Look Down

[Sabetha Tag]

"Ain't nothing I've ever done was 'legal.' Musta been nice. Well, you know, till it wasn't anymore."

Sabetha settled her arms behind her head, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well that's cause law enforcement are karkers," she said congenially. No hard feelings, not really. Just a simple statement of fact.

"Usually my rule is 'don't get caught,' but sometimes gotta break even your own rules, huh?" A self deprecating chuckle. "Galaxy doesn't always give ya much of a choice."

A pause and then she tilted her head back again.

"So.... was it?" A beat. "Hazardous I mean. Or was it just the sort of hazardous governments don't like."

"Hold full of anti-matter."

"That'll do it."

A pause to mull. Sabetha sucked on her teeth for a moment.

"Tried the straight and narrow once. Found out that no one is, they just like to pretend. So. Might as well do what you want cause everyone else does anyway and not be a hypocrite about it."

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

"Honestly?"

A moment of consideration.

"Boring mostly." It had been her partner who kept those relationships good and proper. Hence why their passing had broken everything down. Considering the one time it would be a good thing to keep authority in your right corner Hira elbowed them in the nose? One might imagine what she did when it hadn't been in jail. "Big heads, bigger egos, was more enjoyable sending 'em all tumbling one after another." Not in the way of the rebels, of course, no pay in that.

It was more enjoyable to kark them up and get paid as far as Hira was concerned.

"Nah, there are straight an' narrow folk, Jolt." A yawn as the woman herself tried to carefully situate herself on the bunk after pushing that fething waste container away. Ugh. "They just all die 'fore they can make any sort'a difference."

Shysa had been straight an' narrow.

Sorta.

Mercenary, sure. Killer, for certain. But honorable in a way, followed rules (even if they were strange ones). Got him killed, no?

"Once we out, what's the first thing ya gonna do?" At the very least Hira had confidence in spades.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"Hasn't been my experience, but if you say so. What am I gonna do? Fight you over it?"

Now didn't that sound like a waste of energy.

"Easy," she responded to the question promptly. She'd spent a lot of time thinking about this. She ticked off the options, one for each finger.

"Shower. Real food. Corellian if I can, whatever if not. Sleep in a real bed. Get laid. In that order."

The list used to be longer and more complicated. But the more time had passed, the more parred down to essentials it had become. Sabetha was left with four fingers curled up, thumb still stuck up in the air. She mulled for a moment and then:

"Then go get my chit back," she added, making a fist. "Some stuff got confiscated when I was arrested, some stuff I left with an ex. If I'm lucky, it's still there. Probably not though if I'm being real. I don't care about everything, but a couple things, those are mine, ya know?"

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

"Sounds like a waste o' time, if ya ask me."

Experiences were malleable in her... experience. Maybe Tag never had met anyone worth a damn, maybe she was just a jaded lil' chit, who really knew, eh? All that Hira knew were her own experiences and she wasn't in the mood to shove them up anyone's arse. Not right now anyway. Not that it mattered either way, because something told her that trying to throw a punch through a hole that was about the thickness of her little finger wasn't really a satisfying experience.

"Eh, I got all da stuff I need on me." Hira finally said with a shrug. "Body-ware."

Muffled grumble there.

If only they worked now. "Dey drained mah power pack an' locked a bracelet around mah foot." To forestall any- wait, you didn't feel like mentioning this?? "Constant ion field, s'doozy." Which didn't mean that Hira wasn't thinking of ways to counter it.

But it wasn't an easy thing.

"Other than that I got my favorite blaster dem fethers wrecked when they caught me. Abou' it."

 

[Sabetha Tag]

Sabetha whistled.

"Well that's a right schutta," she said with sympathy. "Wonder what they would have done if ya needed that stuff to live." Could have been stuff that kept her heart pumping or something, and then wouldn't THAT be a mess. Body-ware usually implied voluntary or at least, optional, but not always.

"You've had less time to think about it, but what's on your plate? First thing, whatcha got waiting? BESIDES revenge. Like, just cause it's nice."

Sabetha didn't much care to pass over anything that was fun or felt good. Oh, she was careful. Kept her hands clean of spice because that was just asking for trouble. She'd seen that, up close and personal, how much that messed folks ups. But otherwise? No reason to do anything if you didn't want to, if it didn't feel good.

Okay that wasn't true, there were plenty of things you did just cause they had to get done. But if she had a choice.

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

"Probably throw me with the garbage an' avoid da mess in the first place." Oops, how could we have known that this standard ion field procedure would have karked with her heart replacement? Oh, sure, she was heaving there on the ground- but... that could have been an escape attempt! And the Galaxy would have continued on without much worry about an expired criminal, no?

"Mah prosthetics feel weird too. Sluggish, it is gross, lemme tell ya." It was the reason why she has used her elbow. Throwing out a punch was alright, but it would have been more difficult to hit right.

