Distance

[Danger Arceneau]

Fifteen minutes later saw Danger pushing herself up to a sitting position. Amidst sharp painful breaths, the searing pain of her shoulder, and the growing numbness in her arms, it was a struggle to begin with. At the end, she was breathing fast, her face scrunched up into a permanent painful grimace, with beads of sweat on her brow along with the grit and grime of the cavern floor.

Her bladder felt as if it was about damn near to burst, which only served to tick her off more. Hydration was big in the desert, every drop counted in order to survive. She had no clue just how far the nearest outpost was, so if she were to escape and get out, she'd still be at the mercy of the elements.

Kicking her legs out in front of herself, she took a breather. The sound of low murmurs had grown a bit louder, but not loud enough to say she had people coming her way. Grunting through the pain, danger began to flex her wrists. Broken fingers were a deep purple, and her wrists were raw from her attempt to loosen the leather cuffs.

She'd need her hands to get free and if she --

"So you are awake," The deep base of a male voice came from her left, and she swiveled her head towards that direction. The dim light barely illuminated the metallic rebreather mask along with the dessert gear he wore. Dangers lips drew into a straight line.

"...Danger Arceneau." Her name was spoken with a veneer of civility she knew well was not sincere.

"You cost me five men today. " he said quietly, moving on up up squat beside her. "And you're gonna pay me back in kind for every one -- savvy?"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

"You give me ten minutes." Alric yelled over the sound of the engines rumbling as the ship dipped back down into orbit and dove towards the ground. "Ten minutes by myself. If were not out by then, you come in."

They gave him a confused look, but it was one that he answered with a simple smack of a small switch on his wrist.

In almost an instant his armor changed. There was a holographic blur that fell over him, a bright light, and suddenly his armor shifted into the clothes and face of the Rodian that had been left behind. The resemblance was almost uncanny, a perfectly replica of the man that Alric had interrogated. The men inside of the ship shifted, and Flynn gave Alric a nod, he would know what they were doing now.

The gunship dove down, biting deep into the desert sands as not to be detected. One minute passed, two, then five. Time seemed to skip forward, and suddenly Alric stood atop a dune. He saw the caverns in the distant, his HUD flared and zoomed in on the single guard that stood outside. He frowned slightly, then stalked forward. The former Titan moved in an even, calm pace, limping as though he had been struck by a blaster bolt.

Slowly, slowly he crept towards the cave until he heard a shout, the guard signaling his remaining friends.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Charmed, but they had it comin" Danger said in a sweet voice in between a grimace. The answer to that was his sudden grasp of her wounded shoulder, fingers digging into the bruised and raw flesh, working the slug in. Danger gave a savage curse, taking sharp breaths as lancing pain went tearing down her shoulder and her limb.

It hurt to breath, and those glittering green eyes would narrow through her pain at the man responsible.

"I don't think you realize just what sort of situation you are Ms Arceneau."

The grip on her shoulder and upper arm tightened, then the next second she was abruptly dragged to her feet.

"Let's remind you of that, shall we?"

******

The first guard looked at the Rodian in surprise, then confusion. Another call would wave one of the members out to check. The macrobinculars revealed a wounded Rodian, staggering towards the entrance.

"It's Deerto," came the confirmation.

"He's alive?" The first question.

"Barely. Tell Cycho. " came the order.

"He's busy. " another pause then,"doing what?"

"With the redhead."

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Two guards at the front.

The HUD pinged them almost immediately, flashing slightly as their weapons were zoomed in on an identified. Alric kept up his stagger, moving carefully and without any hesitation or stopping. Both of the men were armed, one with a blaster rifle the other with a slughtrower. Only one of them was actually holding their weapon, the other had theirs holstered. Alric's lips thinned as he came closer and closer, slowly moving up the incline towards the cavern.

The men waved towards him, calling out a name.

"Deerto!"

