Our Lips Are Sealed

[Aren D'Shade]

The two of them had been travelling together now for several months. Most of it had been in the company od Aren's brother Ar'ekk. He had started training Rann in using the Force and then they visited Voss. A world ancient with history and power. It was here her sleeping ability was awoken, but untrained.

As they had travelled, they separated from Ar'ekk when his path lead him away from them. So now they found themselves on Mon Calamari. Another planet rich in history, but more importantly to them, it had grand shipyards.

Somewhere in this vast collection of ships, Aren and Rann had been able to sneak aboard one of the freighters. With her slicing skills, she had got them on. Now they just needed to clear it and make sure there weren't any people on board to prevent them from stealing it. Any droids Aren would be able to take care of.

In their adventures, she had pieced together something like a protocol droid that doubled as a battle droid. At the moment it could only do more or less hand to hand combat as it didn't have any weapons. Perhaps on this ship there might be some she could give her. In the time she had started putting the droid together, she had given her the name of EL-31.

Soon after they got on board, they hadn't yet met any organics and Aren had slowly been working her wonders on manipulating droids. It had started with El and now a few others that were on the freighter.

"You think we'll come across anything alive here? I hope not. It would complicate matters."

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

The eerie quiet of the ship bugged Rann. Only the metallic footsteps and voices of droids made any sound at all as they walked through the hallways and corridors of the ship. Most of the droids on the ship now referred to Aren as "captain", which was a comfort, but the hollowness of their beings concerned him. He had quickly decided early in his adventures that he did not particularly care for Artificial life.

"I feel the same. I think it'd show poorly on my thieving resume if I was discovered on my first heist."
Rann chuckled nervously, his hand tapping the hilt of his lightsaber infrequently.

Rann had, since Voss, ditched the traditional Jedi garb for a more urban look. Jedi influences were still visible in his outfit but to most people he just looked like an average human. As a result however, he couldn't help but feel naked. He had grown accustomed to the weight of the robes and feel of them gently hitting his legs as he walked, not having them now put him in a state of unease.

Of course, being in a situation where if caught he would spend several Standard Years in prison was also a little tense. But being able to control his fate with Aren just a little more gave Rann that little extra incentive to carry on and be successful.

This ship would be theirs.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Having grown up on Zakuul, the silence was rather a comfort to Aren. The constant buzz of noise of her home was an irritation to her, but since leaving she was less cranky. The droid she had pieced together from Voss followed them around and took orders from Aren, but still had her own personality. Almost more of a free droid than a servant, El was loyal to her mistress and didn't want to leave her.

The droids on the ship were of a simple variety and not those with real personality. They had a function, purpose and programing.

"I'm in just as much danger of getting caught as you are!"

It​ was spoken softly, but in a fierce manner. All joking aside, this ship appeared to be empty of anything living and Aren decided the time for skulking was done and bravely advanced forward. As she started to move, she heard an skittering noise and stopped. It wasn't the sound a sentient would make so she reached out with her ability to search for the droid.

Looking up, she let out a small squeak of surprise as the little droid let go and plopped down on the floor in front of them. Squatting down, Skeeter teetered on her shoulder, but maintaining his balance, Aren reached out a hand to lightly touch the little droid. Looking up at Rann, she gave him a smile and continued to pet the little droid.

"He's kind of cute isn't he?"

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

Rann had also been more than a little startled by the droid dropping down on them, it took all he had for him to not to ignite his saber at the scare. He had not felt the same way about the little droid as Aren had, although the same could be said for every droid they ever came across. However, Rann did not want to upset Aren. He liked to encourage Aren's passion and thus didn't like to overly advertise his dislike of droids to her.

"Y-yeah. Tonnes."
He knew he wasn't particularly convincing, but he had hoped he'd get some extra points for at least pretending.


In an effort to advance the conversation, and the mission, Rann decided to change the subject,

"How much farther to the bridge do you think? Also can your new friends fly this ship? It's slightly bigger than the last ship we were in."

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Aren couldn't help but laugh a little at Rann and his reaction. It wasn't meant to be a mean laugh or make fun of him. Standing up from the little droid, it was clear that it was now almost devoted to her as Skeeter was. That laugh faded away and her look grew a little more serious as she looked at him. Reaching out a hand to lightly touch his arm if he allowed it, she gave him a gentle squeeze.