Why it worked the way it did was beyond her.

All she knew was that with the gorram bracelet she could still use her rudimentary functions, but anything high-power was out of the question. No disruptor blast, they had ripped the blades out as well. "Uuhhhh." That made her think. Her eyes closed and she rolled onto her back, humming there to herself for a bit and wondering just what she wanted to do for fun.

Since his death that was the only thing Hira could have thought about.

Kill, kill, kill, shorten the list and get even.

"Drink or four, honestly. Haven't had a proper drink in a while." Fingers snapped- "Take a skiff an' ride da ethereal waves in the Hapes Cluster." That was something Hira hadn't done in years. The Transitory Mists were brilliant this time a year too.

"That will get ya heart pumpin' for sure."

A snort followed.

"If my arse is stuck here for long enough I reckon I will want a proper toilet too. With warmers an' chit like they got on Fondor, ya hear about 'em?" Apparently the toilets there could talk too.

Which was just weird.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"I mean, I'd settle for 'not a bucket' honestly. Warmers? Fondor sounds feckin' wild."

Sabetha frowned. It was interesting how different the answers were. She'd been here for two years now. Hers boiled down to the basics. The simplest of things life had to offer. Hira over there? Actual things that someone might want any day of the week. Almost like dreams. Well. One was a toilet dream apparently but hey, she wasn't going to judge.

"I haven't even thought about a drink in..... eesh probably months. Thanks for that, by the way, now I'm gonna be unable to stop thinking about that all night. Well. Sorta. They just turn the lights out any time after the second meal. Sometimes before yer done eating. At least they don't come banging on the doors and wake you up just for giggles. The guards here must have some sort of entertainment, cause they leave us alone, ya know? It's not much. But it's something. Could be worse."

To say that anything about this place 'could be worse,' well. Made it clear that Sabetha had experienced worse.

"What's so special 'bout the ether 'round Hapes anyway?"

Sabetha had never even heard of that.

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

"Is." Hira agreed with her softly as she turned a bit.

Other side.

Both hurt, but switching it up a bit made it a bit easier as far as Hira was concerned. In equal terms Hira found it amusing that all Tag could think about was a proper meal an' chit like that. Maybe it would have been the same for her, if she had spend that long locked up without dem basic stuff.

Maybe.

"Ya welcome. Mebbe some deep deep amber Corellian whiskey." Smacking her lips conspiratorially and pronounced enough that it was clear she was karking with her now. "Da' nice burn on da tongue once ya take that first swig. The warmth doooown the throat and radiating through ya bod." A raspy chuckle there. That part hadn't changed, the desire to feth with people as much as possible. She was more serious now, more focused after Shysa's death.

Had to be.

But the core parts were still there.

"Ahh, the Transitory Mists, Jolt. Assume ya heard about them?" If she hadn't, Hira would describe those too. Otherwise it went straight to the next part. "Some parts of it aren't as loaded with ion storms. Calmer, if ya got a good skiff with a solar sail an' a solar suit? The bursts from the nebula remind ya of waves, that ya can ride like ya surfing in the sea, dig?"

Still dangerous, 'course.

One rip in your suit and you were done. But that was part of the fun for Hira.

The real danger.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

Sabetha pulled her knees up, feet flat on the bunk. With a groan, she patted her heels in annoyance- partly real, partly for show. It was obvious that Hira was trying to get a rise out of her with the booze comments, but hey, there wasn't a lot of entertainment available so make of it what you will.

"Uuuuuuuuugh, thanks, thanks EVER so much," she grumbled.

"Other than 'ladies in charge' I dunno much about Hapes. Always wanted to go but...." She trailed off and shrugged, even if the other woman couldn't see it.

"Not somewhere I ever ended up."

She fell silent then, listening at Hira described it. There was generally enough danger and adventure in her life that Sabetha wasn't specifically a thrill seeker. Not that sort anyway. Sounded pretty though. And the way she talked about it, well. That part was special.

Or maybe Sabetha was just starved for company.

That seemed equally likely.

As she was wrapping up, the lights suddenly went out.

"Normal. Never know when they are gonna say 'bed time for bonzos.' Not like anyone sleeps particularly well in here."

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

Her grumbling was answered with laughter.

It was bright and free and hard.

In a way that this cell had not seen before in many years. It immediately elicited angry rebukes from others, shut the feth up, some are trying to sle- "Yah, yah, y'all can go fork ya self, whatcha gonna do, whine me to death?" Hira retorted in return to nobody in particular. Clearly she didn't take chit from nobody no matter what, neither did she care about nobody other than herself.

Probably.

"Ahh, Hapes is da great. Lemme tell ya. The women beautiful, the men silent, it's amazing." A soft sigh, wistful maybe, at that memory. "Tho they kinda go insane with it, eh? Dunno if I would want half a dozen men groveling 'round me and following like little dogs."

