Private No Warning

[Diogo Talon]

ON BOARD THE AMETHIA TOPE
EN ROUTE TO NIAMOS
Connel Vanagor

There was no warning.

A laser cannon bolt pierced the drive cone of the Amethia Tope, a transport shuttle on its way to Niamos. Floating in the black with no means of escape, the pirates began boarding.

Shuttles to Niamos were frequent victims of Rishi-based pirate attacks. Wealthier passengers, especially the progeny of Inner Rim executives and Alliance bigwigs, were seen as lucrative opportunities for ransom. Naturally, the transport shuttles themselves lacked defensive capabilities, relying on private security contractors for protection. But due to an active contract dispute between the companies, security services were temporarily ceased.

But hey, that's what Diogo was for. The Anzati Padawan wasn't on the shuttle to run security, though. He was on his way to visit Niamos. It had been years since he was home; Jedi training had a way of keeping him busy. And by the Force, did he miss home—the oceans, the beaches, and, of course, his mother. Though he often saw his mother through holo calls (when they could establish a stable connection), he was longing for her presence, her smell, and the way she always messed with his long, scruffy hair.

In the end, though... he didn't protect chit.

Diogo managed to fend off several pirates, cleaving through them with his blue-bladed lightsaber, until he found himself quickly overwhelmed. A blaster shot to the thigh put him down for the count. Before he could be dragged off to Rishi with the other passengers, he flicked the distress signal trigger on his comlink. Diogo just hoped another Jedi was close enough to receive it.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Open Space | OBJECTIVE : Enroute to Shadow Temple | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Diogo Talon | TAG (FOE) : @

He was on his way back from the fiasco of an operation on Odessen, but did not dwell on what went wrong. It was simple, he was stupid and let his guard down, as simple as that. That was that and nothing more. "Brad" was monitoring the engine output as he was at full sublight trying to work on his control. It was an odd attempt of his trying to gain better control of an “out of control” ship.

That was neither here nor there as well.

Booooop

I heard it too, hang on.

Reading the printout on the screen as “Brad” took over piloting, Connel pondered what was going on. It was a standard distress call, which meant that whoever sent it did not have time to make the call themselves, it could be serious trouble.

The source of the message was a Rishi shuttle. Pirate Land, Connel thought to himself. He had a ways to go, but was in the ship for it and was in range of the call, so he had to respond.

He had to.

Alright “Brad”... we’re going to Rishi… full gas…

BUUOAP

I don’t know what it means, it just sounded right…

 

[Diogo Talon]

RISHI PIRATE OUTPOST
CHILLIN' IN A CELL
Connel Vanagor

Diogo felt the cool duracrete wall pressed to his back. The wound on his thigh where a blaster bolt burnt the flesh still felt warm to the touch. A younger woman, one of those kidnapped alongside him from Amethia Tope, wrapped a torn piece of fabric around his injury. He winced as she tightened it.

"Thanks," he said to her wearily. Diogo hadn't really expected some yuppy to help him. He'd met his fair share of spoiled rich kids on Niamos, and though they were kind to him, he figured they were more self-serving than anything, absorbed in their own affluence. And when it came to problem solving, nothing was more tangible to them than credit transfers from their parents' bank accounts. For once, he was glad to be wrong.

What Diogo was not glad about, however, was being held captive in this dank cell by these damn pirates. He counted about twenty of them, give or take. As he was being dragged inside their base, he noted their primitive defense systems, with a few sentries posted outside. There was a rusty-looking turret at the entrance, no doubt repurposed from some decommissioned starcruiser. Diogo figured it was more for intimidation than its defensive capabilities.

For now, Diogo sat biding his time while the pirates figured out who to sell him to and how to collect their bounty. He was going to have to come up with some way to get out of this—and fast—if nobody was coming to their rescue.

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Open Space | OBJECTIVE : Rishi | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Diogo Talon | TAG (FOE) : @

"Brad" was shutting down the majority of the non-essential systems as they set down about a “click” out from where Connel traced the source of the distress call, the shuttle Amethia Tope to. It was the epitome of “bullies” arrogant fools who prey on anyone that they think will not fight back. It would be a cakewalk to get in there.

That was not the problem.

Booooop

I know. I’ll find whoever the Padawan is. Stay with the ship, okay?

“Brad” wanted to go with him, but was just happy to be useful, so the droid turned on the security systems and went about its business. The astromech was referring to the actual distress call being on a “Jedi channel”, one that others normally did not know about, let alone have access to. Connel could sense it was a Padawan, judging by the level of aura. Things were about to get interesting. Connel quickly packed up his gear and raced towards the coordinates; he had some ground to cover and would slow his pace the closer he got to the outpost.

It took some time, not much, but finally the Shadow reached the outskirts to look around. He would not go in blindly if he could help it.