They yelled. Alric picked up his pace, moving slightly faster. He had to assume that was the Rodians name, he hadn't caught it during their earlier talk. He moved closer and closer, until he was only a few meters away. His hand tightened slightly, the muscles within it tensing as he crept towards the two.

"Deerto, where you been! Did you walk all the way over here? Geezus man you look terri-"

The man was interrupted as Alric suddenly flicked into action. It was fast, faster than he had any right to be. Adrenaline, years of thinking about that moment, the need to protect Danger, it all happened so fast that even Alric was aware of his actions.

He stood two meters away from the men, and as soon as he was close enough his hand went to his thigh. A single quick pull and Alric slid his blaster from its holster. The weapon was leveled, aimed, and its trigger was squeezed three times at the man holding the blaster rifle before he could finish his sentence. His friend let out a cry.

"What the Ka-"

Three more squeezes of the trigger and the man dropped besides his friend. Alric scowled, then ejected the powerpack from his blaster. There was no more yelling, no sounds of blaster fire, nothing. A new powerpack was slammed into the weapon and Alric's back stiffened, his armor flashed again and slowly the hologram around him shifted, turning into that of one of the dead men as he entered the cavern.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Whatever would happen next got caught up in the chaos that erupted. The sounds of blaster fire came echoing from the entrance of the cavern hideout. Three shots and a yell were cut off. Then came another three, flashing only to suddenly stop like the yell that came before it.

There were still five total left, including the one that was playing 'hook the slug wound with my thumb '. Up ahead, two more men came charging up, weapons in hand and ready to fire. They saw Cern, coming back down into the cavern, weapon in hand.

"Carn what the hell is going on?" Twin blaster rifles were cocked up, ready to send a volley down range.

They'd soon find out enough.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric moved faster, at a jog towards the men. They had their blasters up and ready, but there was no worry in Alric, no fear, no emotion at all save one. It was a cold rage, a seething hatred that seemed to consume everything else. It made him focus, it honed his senses to a fine edge. He walked towards them, his face changing to express confusion.

"I don't know." The voice rang out, but it wasn't the Tetans, it was Carn's. It rang out perfectly within the cavern, echoing as Alric moved closer to the two men ahead. "There was a guy, he looked like Deerto and then-"

The former Titan cut himself off as he came within two steps of the men.

Their grip's had relaxed at the sight of their friend, their stances had slackened, and Alric took advantage of that. The blaster rose, and the hologram over his arm shifted. The loud shink of a blade extending rang out, and suddenly the slicing of flesh could be heard. It was accented by the silent pft of Alric's stealth blaster as it sent a bolt into the other mans skull. The guttural gurgling of the man that held upon his blade seemed to echo through the cavern, and as Alric wrenched his blade free the thud of him hitting the floor resounded.

Alric scowled, then moved on. The man on the floor twitched as the life left him, though Alric was already moving on, his armor shifting once again to resemble the Weequauy he had slain only seconds ago.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Cycho gave a snarl against Danger's face, dragging her up to her feet and along the cavern. He spat out, "Get up!" The position didn't quite leave her freedom of motion; he now was behind her as he used her as a human shield. Danger gave another wince, hissing a sound of angony as Cycho lifted up her bound wrists at her back.

Pain was real, and her shoulder felt as if her bones were hot molten iron bars, nearly making her pass out from the white hot crash of overloaded pain receptors.

And then there were three.

Baer and Tesk, a Devonronian and a Duros. The latter was dressed in armor, with the close combat knowledge to knock anyone out in close quarter combat.

"Let me go and you can get away. " Danger gasped out, trying to sway the part of self preservation. Of course, she didn't know who they were dealing with.

If she could get him off of her -- "reckon I'll slow you down -- just let me go and you can focus on getting away." The way the cool tip of a blaster went pressing against her temple told her otherwise.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Weequay didn't often talk. Some did, but usually they were a silent folk unless they were threatening you, or among friends. Alric was more than willing to bet that this particular Weequay did talk, but unfortunately the suit had not been able to record his voice before Alric shot him in the head. Such was life however, and at that moment he didn't particularly care.

