to be Hannah's fault. She frowned, quickly taking Milla's hand in hers as she ran - ran as fast as she could only turning or stopping by Milla's command.

 

[Milla Caranthyr]

Milla ducked through the gate and inside the building. She could hear the strill getting closer now, along with the ones who controlled it. Her heart raced as she hoped that the beast wouldn't catch their scent.

Hannah grabbed Milla's hand, and began to run. Milla did her best to guide the other girl as they fled the area, fled her makeshift home. That thought kinda saddened Milla, it was a good place to hide. Eventually, she made Hannah stop running and hide behind a small building with her.

"Okay..okay. we should be safe...for the moment." Milla caught her breath as she thought out a plan. They needed to get ahold of Hannah's parents, but how? They were a long way off planet. So they needed to contact them somehow. "Do you have a way to contact your parents? Like..like a destress signal, or some comlink thing?"

[member="Hannah Charr"]