It had been a bit ridiculous to be honest. She had ended up with a manservant herself, who Hira managed to lose on the capital.

Pretty sure that poor boy was still running around trying to find her. Smirk.

"Eh, I slept in worse places, trust. Ya wanna chat a bit more or wanna try for sum shuteye, Jolt?"

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"At least here ya know no one is gonna bother you while you sleep, so yeah, I feel ya."

Sabetha knew.

Hell, as far as prisons went, in this regard at least, this one wasn't so bad. One hard slab and no blanket sure but she could sleep without keeping one eye open so that was a perk.

Man, Sabetha thought to herself, I really need to reorganize priorities when I get out of here. Perk should be better than 'won't be harassed in yer sleep' lady.

Take what you can get tho.

"Sleep," she replied. "Don't know when they'll turn the lights back ON either, dig? 'Sides, we'll both be here tomorrow. 'Less you got a hot date," she added, smirk audible.

"Ain't no one going anywhere."

****

The next few days passed as easily as time did here. Better with someone to talk to. It had been weeks (months? She honestly wasn't sure), since the cell next to her had been occupied, and Sabetha hadn't been willing to accept how much she'd missed having someone to talk with.

"Look there is NOTHING redeeming about Nar Shadaa, can't convince me otherwise. You could tell me that Hutts secret crap aurodium and I'd still be personally ready to put a torch to that fething place."

Sabetha was sitting with her back to the wall again this time, tossing her smuggled rock as a new circle she'd scratched on the far wall. Working on her aim cause why not?

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

Dates.

Ugh.

Like she didn't have anything better to do than waste her time on that sort of chit. There was money to be made, names to be taken, *revenge* to be had and none of that would be waiting around while ya dotting yourself up

Ugh.

Nothing more than a grumble in audible response though, before Hira turned and closed her eyes. No matter the physical pain she fell asleep almost immediately.

Perk of being a merc. You learned how to catch some snooze.

---

"Hey, look, I earned a black mark from da Cartels myself sooo." The shrug after it could almost be *heard* as Hira busied herself with some sit-ups. Every breath taken and expelled could be heard. The words coming in between as her back got flat or when tension was applied at the end of the crunch.

"But-" *crunch* "-if not for da filth slug infestation?" *crunch* "Ya can find anything there and hide out for as long as ya need from da John with the Law."

Slump.

Groaning a bit and then stretching.

"Gimme Terminus personally. Traffic like wooah, folk from all 'round, business booming. Just a shame the Order gonna come on down and kick the Council's teeth in any second now."

She didn't seem immensely broken up about it.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

She winged the stone at just the right angle to catch the wall and rebound, but she missed the circle and that annoyed her. She reached out, catching the stone on its return and lined up again.

"Terminus is good, yeh," she replied. Her face screwed up in confusion for a moment, thinking about what had been going on around Terminus before she'd ended up in this cell.

"Wait, Order- what Order?"

"Uh. First?"

A pause.

"Are you fething kidding me? They got that far in the last two years? Chit, that's awful. Last thing Terminus needs. They'll ruin it."

It was harder to hear Hira when she wasn't close to the small hole between their cells, but it was worth close listening. Sabetha had given up on real exercise for the sake of strength almost a year ago (hard, keeping motivation in a situation like this), but she was considering trying again.

"Ya got abs a' durasteel yet over there, Hero?"

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

"Right?"

After the last crunch she switched positions and ended up her stomach. Elbows hard against the floor, toes digging into the duracrete and holding there as a plank with a straight back. This time she didn't really need to pause to talk in between crunches, the early moments were easy... it would only start getting difficult after a few minutes of holding it together.

But it was great for the back muscles and for the abs as well, yes.

"Phrik, babe, phrik." Hira corrected her calmly as she wiggled a bit, letting her sides sway and enjoying the soft cracking around her spine. Ugh, she really needed to do more stretching these days.

"Figured out another thing I am gon' do once we out."

In a few days it had turned from me to we, but in truth that had more to do with convenience sake than anything else. It was clear that getting out alone here wasn't possible, otherwise Sabetha would have anytime in those two years. But two people? Now that could potentially work out, if they were smart about it. "Visit Sullust, track down their criminal records archive and bomb the chit outta it."

Would be difficult.

But worth it considering these fethers would otherwise keep putting up bounties on her.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"Phrik, babe, phrik. Figured out another thing I am gon' do once we out."

Sabetha managed to resist saying something wildly inappropriate about Hira's abs as a 'thing to do when she was out', but only just. It was the continued use of 'we', if she was honest. That combined with crushing loneliness. Sabetha recognized it. She also recognized that if she started flirting and the advances were unwanted, there was literally no where for the other woman to go. So while Sabetha tended to flirt like some people breathed, she kept a lid on anything too overt simply because she wasn't an arsehole.