He turned a corner, another powerpack dropped onto the floor, another new one placed into his blaster.

The former Titan turned a corner, the last corner, and he found what he was looking for. Three men, three figures. One held Danger, the other two stood uselessly. One was tall, taller than the average Duros, he looked mean, angry, and the armor that glinted across his chest looked more than a little difficult to pierce. A scowl played across his lips, but he didn't stop moving, there wasn't time for that. He could only get closer.

"What the kark is going on?"

He didn't answer, he couldn't, instead he moved closer, closer and closer.

"Riac? Riac?"

Again, silence followed by another step.

"Riac! Karking answer me!"

The scream echoed through the hall, and then suddenly Alric was standing directly in front of Danger and Cycho. His blaster raised in a flash, his hand moving faster than a striking sand viper, his arm flicking up until the barrel of the blaster was placed straight against Cycho's forehead. It happened so fast, so quickly, that Cycho's face could only twist into an expression of shock, awe, and complete and total fear.

"You move. You die." Alric's voice carried out from the Weequay's lips, slightly modulated by the helmet. "You pull the trigger. You die. You even think about harming her. You die."

No one expected their friend to turn on them.

"Riac...what the kark."

The Duros spoke in that odd resounding tone that they carried, and suddenly Alric's armor shifted once again. The Weequay's face slowly fell away, the false image of the bandit dropped, and suddenly the SI-HD armor stood clear in the middle of the cavern. His hand was steady, finger on the trigger, barrel pressed tightly against Cycho's forehead. The bandit shook, sweat dripping onto the deep black of Alric's weapon, his mouth hung open but he said nothing.

The Duros gaped, but he was the first one to step forward. Alric shifted, looking at him for a brief second. "Don't. Fething. Move."

He stopped as he saw Alric's finger squeeze slightly, though the scowl on his face told of his intent to do something very soon.

"I think I can get you before you pull that trigger, and even if I can't, it's just a bigger cut for me in the end."

There was snarling amusement in his last few words. The former Titan looked at the bandit, then back at the man that held Danger. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The Tetan shifted his other hand, and suddenly from between himself and Danger a small silver orb came into view. The orb blinked, a slight red haze dripping off from just below where Alric held his thumb. A subtle beeping noise could be heard, muffled by the gripping of his fingers. Cycho let out a curse, the Duros sealed his lips, and the Devaronian slowly began to back out of the cavern.

Alric was holding a thermal detonator on a dead mans switch.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

There were moments that sear with vivid clarity.

Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline through the veins that would pop things into vivid clarity. Or it could very well be the cold tip of the blaster pistol pressed against her temple, beading the sweat there as she was held like a shield against Cycho.

HIs grip was tight, arm wrapped round her neck, dragging her right up flush against his back, pinching her arms tight and locking her shoulder in a painful angle. But that had no difference to the sudden blanch of color as the blood ran from her face at hearing the modulated, curt, and almost feral rip of precise words.

Her breath left her. She was growing dangerously lightheaded. It couldn’t be. He was not actually standing there.

Was he?

Then the glint of a silver orb and the faint beep, beep, beep made it all together real. Had Cycho not held her so tightly, her knees would have given out in shock.

Alric Kuhn was still standing there.

Towering, armored from head to toe, and pissed off as the Nine Hells, with a hand fisted around a ticking thermal detonator. It wasn’t held as a threat.

It was a promise.

He’d end them all.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

He would.

There was no question of that. If they could see his face they wouldn't question that, if they could see how his lips slanted slightly, how his eyes were set, how his visage seemed to drill into the man directly in front of him. They would know he was being serious, that nothing would stop him here, that if he had to, he would gladly kill them all. Silence hung in the air of the cavern, the distinct sound of dripping water ringing through the cavern and beyond.