Reaching out through the Force to try to contact the Padawan, he called out:

~”If you can hear me, meditate and focus on the Living Force so that I know where you are. Do not alert anyone to my presence, no matter who it is. Are you alone?~

 

[Diogo Talon]

Diogo felt the Force nudge at him and he opened himself up to it.

~”If you can hear me, meditate and focus on the Living Force so that I know where you are. Do not alert anyone to my presence, no matter who it is. Are you alone?~

Diogo did his best to reach out with the Force. Extending the Force outside of himself was always an issue—it plagued him; a constant reminder of the defect in his Anzati blood. But he managed to send subtle hints in his connection with the unknown rescuer. A simple No to his question about being alone. There were other prisoners here, some in his cell and some in other cells scattered throughout the pirate base.

Diogo quietly moved to the front of his cell, surveying the area around him and trying to convey images. There was a wide open space with various command consoles, crates, and pirates lounging around. He noticed his lightsaber hanging from a pirate's belt—probably claimed as a prize by the one who shot him. That would be Diogo's first target. In the corner, there were crates tagged with explosive warnings etched into them. Diogo figured they might be refined coaxium, a stable substance in room temperature, but easily destabilized.

Connel Vanagor

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Open Space | OBJECTIVE : Rishi | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Diogo Talon | TAG (FOE) : @

Of course… not alone…

Well, that meant he had one option. Take them out guard by guard. It started with the makeshift “tower”, the two there had a view of the entire horizon. He would have to wait for nightfall to have a better chance.

~Just sit tight, friend. Nightfall will have to come before anything effective can happen, fall back on your training and keep those around you calm.~

This could be beneficial because Connel took the time to learn the routines of those guards and what they would do. How they would react to certain “tests” he posed, a noise here, a falling branch there, would show him just how “on their guard” they were. These idiots were indeed “idiots”.

When nightfall had finally come, Connel knew exactly how to approach. Slinking through the open field, slowed to a stop and held position until one of the two tower guards caught his gaze, and he initiated a fast mind trick.

Why am I stuck up here with an idiot like you?

He could not hear them conversing, but the sudden turnaround of the other told him all he needed to know. It worked. Time for another.

Don’t look at me like that. I’ll throw your sorry butt off this tower.

… and there it is… they were fighting. This distraction allowed the Shadow to move closer and look for an entry into this place.

 

[Diogo Talon]

Diogo recruited the young woman who had mended his leg to help bring whatever emotional or material comfort they could to the other captives. Turns out she'd cut her teeth working with mutual aid organizations, providing disaster relief—food and shelter, mostly—for the many refugees of the various military conflicts around the Mid Rim. Through her affable, natural demeanor, Diogo could tell she was real good at it.

As nightfall came, Diogo felt the pressures of the coming conflict. The Force alerted him to his would-be rescuers appearance, and he could sense the infiltration commencing. Diogo reached out in the Force, trying to signal his location, their closer proximity making it easier. If you can make it to me quickly, we can take 'em out together. The cell guards are distracted. But be careful, there are crates of coaxium back here.

Most of the pirates left awake were preoccupied, half-asleep watching Holodramas or fantasizing about their hostage payday. Little did they know, they were about to get a very rude awakening.

Connel Vanagor

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Open Space | OBJECTIVE : Rishi | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Diogo Talon | TAG (FOE) : @

~I am on my way. Right now, the best thing you can do for me is keep them distracted if they look like they are getting nervous. Do not alert them to my approach. Thank you for the tip about the coaxium.~

Connel spoke to this individual through the Force as he was busy hiding the unconscious guard he had just knocked out. The two that were fighting on the tower were easy enough to deal with as they were drawing plenty of attention their way. Luckily for Connel, many of these pirates were of a weak mind so they were easily susceptible to a similar mind trick. Before he knew it, there were about seven or eight of them fighting amongst themselves until one of them hit a fuel canister. The resulting explosion and shockwave took six of them out, Connel just took down the other two.

The outside ground level looked to be clear, sure, there were probably more but they were more than likely on the other side and out of sight. If they hadn’t come this way by now, they wouldn't.

~I am beginning to clear tent by tent, building by building, making my way to you.~

 

[Diogo Talon]

Distract them. Right, he could do that. Diogo was a terrible liar, so he did the only thing he could think of. He balled his hand into a fist and smashed it into his leg where the blaster shot wound was. He cried out in pain. A guard ran over. A familiar battered lightsaber hilt hung from his belt. "What the hell are yer doin' in there?" the big-eyed Aqualish said.

"I need help. My wound. I think it's infected," Diogo pleaded. He wasn't gonna star in a Holodrama anytime soon, but good enough.

A few other pirates came over to see the commotion. "Well, geet in there en help him," another pirate said. "Kid's less valuable with only one leg." Then, two or three of the pirates who had walked over to see the commotion left when they heard an explosion in the distance.

