How Could I Know You Better?

[Elleryn]

She was on a ship to her doom, there was no way to get out. On the bright side, her sweet little voorpak was safe within the comforts of their palace. She missed him, though she was certainly more than happy he was not with her right now. It would still help if she had someone to talk to. She simply stayed put in the cramped room. Her leg was throbbing and she simply needed to rest. Maybe she could ask for painkillers, though with how cruel the woman was being, she doubted that she’d receive any.

She sighed.

She should have just taken the bullet.

~ • ~
Excellent.

Dalen could see the ship fast approaching him from his windows. He sent his own guards out to meet with Jenna. Unlike the guards hired to the council, these people were loyal to only him. It was amazing what effects poverty had on people. He paid them considerably less than what the council guards were being given, yet they did so much more. They were at his beck and call.

He scratched his chin and adjusted his tie.

The guards would be outside awaiting their arrival, dressed in dark armour that was obviously not supplied by the council. They would signal for Jenna’s ship to land.

| [member="Jenna Templar"] |

 

[Tanalth]

The ship landed and Jenna found [member="Elleryn"] where she'd left her. She said nothing but instead picked her up and brought her out to where the guards were awaiting. Jenna made it clear she wanted to talk with Dalen first and get her payment before anything else, meaning she wasn't leaving the princess with the and just leaving. Hopefully they would see to reason and let her up to see the councilor in person. The whole time she made sure the princess said and did nothing; giving her a look that basically said "keep your mouth shut" while keeping a firm grip as she had to carry her to the office. Easier with both arms than over the shoulder it seemed, and better to not let the poor girl suffer anymore than she already was.

 

[Elleryn]

She had not recognized these people before. The uniforms were different, and obviously they did not belong in the military. They looked strong, far brawnier than the people in the kingdom. She narrowed her eyes. These were people from Crevua. They looked like it at least, build wise. Was he recruiting people from the city to plan a coup d’etat? She struggled as the woman surrendered her.

“You can’t do this!” She cried, as she writhed around as Jenna carried her.

Sitting smugly in his office chair, was the vile councillor she was doomed to face. The guards would open the door to Jenna, revealing the white haired man in his leather throne.

“Ah, the lovely Miss Jenna Templar. You have delivered the package in record time. I trust that she’s in pristine condition?” He spoke and Elleryn cringed. His voice was soft, though deep, and sounded much kinder than he actually was. She could feel the coldness and his bright blue eyes staring into her back. "How did the mission I go, Ms. Templar? Was it as smooth as I assumed it to be?"

“Jenna.. Jenna, correct?” Elleryn whispered. “Please release me. Please.” She was begging, pleading. She wanted that man killed. She’d pay millions of credits for Jenna to just submit to her!

He had an envelope on him, presumably filled with a credit chip with the rest of the payment. He gestured over to a human-sized iron cage. “If you please.”

| [member="Jenna Templar"] |

 

[Tanalth]

Jenna had a dulled look on her face, as if [member="Elleryn"] words didn't reach her. She said nothing as she approached Delan and took the envelope from him. She shook it for a moment to confirm that there was, indeed, a cred chit awaiting her inside. Even as the princess pleaded she did nothing to help her. Instead she slipped the envelope into her back-pocket before Delan had gestured towards the cage. Understanding what he meant Jenna forced the princess towards it before putting her inside. Once she was Jenna began to close to door. However....

An odd clang ran out before Jenna said "Um...I think the lock's broken." The princess would see, however, nothing was wrong with the lock. Instead Jenna was just jingling the latch in order to make it seem as though it were without Delan or his men seeing. She glanced over to Delan and asked "Hey am I doing this right?"

She waited until he was close enough to where she surprised him. Grabbing the back of his collar she forced his head between the door and the frame of the cage where she slammed it into his head, forcing him to the ground in pain. The guards tried to react after seeing this but Jenna had already drawn both of her blasters from her holsters which she opened fire on them. Both were riddled to death, leaving nothing but two dead bodies and a lot of holes in the wall.

She turned back to the princess and simply said "You'd better still pay me back for this..."

 

[Elleryn]

Jenna had taken the envelope from Dalen. Elleryn cringed, knowing what was coming next. In a moment, she was thrown into the metallic cage. She stumbled, and fell on her bottom. Before Jenna closed the door, she played with the lock. Elleryn stared at her, unsure of what she was doing.

Was she… Was she going to save her?

Dalen moved from his deck to see if what Jenna was talking about. He checked the lock. “I don’t see anything wrong with th—“ The woman had surprised him by grabbing the back of his collar and forcing his head between the door. He slammed the cage door onto her neck and he fell to the ground writhing in pain. “You fething schutta! I am going to murder you!” He screamed, his hands grabbing his neck, trying to soothe the pain.

Elleryn scooted to the back of her cage, making sure she wasn’t further hurt by the godawful councillor. She looked up at Jenna. “…Thank you?” She was a little grateful though mostly apprehensive. However, she knew that Jenna had gotten exactly what she wanted: money. She did not agree with the woman's violent methods. She just killed another set of guards, though perhaps they were better of dead than in exile. Still, she did save them a great deal of time by injuring Dalen.