"It's going to be okay. I promise. Let's not worry about trying to get any more of these droids right now."

Letting go of him, she would look down at the little spider droid and almost seem to communicate with it. He let out a couple whirls and beeps. Nodding, she looked back up at Rann and nodded.

"Bridge is one level up and a little to the right from here. If what he says is accurate then there are two guards at the door there and these droids are programmed to pilot this ship. There's always the chance the people flying might be incapacitated at some point, so back up plans are inplace if that ever happened."

This was certainly a larger ship, but it would be good for them and when they got rich, they could live here with plenty of room.

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

Rann looked at aren and smiled slightly at her touch. He nodded his head and dropped his gaze to the floor of the Ship. He trusted her judgement and knew that she wouldn't have a droid just to unsettle him. He knew they needed the droids to fly the ship. He certainly had no experience.

His eyes met Aren's as she told him the ship layout, location of the bridge, and position of the two guards at the door to the bridge. His felt his heart fall into his stomach. There WERE people on this ship. That wasn't good. He tried not to let his mind immediately go to "kill them" but he knew they couldn't be allowed to raise an alarm. He just conceded to cross that bridge when they came to it and try to enjoy their super sleuthing for a little while longer.

"I guess having a droid back up crew is smart. I just worry one day they won't have need for organic crew at all. Speaking of organic crew, the two guards. Mon Cala?"

He didn't think it mattered one way or another what species the guards were. he was selfishly hoping that if it did come down to it, his first kills wouldn't be Human.

He hated himself for that.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Listening to what Rann said about the need for organic's fading away, she shook her head and motioned around them.

"It hasn't happened yet, Rann. What makes you think it will?"

The little spider droid had not told her what kind of people were up there. That wasn't something it was concerned about or even in its programming.

"He's not able to provide an answer. Nothing that was ever programmed into him. Just a hard worker, fixer upper and repair bot really. Can do simple commands that aren't too out of his normal programming. Such as telling us where the bridge is. Not something he would normally do."

Rann might find it odd to assign a gender to droids, but that was part of their programming. The tone of voice or beeps was a usual indication.

"Guess we'll find out."

Taking the lead again, Aren started making her way to the lift that would take them up a level and to the bridge.

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

"Nothing in particular. It's just an irrational fear of mine."

He didn't pay much mind to Aren calling the droid a "he". It didn't bug Rann at all, in fact, it helped ease the tension between him and droids if ever so slightly. Rann breathed deeply, readying himself just in case there needed to be a fight. He was anxious, not necessarily eager, to steal the ship and jump out of the system. He entered the lift alongside Aren and continued readying himself. He hoped there would be no need for violence but nonetheless was prepared to kill or seriously injure to ensure Aren and himself remained free.

His hand tapped the bottom of his Lightsaber impatiently. He felt as if the lift moved in slowmotion, the ride felt like hours.

"Let's get this done and go see the galaxy."

He looked into Aren's eyes and smiled. It all seemed so close now.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

The little spider droid let out a few more beeps and looked up at Aren as if waiting for orders. Rann said it was an irrational fear of his and she nodded in understanding. She had own fears as well, but had done her best to ensure they never came into being. Aren made her own future with the help of Ar'ekk and now with Rann. There was no way she intended to become a simple pawn of somebody and not have a say in her life.

"We need to find a weapon of some sort of El. He says the guards are armed. But guards are supposed wear weapons. Anyway, I can send in the droids or we can try to dispose of those guards on our own."

In all at the moment they had around thirty droids to use to pilot the ship. Her mechu deru skill had been of great use in getting these droids to side with them.

"Let's go!"

She said this with a smile at Rann, her eyes bright with anticipation.

The door opened in front of them and luckily it was not in line of sight of those guards.

"What's the plan?"

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

"Whichever is the path of least resistance. Personally I'm against any actual violence but one way or another we need them off this ship."
He said, removing his saber from his belt. He hadn't had any occasion to strike it beyond just staring at it in private. Some part of him was exhilarated to use it in combat. He was also worried about the guards weaponry. If they shot to kill he wasn't too sure he could deflect the blaster bolts. He barely received any training, after all, and was no better than a random non force sensitive person who happened upon a lightsaber.

He hadn't been able to replicate his feat of lifting rocks back on Voss. He hadn't found a consistent path to tapping into his abilities yet and still longed for more control.