Not that kind anyway.

The not infrequent wondering just what Hira looked like was interrupted by the actual answer to what she was gonna do.

"Uh. Okay I'll bite. Why?"

She threw the rock again, thing time hitting the mark before it bounced back.

"Just don't like 'em or somethin'?"

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

It was anyone's guess how Hira would have reacted to flirting in this setting.

Luckily enough neither of them had to find out, because Jolt kept it together in that moment.

"Oh naw, don't really give a chit about 'em one way or another." In the sense that she'd gladly wreck 'em in the same way she would enjoy wrecking most large hulking governments out there in the Galaxy. They simply... were and as long as there was profit to wreck 'em? Why not have a little fun with it at the same time. In truth Hira didn't even take the sudden turn-about personally.

Only her list was personal.

The rest was business. Bad business... for them.

"But it got mah file, so while I am gonna keep doin' me, I dun want them to keep stickin' me up for ancient history, dig?" Let Alavar die and Hira rise in truth. That way they might even not go through the same amount of trouble no'mo.

Hopefully.

"Ya don't want to take care of yours then?" Some were like that. Proud and happy to have a criminal record as long as the sunray's shine. That was their business.

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"That-"

A pause.

"Well yeah, I'd love to wipe them out. Those records have been a pain in my arse for years. But. Look. Okay but there's no way they have just one copy of that chit. Like, that's completely mental. It's just BEGGING for someone to blow the piss out of it. Wouldn't you need like, a slicer or somethin' to get all the digital copies floating around?"

Sabetha wasn't a particularly educated woman. She owned that. But just the idea that the Alliance would only have one copy of records like that felt wrong.

Just.

Why?

No seriously. With the holonet everywhere, it would be exceedingly stupid to rely on single copies of chit like that.

She figured if she was smart enough to realize that, surely the gorram karking ALLIANCE had SOMEONE on their payroll that realized that.

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Sabetha Tag"]

"Oh hun." Echoing Tag's own words a few days ago with a pronounced smirk.

Maybe it wasn't fair.

She hadn't been aware of something rather basic, whereas this was apparently less known to outsiders. "Ya ever hear of the time the Jedi Order lost a memory crystal containing every single record on the force sensitives they were going to recruit for generations to come?" That one was infamous. Even now after a few hundreds of years and the Gulag Plague some circles still retold the story.

"Point is- most of these governments and organizations are stupid enough."

She collapsed against the ground once her elbows gave out and Hira stayed flopped there for a bit. Breathing in and out, letting the sweat dry up and enjoying the cold sensation of the duracrete for now.

They had gone through every cell with a hose the other day.

Apparently they did that once a week to keep the smell down. Thank the Force for that. "Ain't completely fair to 'em honestly. The more locations ya add to ya system, the more chit you gotta secure, dig? Keep it all in one spot an' ya can focus all ya defenses on it." Her flipside remained sound though. Destroy one and you didn't have any back-ups.

But that was the way of things in this Galaxy.

Hira wasn't about to complain.

"So ya in then?"

 

[Sabetha Tag]

"Okay yeah I heard a THAT but-"

Sabetha's face was an open book of 'are you karking chitting me'- not that Hira could see that, but she could heard it clearly in her voice.

"All the more reason to NOT DO THAT AGAIN ya FEEL?"

She shook her head in disbelief.

"Cripes now I'm pissed that I got CAUGHT THREE TIMES by these stupid motherfarkers. Maw alive how stupid have we gotta be then?"

She was mostly joking, but still.

"Close up shop, time ta call it. Put the chairs up on the table and lock the door behind ya, Sabetha Tag is gonna retire. Feth this noise."

Head tapped back against the wall a couple of times, then she chuckled.

"Yeah. Sure. When we get outta here, I'll bomb da chit outta that place with ya. Never liked Sullust anyway."

[member="Hira Mitsae"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

"Saaaaaabeeeeetha, pretty name. 'minds me of the Tapanis. Am I talking to faux-nobility, eh?"

She streeeeetched those syllables out and tasted them on the tongue.

It did sorta remind her of the Tapani or maybe of the Gromani Sector, both had their fancy fance names that they carried on for years upon years. Once she had been hired to steal a certain object and kill a certain Lord. It had become complicated once Hira realized that both the father, the son and the grandfather had the exact same name and the contractor hadn't specified which one of them was the target.

Of course.

Then Hira didn't receive her payment and had become a touch ticked off.

Until she figured out that it had been the son ordering the hit, who she had killed too. Awkward. "Don't beat ya self up, Sabby, I am in 'ere too, sooo." And she definitely didn't consider herself stupid.

A chuckle, then the sound of hands clapping.

"Perfect! We will find some anti-matter an' get to town."

[member="Sabetha Tag"]