She wasn’t sure if she could trust the woman however. “We need to get out of here. Are we still on the planet?”

Little did they know, a certain baroness would be coming in to collect what she was promised.

| [member="Jenna Templar"] | [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] |

 

[Tanalth]

As Delan screamed in pain Jenna walked back over and put her boot onto his back, forcing him down while saying "There's a lot more where that came from, buddy. Trust me. This is what happens when you piss off a girl who can kick your ass in three to five different ways." She then had her one blaster pointed at his head while looking to the princess and saying "Like I said, I do what I can to survive. Doesn't mean I can't find a middle ground to come out on top." She then answered her question with "Yeah, still the same one. Question is what you want to do with him?" she indicated Delan. She offered her her spare blaster and said "Here. You want to kill him, be my guest? Otherwise I'll do it for you."

[member="Elleryn"]

 

[Ariadne Van'Shelaq]

Elsewhere ~

"...renowned for his flamboyant personality as much as for his undeniable technical virtuosity, Kerieka tackles the artistic conventions of his Wookie kin..."

The holoprojector blared into the sleek durasteel hull of the obsidian corvette, the nasally toned voice narrating the collective works of some established neopolitical artists as if it were the greatest achievements the strange planet had ever seen. Cheap entertainment it was, something to tickle the muses of those living on Xasuri and distract from the dirtier morsels of new age self indulgence that riddled the planet's budding criminal underworld. Art was but another neatly wrapped condiment of their culture that concealed the crude dealings of the few that hoped to distance themselves from the trappings of their uptight society. Crime was simply another artistic endeavor, one that a certain Baroness might of encouraged with her expansion into the Xasuri drug trade. Her portraits were painted in blood and credits, spilling with the sycophantic ambition of the man who was brave enough to trade with her.

"...portrays his sexual frustration, a common theme in his sith related works..."

Auburn eyes flashed over the projected art show, conveying little more than ennui and a lethargic restlessness that bordered on annoyance. How long had she been here for? How long was she expected to wait for the old man to deliver what was agreed upon? Glancing over at a monitor that sputtered with encrypted messages and codes from her crew back on Nar Shaddaa, Ariadne felt a certain disappointment blossom within her core, the lack of communication from her associate making what was already an irritated mood even worse.

Seven minutes of waiting. Such a thing was a luxury that Dalen could not afford and even though the pale skinned woman wasn't one for migraine inducing time management it was the principles of the counselor's tardiness that irked her.

"...such violent splashes of acklay dung and indigo waterchalks summon an almost beastly rendition of the famed -"

click

A low growl rumbled in the base of the woman's throat, jaw clenching as heated streams of air exhaled from her nostrils. She did not plan on stepping foot on this planet, let alone spend anymore time breathing its air or watching its atrocious art shows, but the lack of transmissions from her Xasuri dealer was becoming all the more wearisome. Maybe it was because he was old. The elderly tended to ruin the best of what they were given and imports of black spice was the last thing someone so obviously inept as Dalen deserved.

"Send us down." She uttered into a nearby voicecom, the crackling rumble of her pilot's response quickly followed by the corvette lurching forward before swooping down into the Xasuri lithosphere.

It only took several seconds for the humming black corvette to find its roost not far from the secluded office, setting itself down upon a sparkling sand bank before ejecting the latch and releasing the glowering half Firrerreon from it's shadowy hangar. Dressed in nothing more than a dark form fitting velvoid body suit, military boots and a heavy coat to protect her body from the salty spray of the ocean, the young woman strode atop the skin of the island wielding a bladed shotgun and an exasperated snarl.

It didn't take long for Ariadne to reach the impressively quaint building, the strained utterances of those inside peaking the woman's attention before she'd even entered the building.

Little did they know how well of hearing the Baroness was.

"No one will be killing Dalen Kilrik. Not yet anyway." Ariadne uttered dryly, stepping through the doorway with eyes trained on the scene before her. Two guards dead, her associate whimpering on the ground and two women she had yet to have the pleasure of side eyeing. Perfect, just perfect. Clicking her tongue, the young woman relinquished a momentary sigh before gazing at the armed woman standing atop the fallen counselor. She could hear his heartbeat, he was terrified and that was even without looking at the elderly mess on the ground. He didn't deserve her attention, not at that moment anyway.

"Now, someone please explain to me what is happening." The woman uttered dangerously, her words cutting the air into ribbons as her cold eyes set upon the two strangers.

[member="Jenna Templar"] - [member="Elleryn"]

 

[Elleryn]

Jenna was fast to switch sides if there was money involved. A moment ago she was shoving her into a cage; now the brunette bimbo had freed and, to top it off , she was also giving her a blaster. Dalen was simply staring at them, his body burning with pain. He was exhausted from cursing, exhausted from writhing about. Still, as much as Elleryn wanted to take the blaster from Jenna—as much as Elleryn appreciated that tiny act of “kindness”, her hands were still very much bound.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She simply stared at Jenna, a deadpan expression on her face. “As much as I would love to take this blaster and shoot him—” and then shoot you “—I cannot.” She said, shaking the hands behind her back to emphasize that they were still bound. “Because if you cared as much to notice,” She paused, forcing a smile on her face. “I’m. Still. Tied. Up!” Why this mercenary had not released her in the first place, Elleryn did not know. In fact, now that the man who ordered for her abduction was writhing in the floor, she could care less for pleasantries.