"Not too much farther to the bridge, right? I mean we could try to uhhhh.... do the mind trick? That's something right? We'd probably make ourselves look foolish but it's better than a scuffle.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

Listening to what Rann came up with for an answer, Aren shrugged her shoulders slightly. Neither one of them had any or much formal training with the Force. Her only manifested skill was with the droids and she excelled at that.

"Bridge is just that way."

Walking off the elevator, the various droids waited on further orders from her and the little spider droid went off to go about its duties of repair. They maintained contact though and if Aren needed him, all she had to do was call.

El came to stand on the other side of Aren that Rann was on.

"Alright, you guys need weapons. Specifically you, El."

Almost in unison the pack of droids turned away from the direction of the bridge and started walking the other direction.
​
"I think weapons are that way. Do we arm them or try to get the guards ourselves?"

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

"We should be as prepared as we can be. I wouldn't want to rush into a fight. I barely know how to use my saber as it is."

Rann decided to take the lead and walk with the droids in the direction of the armory. The anticipation was building inside him and with each step it grew and grew. He was excited. So excited, in fact, he was not bothered by the gaggle of droids surrounding him. He was just eager to take this ship and explore the galaxy.

He held himseld back from running, he was trying to be stealthy after all, and walked with a brisk pace when something occurred to him. His heart fell. He turned and, hoping she had an answer, asked,

"Security Cameras?"

He figured Aren had disabled them, but he wanted to be sure. The weapon room was in sight.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

They at least thought alike when it came to preparing and both turned to get the droids and maybe themselves some weapons.

"You know how to use that laser sword better than I do, Rann."

The guards had yet to notice anything amiss and Aren wondered at that slightly. Hopefully they assumed the movement of the droids was natural or they were being quiet enough not to draw attention to them yet. Either way, they reached the armory and they were able to acquire weapons for all the droids and she made sure her own El had a blaster in each hand.

Picking up a better blaster for herself, Aren realized she was going to need to make a holster for it. Letting out a sigh, she held it in her hand for now and motioned for the droids to take the lead.

"None of the systems are online right now. Just minimal...life support for the guards, electricty for the lifts and lights. The droids can bring the rest of the systems on so we can get this ship and be on our way."

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

"That's not saying much."
Rann smiled at Aren, he knew just as little about it as she did. He knew how to turn it on, but that's about it.

Nothing felt out of place, and Rann didn't particularly feel uneasy. He considered that a good sign, even if his senses weren't that attuned. He felt confident their mission would be a success. Just to be safe, Rann picked up a blaster for himself. Not intending to use it, of course, he'd much rather try his Lightsaber out. He readied both, heavy lightsaber in one hand, blaster in the other, and followed the Droids.

"Will that alert the dockyard? This might get a little more intense than we planned."

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

"It may not, but at least you know how to feel the Force or whatever my brother was trying to teach you. I never got that far."

Somehow Aren knew her skill with the droids was how the Force manifested for her, but not how she touched it. That natural flow was not something she understood at all. Rann had only just learned himself so hadn't attempted to teach her.
​
The droids knew what they needed to do and it wasn't outside of their programming to head to the bridge. When they all came into sight of the guards though, things changed. Doing their duty, the guards ordered the droids to halt, but under the control of Aren, they advanced.

"Depends on how it's done. By the book, no it won't alert the dockyard. Just busting out it will."

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

Rann stopped behind a corner and eyed the scene in front of him. The Guards were confused and unnerved by the advancing Droids and he could see that it wouldn't be long before they called in reinforcements. Rann knew that this would get a lot more difficult if they were allowed to call out an alert or unnatural droid behavior.

"Well we're about to have to throw the book out the window. If they notice the droids have weapons this is over. We have to do something."

Rann left the corner and advanced down the corridor. He was confident the guards would be too preoccupied with the droids to notice him or do anything about him until it was too late.

Fear started poisoning his mind, however. And he trembled with each step. He willed himself to go forward and the farther he went the more and more fear he encountered.

He was about ten feet away when the first guard noticed him

"Hey, you! Freeze!"
came the voice. unable to get a clear line of sight on Rann because of the droids.

Rann, however, charged even faster, breaking into a sprint and igniting his lightsaber He closed the distance between the three of them quickly, pushing past and knocking over a couple droids to do it. The look of absolute fear on the face of the guards became ever more apparent the closer Rann got. He lamented not having any real lightsaber combat training. He didn't know what to do but hack and slash.