"Why don't you-"

The Duros spoke, but before he could get out more than a few words Alric cut him off. "You have two choices."

His voice was stern, strong, as though he were used to doing this. A few minutes ago these bandits had been holding all of the cards. They had kidnapped Danger and held her hostage, now Alric was holding them hostage. There was an odd finality to that, as though this was how it was meant to be.

"One. You take that blaster off of her head, you put it on the ground, and you all start walking out of this cave." His voice was still, stone. "Two."

His head slowly turned to look at the Duros, his blaster slightly pressing forward against Cycho's skull. "We all die. Right here. Right now."

The Duros seemed to stutter, shake, and then look towards Cycho. The Devaronian was already half way gone, and it seemed evident that none of them were too pleased with the situation. Cycho began to shake, sweat dripping off of him in droves. He opened his mouth to speak, stuttered, and then finally made a gasping as noise as he wrenched the blaster away from Dangers head and flung it into the far wall, sending it clattering onto the ground.

"Good." Alric said as he slowly moved his finger off the blasters trigger. "Now let her go, and walk out."

His thumb was still depressing the Thermal Detonator, holding down the dead mans switch. It could be deactivated of course, but that required two hands and quick fingers. Cycho knew that, or it seemed like he did. He stood still for a moment more, then slowly, very slowly let go of Danger. Alric kept his blaster trained on the man as he began to back away from the Trade Queen.

The Duros had already followed after the Devaronian.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Left without Cycho as a balance after having been held on so tightly for so long, Danger went stumbling back. She hit the wall of the cave with her good shoulder, but the jolt shot clear through her body and made her stiffen.

"G-orram it." the low guttural curse went ripping from her lips, a grimace of agony shifting her over her blanched, damp face, her right cheek a mottled map of a bruise. Cycho took [member="Alric Kuhn"]'s 'advice' as law. He warily kept an eye on the armored Tetan as he would back step past Alric and out beyond towards the cavern's exit. Legs went bracing to keep herself up, but her knees were knocking and with the adrenaline rush of the last few minutes starting to crash, it was hard for her to do.

Odd, the tremors came but she didn't quite notice, she didn't even realize she had them. Maybe it was because her body was going into shock with blood loss and pain, with her arms numb and stiff due to being cuffed at her back, broken fingers tinted a dark purple as if dipped in ink. She was cold, so cold. Other than that, there was oddly little pain. The hours at being bound had made her upper body numb.

Hair strands fell over her face, and glittering green eyes went starting through the fringe out towards the man that seemed more of a figment of her imagination than actual reality.

Was he really here?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

His blaster was kept trained on the last man, and as soon as he turned the bend of the Cavern Alric flipped the switch on the side of the thermal detonator. The beeping stopped almost immediately, the silver orb disappeared into one of the armor slots, and within two steps Alric found his arm wrapped around Danger, pulling her close and keeping her properly supported so she didn't fall or further hurt herself.

"Danger!" There was a rush to his voice now, the blaster having disappeared from his palm so that his hand could move up and rip the helmet from his face.

A loud hiss sounded from the armor, follow by a clattering of duraplast against rock. The helmet rolled for a second, then came to a stop, brazenly written atop the top of HUD was a number 0:01.

It ticked down one more time, and then blaster fire began to echo through the cave. "It's okay. You're alright."

Alric gently caressed Danger's cheeks, the armored hand would push hair away from her face, his eyes would fall over her in quick examination. He tried to look her over, but quickly found that his medical knowledge was more than failing. The binding on her hand fell to the ground shortly after, cut by the still blood covered blade he had used earlier.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

She must have blinked. His face was suddenly close to hers. His hand was in her hair. His breath was hot by her cheek. He was all harsh panes and angles in the dim light of the cavern, the sound of heavy blaster fire echoing down to them. Not that the sounds would hide the sudden yelp of agony as her blood went souring through pinched blood vessels, muscles, and nerves that had been tightly bound.