The door creaked open.

Elleryn expected to come face to face with the disgusting hutt bound to carry her off to wild space. This person who entered the room however was a strong looking woman who obviously wasn’t amused. She sat up, her eyes shifting focus from Jenna to the newcomer. Was this who her brother sent to rescue her? A woman? Perhaps she was a diplomat who was just recently appointed. Elleryn had definitely never laid eyes on her before. She stiffened up, wondering who was going to speak first. Obviously, a certain councillor was out of the question.

She cleared her throat.

A few moments of stillness.

“My brother sent you, yes?” She uttered, irritated that she was tardy. “As you can see, I am tied up and injured. My nine-hour sleep cycle was disrupted by this—“ Her eyes traced up Jenna’s sturdy physique. “—woman. I have witnessed Councillor Dalen’s treachery firsthand, and, to top it all off,” Her eyebrows raised, as though expecting the woman to know everything that was happening. “You’re. Late.”

| [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] | [member="Jenna Templar"] |

 

[Tanalth]

When [member="Elleryn"] had made her smart remark about still being tied up Jenna rolled her eyes and said "Hey! Don't get snippy with me. I just saved your royal ass, remember?" But before she could make a move to free her she heard the door opening, making her aim one blaster towards the open doorway only to see [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] standing there. When she'd asked what had happened Jenna jokingly answered "Would you believe me if I told you the princess did it? ..... Yeah, me neither." And then, after hearing the princess speak to her Jenna rolled her eyes and said "Oh good, you know each other. Guess I don't need to worry about calling for a ride then." She withdrew her blaster pointed at Aridne before showing Delan to the ground and saying "Here. all yours then."

 

[Ariadne Van'Shelaq]

It was truly a rare moment for the Baroness of Nar Shaddaa's Undercity to be so completely taken back by the utterances of another, especially one bound and trapped inside a cage. Was this tussled girl even worth replying to? From the looks of it, she was probably some whore that had been transferred for Dalen's private usage, with the tattered nightgown, bare feet and exhausted look on her face. Regardless of how surprising the elderly man's taste in the 'tamer' sex was, the sheer gall the wench possessed to even consider sassing Ariadne was enough to set the icy tension in the room past breaking point.

She could tolerate guns being pointed at her and the tacky daytime entertainment this frigid planet offered but to be lambasted for tardiness? If the young woman weren't so irritated she might've laughed.

For a moment Ariadne wasn't sure whether simply shooting everyone in the room would be the easiest way to quell the current mess or simply make her day that much more troublesome, it would no doubt shut the lips of bound woman and leave her several credits richer once she returned to the comforting familiarity of her corvette. Profit, peace of mind and power; the three eternal 'P's that Ari strived for. She knew for a fact that two of three would be achieved today, with or without the consent of the motley bunch choking the air from this room and the constant stream of words that rambled from their lips only added to the dark haired woman's irritation.

Not even bothering to grace the bound girl's nagging with a response, Ariadne took several steps forward, her hawkish gaze slowly lowering from the armed stranger all the way down to her would be contact who was now mumbling an extensive string of expletives.

"I don't care who you are. If you got what you came for, then leave. Now." She uttered, in a voice that granted little room for argument or ambivalence, piercing the armed woman's gaze with her own icy leer before turning Mr. Kilrik's body over with the toe of her boot. The barrel of the bladed firearm hovering precariously over his wrinkled face.

"Explain yourself." Ariadne growled darkly, completely ignoring the so-called 'princess' inside the little enclosure.

[member="Elleryn"] - [member="Jenna Templar"]

 

[Elleryn]

Did this newcomer just ignore her?

Elleryn had never been so insulted in her life. Could nobody on this planet do anything right? Once freed from this cramped cage and out of this island, she’d see to it that an immediate shift in the administration would take place—after enjoying a warm bath and a fresh change of garments, of course. She’d need to see one of the healers immediately for her injured leg.

“What are you doing? Arrest her!” She screeched as the auburn haired woman dismissed her kidnapper, oblivious to the situation at hand. It was clear to her that nobody knew what was going on. Jenna was dense enough to not fear the fact that in a few moments, this incompetent diplomat would detain her; that is, if the diplomat would only learn how to follow instructions.

If she could only get out of these binds, maybe then somebody would do something right!

And though she was never good with emotions, even she could determine the fear growing in Dalen’s eyes. His string of curses stopped and he tried sitting upright. Was fear a miracle worker? His fingers tightly wrapped around the bars of the iron cage. His eyebrows were together, his mouth open in a slight frown. Did these two know each other?