Two quick screams, a stray blaster bolt, and the sound of two bodies hitting the floor amidst the metallic sounds of advancing droids filled the hallway.

Rann breathed heavily and stumbled back against the wall, turning his saber off as he fell to the floor, clutching his side.

He looked at the two bodies, sickening gashes across their bodies and he stared, dumbfounded. He had killed these two men.

He couldn't believe it. He looked at Aren with shock and sadness in his eyes as one of the passing droids approached him

"Sir, you are injured. Please seek immediate medical attention."
The robotic, distorted voice droned at him, then immediately carried on it's pre-programmed mission.

Rann, however, looked down at his side. The stray blaster bolt had grazed him. He looked to the wall above him and saw the scorch mark. A couple more inches to the left and he'd have been hit more seriously. As it stands he'd most likely live but it still hurt more than anything he could ever imagine. He yelled out as he looked at the wound, dropping his lightsaber and clutching his side with both hands. At this moment he was but a mere child, but he had killed. And he was scared.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

It took a few moments, but the guards did notice the droids advancement on them. In the mix of droids were the two of them and Skeeter. Luckily the little porg had enough brains to stay secure on her shoulder and not try to wander off.

When the guard noticed the two of them and ordered them to halt, Rann jumped into action. Leaping ahead of the protective wall of droids, he charged at the two guards. Ended up getting shot in the process or grazed by one of their shots. As the droids caught up and one of them pointed it out, Aren joined them.

Shooing the droid off, he went about boarding the bridge and getting the ship prepped for take off. Soon enough the rest of the droid part of the crew Aren had high jacked for this had everything ready. Far faster than organics could have.

In her thoughtfulness, Aren had packed some medical supplies in her bag. Taking out of the small lights she had since the main lights had yet to be turned on, she would attempt to look at the blaster wound on his side. He ended up dropping the lightsaber and clutching at the wound while yelling out.

"Rann, it's going to be okay. Calm down. Let me see if I can tend this."

The deaths of those guards did not bother as much as it could have. Aren's worry right now was Rann.
​
[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

Aren's voice did sooth Rann's worries a little, but the panic that made his voice shaky and his eyes wild did not disappear. In the back of his mind he felt he was overreacting. Yes it hurt but he'd live through it. He tried to collect his thoughts and breath, and finally spoke

"That was pretty foolish of me wasn't it?"
He managed a smile and looked into Aren's eyes. He knew she'd help him, he felt safe with her and knew there was no where else he'd rather be, graze wound and all. Rann moved his hand away from the wound so Aren could see and treat it without him blocking her.

He glanced over at the two guards and quickly looked away. He didn't want to see what he had done. He cursed his lack of training that he didn't think to go for disabling attacks, these two would still be alive.

He forced himself to think of Aren. How she was helping him and how far the two of them had come. She was all he wanted to think of at this moment.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]

 

[Aren D'Shade]

The blood that was shed really did not bother the girl that much nor did the deaths of the two men. Rann's foolish action of jumping in did disturb her a little.

"Slightly foolish. Think a little next time or wait for back up to arrive."

He may not totally trust the droids, but when they were under her command, there was nothing to worry about. She had to give him credit though, once he moved his hands and allowed her to look at the wound, he did behave well enough. A glance at the bodies beyond them and at her.

"I can have the droids clean up that if you want. Once we get away the bodies can be spaced."

Sounding all businesslike, she hoped the logic sound she gave helped bring Rann back to his senses.

[member="Rann Thress"]

 

[Rann Thress]

Rann nodded and, once Aren finished patching him up, struggled to stand back on his feet, grabbing his lightsaber as he did so. He didn't look again at the bodies, opting instead to look towards the bridge. He motioned for Aren to take the lead and hoped to follow her, albeit slowly, into the room.

His heartbeat slowed down considerably, and he was finding his center once again. He wasn't okay with the idea of having killed two people but he got the job done. It was sloppy and unnecessary but it was done and he was going to move on.

"I have no idea how to be of use. So please, anything you need me to do just say. I'll do my best and move as fast as I can, all things considered."

Rann appreciated the serious demeanor Aren had adopted, and hoped her new commanding personality would help see them through their little adventure.

[member="Aren D'Shade"]