The Aqualish unlocked the cell door, his hand hovering his blaster pistol holster. When he crossed the threshold, Diogo surged the Force through his body and tackled the pirate to the ground. The Aqualish smashed into the ground, but managed to get a blaster pistol shot off. Diogo didn't have time to see where it landed and instead, after a brief struggle, knocked the pirate out with an elbow to the face. Diogo unclipped his lightsaber from the Aqualish's belt.

Diogo then felt the Force nudge him from behind, drawing his attention. He glanced back and saw the woman, Charlotte, who had been helping him earlier. When he saw her laying face down, he realized where that blaster shot went. He ran over to her crumpled body, and sensed her life Force slowly draining. She was alive, but barely.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna get you outta here," Diogo said softly. He looked up as several pirates walked up to the cell, drawn by the noise of the confrontation. They wearily approached, then hastily drew their weapons when they saw their incapacitated colleague. The green-haired Padawan stood up slowly, eyes filled with fury, and tightened his grip around the lightsaber hilt.

Then,

snap-hiss.

Connel Vanagor

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Open Space | OBJECTIVE : Rishi | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Diogo Talon | TAG (FOE) : @

Connel never fully understood why his Master, his Father was “overprotective” at times, and the times the big guy wanted him to distract or keep others calm (basically the two times he was in Diogo’s position) until now. Those pirates that were still outside were either waking up or moving to a specific direction.

They were alerted.

Then he felt the feelings that were betraying the Padawan… but there was nothing Connel could do about it now.

What about “Keep them distracted” did you not understand, kid?

~Tell me what happened, why is everyone moving on one position, no doubt yours?~

Connel then jumped to a rooftop to get a better view of what was going on. He could see several pirates waving others to their position. Something bad was going down.

Something that completely threw his infiltration out the window.

All he could do was draw attention back to him. Reaching out through the Force, Connel “grabbed” the clothes of two different pirates and threw them into each other, hard. Then he threw another over one of the buildings he had already cleared. They were starting to notice he was there.

Like he wanted.
~If you are trying to do what I think you are trying to do, you had better do it now. ~

Connel was now moving towards the shuttle, they could gather the hostages, take it and take off.

 

[Diogo Talon]

~Tell me what happened, why is everyone moving on one position, no doubt yours?~

Diogo didn't really have time to explain. Nor could he muster the Force enough to send any detailed imagery—he was too distracted by the pirates and his leg hurt like hell. Help, and a sense of urgency, was all he could manage.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Diogo said to his captors. He slowly walked forward, trying his best not to limp and show weakness, as the pirates held their blasters at him. One of the pirates, a Trandoshan with sharp teeth and a lopsided mug only a mother could love, got a little jumpy. Probably figured he could kill a Jedi, collect a bounty, and live to tell the tale. But greed had of coming back to bite ya. He fired a shot and Diogo flicked his wrist, the blue blade of his lightsaber deflected it, right back to the Trandoshan. Bullseye.

"Anyone else?" Diogo asked, as he continued to step forward. "By the way, did you idiots forget about your coaxium back here?" Diogo gestured to the crates. "Might not wanna get trigger happy and blow us all up."

Diogo wasn't sure what would happen next. He at least had the pirates second guessing themselves. Hell, a few even ran. But this was an undisciplined crew; who knew how trigger happy these shmucks were. Some had vibroblades, so the bolder among them may still be willing to fight. Though there were less pirates than when he was overwhelmed before, there was still a lot and Diogo wasn't totally confident he could take 'em all. Hopefully cooler heads would prevail. And if not, hopefully his would-be rescuer got the urgent message.

There were still a group of pirates guarding the entrance, spooked now by the explosions they heard and Diogo behind them. Not at all distracted. Good job, Diogo, as always.

Connel Vanagor

 

[Connel Vanagor]

"In my experience,
when you think you
understand the Force,
you realize just
how little you know"​

[COMM TRAFFIC]
LOCATION : Open Space | OBJECTIVE : Rishi | TAG (FRIENDLY) : Diogo Talon | TAG (FOE) : @

To Mustafar with this. No more Force tricks, no more stealth, there wads no point now. Pulling out both lightsabers, Connel was not going to just stand around anymore. There were hostages he had freed that were heading to the shuttles, but there was still this mystery Padawan and whoever was with them. He had to find this Padawan and whoever was with them before he could help the others. He charged forward, ready to take on whatever was waiting for him.

These pirates were all undisciplined and almost incapable of truly doing anything dangerous. It was almost too easy. Connel killed none of them, they were no real threat, he simply cut their weapons and gear to shreds. All the while making his way to what looked like a cave. There were several sentries posted at the entrance but for some reason had not seen him.

Are you serious?

Waving his hand, time for another trick.

~You fools are the reason why we’re going to die here!~

The reaction from the others was all he was looking for, they were fighting amongst themselves.

Connel just stood and waited for them to tire themselves out.