Dalen hesitated before speaking. “Well you see, Miss Zen,” Zen? It wasn’t a name she recognized on the roster of diplomats. Furthermore, the woman who entered the room dressed nothing like a respectable lady from the city. It was far to recherché, nothing Elleryn considered elegant. Her eyebrows pressed together and she pursed her lips.

Dalen’s eyes looked away. “Well…It seems like I have made a mistake. The…um… Outsider I hired to do such a simple task was…incapable of following directions.” His voice was a pitch higher and he spoke slowly. He gritted his teeth, his other hand caressed his bruised neck. He shot the mercenary a cold stare, before looking back at the newcomer.

Elleryn’s lips curled. Everybody was talking around her. It may have been the lack of sleep or the fact that she was manhandled and injured by the mercenary, but she was having none of it today. “I am displeased with all of you.” She announced. “I demand to be unbound now. Miss Zen, if you would please be more competent than everyone else in the room—since clearly nobody is doing what they’re assigned to do—then I demand you release me at once.” Her face had gone from pale white to a tomato red.

"And please, someone arrest these two!"

In her deep state of annoyance, she missed the look of disbelief plastered on the councillor’s face.

| [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] | [member="Jenna Templar"] |

 

[Tanalth]

Jenna was indeed ignoring [member="Elleryn"] at this point. She was too busy watching [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] smack Delan around a little. She liked that she wasn't the only badass woman in the room now. And at least Delan was getting knocked down even further than he was. Part of her wanted to keep going, making him grovel and see what happens when he tries to take advantage of woman, but this was enough for now.​

​

She knelt down and said in his ear "Bet you're feeling really tiny right now, aren't you? So between e and this new girl" she pointed to Ariadne "I'm pretty sure that's ten different ways to kick your ass." When she gave her little threat Jenna only gave a "Pfft." before waving her off and saying "Whatever." She stopped and tapped her shoulder saying "Give me a call sometime. Love your work." As she walked out of the room she waved back to the princess "See ya later, whinny." ​

 

[Ariadne Van'Shelaq]

Beneath the cold veneer of muted annoyance and tempered frustration Ariadne felt herself welling up with a nagging impatience that threatened to chip at the exceptionally maintained look of detachment . This was time consuming, pointless and wholly unprofessional, especially from a man who convinced her that his standing as a counselor would offer more bonuses than the usual spice runner. For one thing, it was clear that Dalen Kilrik could not run and his involvement and improvisation of what could have easily been a simple trade left a considerable dent in the young cartel boss' plans. Even worse was the fact that he'd dragged what could only be described as a near-human equivalent of a pebble in one's boot. It was disappointing development to say the least.

​ "I'm sure you do." She uttered dryly at the woman's compliment, raising a perfectly sculpted brow before returning her attention down to the man at her feet. Wasted time, this was all wasted time. Doing her best to ignore the high pitched ramblings of the bound 'princess' Ariadne offered the gun toting outsider little more than a stray glance before listening to the sound of her receding footsteps. At least that gave her one less person to worry about.

"I'm going to give this one a few seconds to shut her mouth before I do something very bad." The Baroness snarled, hoisting the elderly gentleman up by his collar as she jabbed her shotgun in the bound girl's general direction. The counselor rambled on about outsiders, simple tasks and following directions and the more he spoke the more the young woman felt her irritation exceed their usual limits.

"You consult me before making these decisions, if there is anything that -

"-And please, someone arrest these two!"

Ariadne felt a nerve snap, the blistering chill of annoyance that sparked through her limbs setting the trigger finger moving faster than a flash. With a resounding BANG the shotgun sprayed into the enclosed space of the cage, barbed flechettes ricocheting off the durasteel bars before riddling the walls, floor and ceiling with gnarled shrapnel. The ear splitting sound was quick;y followed by the panicked tempo of two sets of heartbeats, one belonging to the elderly man and the other to the wounded young woman that the cartel boss had so mercilessly shot at.

It was little more than a flesh wound, well to Ari's standards anyway, but it as probably enough to keep the now injured princess from talking any further.

"Now tell me Dalen. What was this grand scheme of yours? Lie to me and I won't miss like I did with her." She snarled darkly, the smoking barrel pressed against his wrinkled temple as she blocked out the pained noises emanating from her most recent victim's gunshot wounds. It was a deserving punishment for such blatant insolence.

[member="Elleryn"]

 

[Elleryn]

Besides her sprained leg, Elleryn had never felt physical pain before.

The sound hit her first. It was loud, it rang into her ears, and it almost distracted her long enough to realize that she was bleeding. A patch on her once golden nightgown started to seep red. The princess did not dare move. She did not dare speak. Two seconds after the bullet had penetrated her then flawless skin, she began to feel it. The bullet had hit her hard.

Elleryn could not scream. Instead, she swallowed her own breath.

It was like her skin was boiling. As though a heated rod of iron plunged into her muscle and sent her nerves ablaze. The fire in her system was acidic and even staring at the crimson liquid dripping down her silky fabric made her head spin. Ariadne and Dalen were exchanging mumbled words. The room was tumbling around her, as though the essence of every object separated from their physical form and into a heaven she had not seen before.