"F-eth!" with adrenaline departing, the wave of pain that crashed into her made her gasp and shudder. Had it not been for the strength in Alric's arms, she'd had fallen to her knees. Clearly, she wasn't as young as she once was. Her arms were stiff, her shoulder even more so, weeping skin raw under the torn fabric of the specially made desert fabric material. Perhaps in that it had done her some good, the moisture wicking properties drawing as much of the blood away as it could. However, she clearly needed medical attention.

She still had an expression of shock as she would stare up into Alric's sweaty face. It had appeared that her knight-errant had arrived to save the day; she just wasn't sure if she was hallucinating. It didn't make sense for Alric to be here. But the pain she was feeling at having her arms finally free was very tangible. It began to dawn on her that he was actually holding her; he was real.

"A-lric?" another wince cut a grimace over her expression, "how-" That's when she began registering the armor. The blood drenched knife. Everything. It was as if he'd prepped for war.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Before she could even speak again, Alric was already moving her.

His other arm swept beneath her, his hand supporting her at her side, with a wrench the old Tetan lifted the Trade Queen from the ground and scooped her up into his arms. He carried her like a princess, though nestled far more closely to his chest. It was clear that Danger was in pain, perhaps even unable to walk. He already heard the echoes of Blaster Fire dying down and form the yells it was clear which side had won.

"It's alright, Danger." He said in a soothing tone, slowly moving towards the curve of the cave. "Don't worry about it. I'm here. Flynn's here. We'll get you back home."

It was true enough, the echoes of Flynn's voice soon reached Alric, and he yelled back in an authoritative tone. "I have her, we're coming out."

He knew that the cave was empty. The chamber that he and Danger had been in moments ago had been the dead end, and as he had carved his path through the bandits he had encountered no one else. With Flynn and his party having finished off those three, there would be no more to give him trouble.

Carefully, he stepped over the corpse of the gutted Weequay.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

It was too surreal.

There were not words thereafter, Danger was just registering the bloody swath left in the wake of the incursion. She expected Flynn, but where was he? Were were the other men? Her green eyes would pan to search, neck moving as far as the pain would allow her, but she didn't see anyone else. The jagged, hard angles and bits of metal pieces would dig into her side, his grip tight as he carried her against him.

Too surreal.

The last time he'd carried her like this, it had been years ago after...Well, a pretty dark time in their life where she'd been the one completely wretched. He had stayed by her side, through her grief, and taken care of her while she worked through her depression. A mirror perhaps, of what was happening now. Not exactly the same situation, but the emotions of loss, grieve, and depression were there.

The more ground he covered, the more strewn bodies appeared. She stared at them with a blank expression, blinking rapidly, recognizing them as being part of the group that had taken her. Still none of her men just yet.

Where were the rest? He couldn't have done this by himself...there was no way.

Or could he?

Her face rose, catching the set of his jaw, the weathered skin, the beads of sweat from exertion. With every step, the more it became clear that there were aspects of Alric that had changed. Where when it had once been up to her to save his skin, he now took the role on his own.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Hard to say how much time passed after that, hard to say exactly how long it took, but Alric got Danger back to Flynn. The group of soldiers and the Tetan then returned the Trade Queen to her fortress.

Alric insisted on carrying her the entire time, insisted on never leaving her side. He took her to her bedroom, attended to her when the medic checked up on her, when the doctor fixed her up, when everything about her was searched over and fixed as best as could be managed. She was lucky, or rather, she was smart. The stronghold was equipped with the latest and greatest medical equipment the galaxy had to offer, no expense was spared, and for Danger that meant top notch medical care.

Even some Aspha, though not much.