Yellow clouds started to float around her vision. Their hearing turned into a soft buzz before fading into a quiet hum. She struggled to breath, struggled to keep her eyes wide awake. The last thing she would notice was the councillor’s cold eyes searching her’s. Was that concern? Did he even feel responsible?

Is this what dying felt like?

~ • ~

Dalen stiffened up as he watched the fragile princess’ head tilt back, her body collapsing inside the cage. He preferred her this way, unconscious and quiet. It was far easier to think, far easier to talk to the vexed baroness without the young girl’s whining. He swallowed, his less icy gaze shifting to the brunette’s burning eyes.

His neck suddenly felt far less painful.

“I suppose my plans never included Ms. Templar’s betrayal.” He confessed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. There were far things worse than death, and he felt that this woman’s anger was one of them. He did not dare cross her twice. “Frankly, this princess cannot run a country.” He cleared his throat. Did this woman even care of the happenings of their society? He'd prefer it if she took his money and ran.

The heat of the gun burned into his temple as he tried to keep his focus. He took fast shallow breaths as he tried to reason with the vexed woman. “This society…has been caged for far too long,” He tried to control his breathing. His eyes darted to his dead guards; he refused to join their corpses today. “I wanted to liberate them…To free them from that family’s rule.”

The spice was a quick way to buy supporters. There were far too many restrictions on Xasuri that it was easy to bribe those who have never tasted fine luxuries. It was how he built his secret army in the first place, and how he had bought his supporters. He showed them a world of freedom that they had never explored.

The first part of his plan was complete, it was only the second part that had lead to complications. Damn that schutta. He thought, glad that the mocha skinned brunette had left his sight. “Her brother, the heir to the throne, he is a weak one.” He spoke. “He recently lost his first born child; the death of his sister will undoubtedly destroy him.” His eyes drifted back to her. “You must understand my love for this planet!" He cried. "The reigning king is old; our military, undertrained.” He stated. “It is up to me to free my people from their thousand year rule!” He coughed, almost choking on his determination.

“I have the money we agreed to.” He stated, the credit chip was locked up beneath a false bottom on his drawer. “All I ask is that you give me the spice and leave with the princess. You can sell her off, I do not care what becomes of her.”

After all, freedom came at the cost of others'. And for the sake of his people, he was willing to trade off Elleryn’s.

| [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] |

 

[Ariadne Van'Shelaq]

Ariadne knew the wound wasn't fatal, the quickened pace of the young princess' heartbeat coming from the mere shock of being hit. An overreaction, fainting at the sight of her blood, the fact that the girl crumpled like a leaf underneath a boot was enough to paint a proper portrait of how durable these Xasurians were. So far she'd been faced with a bumbling old fool and an unbearably irritating princess, neither of which proved much longevity whenever situations became a little more rough .

It was probably the girl's first injury, the first time she'd ever had her immaculate porcelain skin marred by anything other than the finest jewellery and perfumes. Such frailty could not withstand the realities of the galaxy and for a moment the young Baroness found herself pitying the sorry little excuse of a princess,s he was probably better of dead than alive...especially with that mouth.

How the other woman, Dalen's failed assistant, managed to not gag the skinny royal during her little delivery run completely mystified the young woman. Not that she'd make such a feeling known of course.

Shaking her head in muted exasperation, Ariadne leered down at the seemingly collected Dalen, listening to his rambling justification as to why he stepped into the criminal game. It was of little importance to the young woman, his failure as a dealer and lack of communication almost immediately relegated him to her blacklist. What was the point of engaging with those that could not see past their own noses? Sighing, the young woman glanced at the wounded princess before leering back down at the counsellor, the porcelain face devoid of any emotion.

The man wasn’t lying about his motive, the steady heartrate neither skipped nor wavered as he pleaded his case.

”Your princess won’t last a day out there. She’d be beaten, eaten or raped, maybe all three in the space of a day if she’s lucky.” Ariadne stated in a cold matter-of-fact voice, quirking a brow before clicking her tongue and gazing at the mess of bloodied bodies that were strewn across the office floor. Such a mess. ”I care little for this planet’s politics, or for you or the girl. I could simply kill you both and take the credits. Xasuri could burn for all I care.” Ariadne shrugged, pursing her lips before running her scarlet tongue over the pointed canines.

How easy it would be to simply snap the man’s neck. The thought came and went like a ripple of lightning across a storm stained horizon.

Not today.

”Know this Dalen. You will never deal with me again.” Ariadne uttered darkly, stepping off the counsellor before tapping her earpiece. ”Send half the spice to Mr. Kilrik’s warehouse.” She ordered, shooting the man a sharp glare if he so dared to complain.

Clenching her jaw the woman paused for a moment, eyes gazing into the vacuum of the room as she considered the other part of Kilrik’s offer. How much would a princess cost in a slave auction? The sprained leg and wounded shoulder would surely lower the price but there was bound to be some collector of all things royal and useless on Nar Shaddaa. Perhaps she could fill some space in a museum? Or dance her way into the hearts and pants of the cartels that swarmed the seedier red light districts? Combing a clawed hand through her gleaming dark locks, the young woman nudged the cage door open with the barrel of her gun, glancing down at the unconscious girl, the vibrant splotch of crimson that stained the golden nightgown streaming down the material in trickling rivulets of blood.

It took all of Ariadne’s discipline not to roll her eyes.

Coiling an arm around the dainty thing’s tiny waist, the Baroness hoisted the young woman up before balancing her on a slender shoulder, the bony limbs dangling against Ariadne’s body like holiday ornaments. Would she regret this? Probably.

”Credits. Now.” The young woman snarled, motioning with her weapon for the man to procure her payment in full.



[member="Elleryn"]

 

[Elleryn]

Just when he thought his luck was about to run out, Zen had pushed through with the deal. He was uncertain of whether it was his emotional plan to liberate Xasuri or whether it was just her personal greed. Although the answer was most likely the latter, he liked to think that the baroness had a heart somewhere in the depths of her hollow soul. Unlike Elleryn, Dalen knew when to appeal to the emotional weaknesses of women, he had experienced intergalactic travel after all.

Yet still, he wasn’t quite sure why Xasuri hadn’t crumpled to pieces yet. It was obvious the clergy were planning something, and he certainly wasn’t going to stick around long enough for that to happen. The Royal Family was a foolish bunch of babbling idiots who liked to believe their precious planet was a utopia. In truth, the planet was as delicate as they were, and though no citizen wanted to revolt against their rulers, Dalen was committed to seeing his very plans push through.

Alas, the old man had not made room for error in his plans—nor did he bother to do any research on the people he had looked up. He blamed himself for hiring outsiders, though in Xasuri’s limited network, there wasn’t enough resources for his perfect crime. As far as he knew, he was the only one smuggling spice into the planet. The prison time was hefty for petty things after all, it was only part of the culture. As soon as word got to the royal family, scouts would be searching for him and he’d be on exile. It was one of the worst punishments on the planet, and if you were religious about the practices, you’d think it was a punishment worse than death.

Dalen of course, had learned to stop being religious.

He also learned how to keep his mouth shut when he needed to. Zen was angry, and she had every right to be. He blamed himself for not carrying this out properly. Yet, what could he do? He simply sat there; neck throbbing, princess unconscious in her cage, waiting for the pirate to make up her mind. She could kill both him in the princess and there would be no one there to stop her. Perhaps they’d be better off that way.

And then she blacklisted him. She’d give him his spice, but he’d never see either of them again. It was a good day. “Of course, Miss Zen, of course.”

He stumbled as he got up, he clutched onto the rails of the cage for support. His legs wobbled and he slowly walked to his desk. The burning sensation of his neck had stopped, though he could still feel it the throbbing. He opened up a drawer and removed the hidden bottom. There was a single credit chip filled with hundreds of thousands of credits.

He moved towards the woman with the burning eyes as she draped the blonde over her shoulder. It never occurred to him how much of a porcelain doll the princess truly was. Zen, on the other hand, looked like a fox; an angry, annoyed vixen, he thought.

“This has everything.” He said, handing her the credit chip. It occurred to him that the loud mouthed princess had not been gagged upon her arrival. His already pale face drained in color. There were witnesses, he thought.

He needed to leave this planet after this transaction.

| [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] |

 

[Ariadne Van'Shelaq]

The whirring hum of the corvette greeted Ariadne the moment it plucked her off the sandy shore of Dalen Kilrik's private island. Gusts of wind fiercely battered the ship, as if Xasuri's divine protector were shooing the shadowy entity off its pristine shores, and grains of sand and salty plumes of water burst up into the frigid air before futilely slapping against the obsidian hull of the sleek corvette.

With the princess still draped over a shoulder, her thinly clothed figure now stained with the tears of the ocean, the Baroness trudged up the boarding ramp with dark hair tussled by the wind and face completely bereft on any joy or contentment. The deal had been, the last of its kind on this planet anyway and the first thing the pale skinned woman wanted to do was rid herself of its stench and the gnawing failure it brought her.

"Get me out of here." Ariadne ordered, tapping her commlink before stalking through the lower deck and dumping the frail royal atop a cot. She was all bone, barely weighed more than a corpse and the brittleness of her slender figure was not enough for her new 'owner' to treat her delicately. Leering down at her supplementary 'prize', the young woman slowly exhaled as she fiddled with the credit chip in her free hand. Yes, she'd been paid but at what cost? Was she to be burdened with the sale of the blonde royal? The efficient route would be to simply dump the girl out of the air lock, washing the half Firrerreon's hands of any responsibility. Surely not many would miss her, if Dalen's rants were true. Throwing her into a pen and sending her off to a slaver would grant some meager benefits, surely they'd excuse a sprained ankle and a wounded shoulder. Although the processes of making the princess more appealing for potential buyers would be a chore, that much Ari knew, the clientele who perused such purchases on Nar Shaddaa more than likely appreciating a mute and shackled princess over a mouthy brat.