After that it all became a blur. Danger slept for what seemed like days, perhaps it even was, Alric didn't much pay attention. The one time he left her side was when he changed his armor, beyond that he was with her nearly the entire time. He didn't mind the wait, nor did he care what happened around him. Every now and again he would check on Vanir, ensure that everything was alright around the stronghold, then he would focus his attention on waiting.

Then, finally, after what seemed like a millenia, Danger woke up.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Lids would flutter as slumber melted away. Her mind felt caught up in spider webs, searching to catch her bearings. The lights were dim, and for a moment she would frown in confusion. There was the lingering sickly sweet scent of Kotlka, the bacta and kolto hybrid, and a passing thought would wonder why.

The slight stiffness and hypersensitivity that came next as a side effect of the use of Aspha brought things into hyperawareness. It certainly didn't have the bite the original mold had, but the stretch and yawn of her body as she began to shift under the bedsheet made her wash away the remaining haze of her mind.

Blinking, she studied the ceiling. She knew this room well, the only time it was this dark meant it was nighttime. She was home, as one familiar to their bed would be. Danger took stock of the situation, mentally ticking off realities when a slight shift caught the corner of her peripheral. There, right beside the bed sat [member="Alric Kuhn"], a disheveled mess sprawled within the confines of the chair. It was an odd déjà vu sensation, reminding her of another time and place.

How long has he been here? Her frown deepened, and she slowly began to attempt to lift her torso into a sitting position.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric himself had been sleeping, or half sleeping.

His face rested in his palm, propped up by his elbow on the very edge of the armchair. His eyes were half shut, the dark of the night bringing him some amount of comfort in the closing of his eyes. At first the former Titan did not see Danger move, nor did he hear her. He had spent most of the time he had waited not sleeping, instead he had constantly checked her medical readouts or just watching her sleep.

It was calming in it's own right, though troubling in another sort of way.

If he had lost Danger, he very well knew it likely would have been the straw that broke the camels back.

One could only lose so much family in their life, and Alric had just about reached his limit. So it was a happy moment when Danger began to stir, her body shifting, the silk sheet rustling slightly. It wasn't that which woke Alric, no, it was a small grunt from Danger at the lingering pain that caused his eyes to snap open. His head raised and bright blue settled on Danger, slowly sitting up against her headboard.

"Careful." Alric said quietly, his voice strained and tired. "Old age can really tire out those bones."

He teased her, not knowing what else to say.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

"Reckon should be grateful they don't ache come a storm," her voice would drift out to him in the lowlight, her figure barely a sillhouette as she quite determinedly used her good arm to prop herself up. Independent as always, a strength and a flaw for the woman. Another sharp intake of breath relayed another shaft of protesting muscles, but it was more due to a lack of movement than true injury. The Aspha serum did its job, even if under the thick swaths of bandages that bound her chest and wrapped up her shoulder now hid the red puckered streaks and whorls of where the skin had rapidly healed shut.

It was a side effect of the serum, but most would consider it a fair trade. For Danger, it was just another scar, although it meant she'll have to consider off the shoulder dresses out of the picture in her future. Much like the other Aspha serum scar over her belly during the assassination attempt in Corellia, just prior to the gala that saw a Titan felled by a heart attack.

A faint grimace drew her lips thin, and she slowly began to rotate her shoulder. It was stiff, uncomfortable, and the hypersensitivity made her give a sharp wince.

"How long have I've been out?" She finally asked.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric looked at her, though it was more like a careful watch.

One could almost liken his stare to that of a watchful guard, or perhaps a weary onlooker to something dangerous. It was hard to pin down, but every motion Danger made, every sound, it was almost immediately recorded and registered. It was probably unsettling, but Alric would ensure that his friend was okay. He had to.

"A few days." He answered in that same tone of voice as before. "You got hurt pretty bad."

Her injuries had been severe, and the doctor had told her had they not retrieved her the bandits would likely have been unable to treat her. "How are you feeling?"

It was a stupid question, but again Alric didn't really know what to say.