Clicking her tongue, Ariadne paced through the belly of the corvette, her eyes constantly flickering between the glowing screens of encrypted messages and the unconscious girl. She could hear the soft stutter of the captive's heartbeat, the melody of her pulse drumming into the woman's head as she considered all her options.

Why did she waste a bullet on such an embarrassing excuse of a woman?

Her entire right side was now covered in the princess' blood, the crimson stain marring the black velvoid and seeping into the material till it clung to the young woman's pale skin. It was sticky and unpleasant but nothing she had not experienced before. Sighing, Ariadne combed her fingers through salt stained locks before tapping several orders into a nearby screen and propping a stool next to the princess' cot.

Several seconds passed and a the faint buzz echoed into the room before a medical droid floated into view, it's egg shaped head scanning the bloody wreck before procuring the necessary tools to extract the twisted shrapnel and mend the sprained ankle.

"Don't waste the anesthesia on her." Ariadne uttered quietly, swiveling on the stool as she briefly glanced out a window to see nothing but the dark expanse of space. Xasuri was to be nothing more than a forgotten memory, a trip the cartel boss would not repeat.

This was supposed to be an expansive venture, one which would help branch the Cabal's business on to tertiary planets. It posed the promise of more profit and yet offered little in professionalism from the one man who convinced her to sell to him. It was always the politicians, playing their games and seeking the moral fabric that would leave them on top. Alas, Dalen proved to be more of a disappointment than anything else and Ariadne felt a certain contentment having cut him off for good. There was no use for men who made their own plans.

Blankly staring at the scene before her, the droid's mechanical tentacles tending to the bloody gash on the princess' shoulder, Ariadne found herself momentarily mesmerized at the deftness with which the machine worked. No doubt its infringement on the princess' body would stir her from her slumber and what a painful wake up that would be.

[member="Elleryn"]

 

[Elleryn]

Home.

The sweet fragrance of freshly cut fruit and vegetables as imported meats sizzled in the cooker would fill the palace halls. Elleryn could feel her mouth watering, her stomach awaiting their next few courses for the first meal of the day. Breakfast was always served in her bedroom by an obedient servant. The tray would always be filled with colourful dishes and she’d always be left to eat in peace as she’d watch her delightful art shows conducted in some of Xasuri’s finest museums. Of course, she was always invited to attend; Songwa, a well respected critic, had told her that she had an impeccable view on art. Perhaps if she wasn’t royalty, she’d probably be an art critic herself living in one of those modest homes.

And of course, everything she had witnessed the other night was just a nightmare.

She smelt it; the scent of singeing meat and something else. It definitely wasn’t freshly cut fruit or vegetables. Her nose detected the rustic scent of iron…Lots of metal. It was also the sound of gears churning away that made her uncomfortable. Surprisingly, only the growing discomfort of the rumbling in her stomach was what felt familiar to her. Perhaps they were doing a few renovations to her bedroom.

Or perhaps…

No.

It couldn’t be.

Her eyes fluttered open those snapped closed as she saw the bright glare of the white light hovering over her. She squinted, her eyes making out small blobs of something moving. It was all just a blur, something she wasn’t used to. Just where was she? Perhaps, she already knew. After all, though her leg had stopped throbbing, it still hurt as she tried to move it.

She was on foreign territory.

No, no, no, no, no! She told herself. It was all just a bad dream; a nightmare caused by post-traumatic stress through being in a place she associated with very bad memories. Perhaps it was all just fear; because she believed that Dalen would truly hurt her. It was preposterous! He was a respected member of the community and she was the beloved princess! Nobody would dare hurt her.

And yet, she was having trouble placing exactly where she was.

She sat up slightly, enough to angle her eyes away from the blinding light. She was disheveled, the expensive nightgown stripped from her delicate frame. Her gaze snapped to the droid with the egg-shaped head, his mechanical tentacles pressing over the gash in her shoulder. She peered over at the end of his appendage, her skin was tainted cherry red; and though the blood was cleaned up and the wound had closed, she felt as though she was about to vomit.

Or faint.

She closed her eyes for a moment, in an attempt to adjust her breathing. She was feeling lightheaded, as though the world was spinning around her for a second. She was going to wake up. She was going to wake up. Wake up, Elleryn. She screamed at herself mentally. Wake up!

Her eyes flicked open to meet hers. Zen—the woman with fire in her eyes and wispy dark hair like a forrest of spiders. She was the woman who looked like a demon, with her pale skin and mephistophelian aura. Elleryn gritted her teeth. This…this was the horrible woman who had abducted her from Dalen’s awful prison cell the other day. She was a conspiracist! A terrible person who would hurt someone as lovely as Elleryn. Her people must be worried. Oh, her poor poor brother. And Tebb! Her dearest voorpak must have been so worried.

“Where have you taken me?” She asked. She needed to be calm. These…terrorists liked seeing her writhe in pain and she surely wouldn’t give that awful woman the pleasure of seeing her fall.

| [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] |

 

[Ariadne Van'Shelaq]

[SIZE=9pt]"the floral decor of the neo-galactic guerrilla artist's basement did little to sway many followers..."[/SIZE]

A feminine voice chimed into the makeshift medical bay, the holo figure of a gaunt looking twi'lek strutted across the obsidian flooring as she presented the overly kitschy documentary. Hovering idly behind the admittedly embarrassing, yet surprisingly amusing, display of galactic entertainment was the pale oviform droid, its sleek figure humming atop the unconscious body of Xasuri's painfully fragile princess. Stripped of the blood stained nightgown and left in nothing but her lacy undergarments, the one known as Elleryn was every bit of an eyesore as she was when she was conscious.

She was too frail, too docile and too weak. Everything the Baroness actively avoided.

[SIZE=9pt]"...many believed it to be a direct criticism of the recent galactic bouts between the One Sith and the Republic..."[/SIZE]

Having slipped out of Xasuri space, the sleek obsidian cruiser silently hummed through fields of debris and ragged chunks of forlorn asteroids. Even when embraced by the silence of the galaxy the toll of war still scarred the endless night, the scabs of forgotten battles and skirmishes staining the inky nothingness.

Ariadne payed no heed to the ravaged battlefield, her auburn eyes flickering from the inbound messages from several dealers across the galaxy and the odd little documentary that refused to neglect her grudging curiosity. Perhaps it was therapeutic ritual? Of course, the half Firrerreon would never confirm nor deny such a thing, not even to herself. It was a means of passing the time, an escape away from the sorry sight laying on the cot before her.

The credits Dalen offered had already been transferred, divided into several locations to avoid any investigation. It was safe and simple, what could have easily been the closing chapter to the excursion to Xasuri.

Unfortunately, she was still saddled with the presence of a princess…one which slowly stirred from her bloody sleep.

[SIZE=9pt]"She titles her work 'Innocence Lost', conveying the trauma she experienced at the hand of her former lover..."[/SIZE]

Ariadne sat motionless, eyes peering down at the golden haired female who floundered beneath the light of the droid and the pain in her body. Heartbeat rose steadily, fluttering like that of a little bird with a broken wing. Clicking her tongue, the Baroness waved the droid away from its perch, shifting her posture till she leaned over the fumbling excuse of a royal. It shouldn’t have surprised her that the princess would immediately start talking, let alone demand answers, and for the briefest of moments the cartel boss almost considered gagging the mouthy brat. It would certainly make for a peaceful ride back home.

[SIZE=10.5pt]”Away.” She uttered bluntly, exhaling slowly before glancing at the girl’s now revitalized ankle. An ugly purple splotch marred the supple milky skin, a makeshift anklet for the bony princess. ”You are not going back home if that’s what you want to know.” Ariadne stated, detached and cold, combing slender fingers through her dark hair before cocking a brow at the wide eyed creature in front of her.[/SIZE]

Brave enough not to show pain. How quaint.

[member="Elleryn"]

 

[Elleryn]

The woman’s voice was a cold hiss and pierced her through heart like an icicle.

Her words marred the small ounce of hope that she had; and for that simple second, nothing ailed her more than the possibility of never seeing her family again. Her brother was probably worried sick, and all of Xasuri was probably searching for her! Why, those bloody Crevuans were probably guilty for not helping her when she needed their help the most.

Prosecute them all. The words floated into her mind in annoyance. She wanted everyone who was part of this heinous crime to be sent to exile and humiliated for the galaxy to see. She was angry, she was let down, she was in disbelief that something like this could happen to her.

Her! The princess of the wealthy land of Xasuri! Dalen was going to pay for this; her brother would see to it that something was going to happen to him, to that Templar girl, and to this…this filthy woman and her mucky ship. The dark haired woman was a liar who wanted her to lose her faith with her people. Her annoyance and anger were building up, she even forgot about the rumbling in her stomach.

“You’re lying.”

The accusation came cold and crisp from her lips. Her blue eyes narrowed, and she gripped the metal sides of the cot. Her eyes wandered around the foreign territory, before relaxing on the hologram that brought her back home.

She was going to miss the Shanjou’ri Art Show.

She almost screamed. It was one of the grandest, most anticipated art shows in the galaxy. There were going to be lots of famous guests flying in, both local and from around the universe. Collectors, musicians, painters; they were all going to be there. And Dori Divination, one of the best clairvoyant artists was going to perform a segment dedicated in her honour.

Oh the horror Xasurians would see when they see the lovely artist painting Elleryn trapped in this…this…hideous hideout.

She had to go home immediately! It was simply a matter of life and death!

“You don’t understand.” She said, panic dripping from her voice. “I have to get home now. Today. I am going to be missed in a very important event and you need to take me back. You absolutely must! It’s very important.”

“Please.” She begged. “I’ll give you all the credits you want. You don’t understand what you’re pulling me away from. Why, this is absolute torture. Spare me some mercy!”

Even a criminal must have some respect for the arts, right? As Elleryn stared into her dark eyes, she was beginning to lose hope. This commoner has probably never even seen an art show in her whole life.

She was trapped, on board with an uncultured felon. How scandalous!

| [member="Ariadne Van'Shelaq"] |