First Reply Prison Break

[Maeve Linahan]

Prison had never been the kind of place Maeve expected to end up in, and yet here she was, trapped in a cell.

She felt naked without her lightsaber and robes. Vulnerable. Without a weapon on her hip or a knife up her sleeve, she felt constantly open to attack, and her nerves were starting to unravel. She'd only been in prison for, what, a day? Already she wanted out.

But not yet. First, she needed a plan.

Maeve paced back and forth, thinking carefully. Guards patrolled the block every half-hour, which offered a short window of time to slip out her cell, but what then? This was Agamar’s highest security prison, crawling with an army’s worth of soldiers and led by a notoriously cruel warden. Could she really do this alone?

She hammered her mind for ideas, ignoring her sleeping cellmate. The Jedi Council had assigned her a mission, and she couldn’t just wait around in this cage until an opportunity magically fell into her lap. She needed to act, and soon. She had to find her target, and escape.

@Anyone​

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[Saahar]

In hindsight, this could have been entirely avoided.

It was a hard mission to get wrong, even for her. Saahar knew the politician she’d been tasked with assassinating had more than sizable task force. And she knew the response time of said task force was unrivaled.

She could’ve fled out a balcony window a second after her lightsaber connected with his chest. She could’ve fought harder as they slapped force suppressant cuffs around her wrist. She could’ve skewered them all on the spot and simply walked away with a guaranteed pat on the shoulder from her Sith superiors.

Instead, somewhere along the way, she found herself giving up. Accepting their threats of justice with a certain calmness she didn’t even realize she had the capacity for. Wherever they were taking her was, in all likelihood, much better than where she'd been.

–

Saahar scrunched her eyes, coiling tighter into the small concrete slabs that constituted her bed. Despite being curled up on a literal boulder, it was by far the most restful sleep she’d had in a while.

“Feth, do you ever stop?” The girl groaned, propping herself up with a single elbow as Maeve’s pacing finally stirred her awake. “I feel like I’m watching a hamster on a wheel. There’s literally no way you could be enjoying that.”

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"Strange," Maeve said curiously. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."

She stopped on her side of the cell, arms folded over her chest as she watched the dark-eyed girl propped up on her side, staring at her from the shadows. There was a mysterious, menacing air about her that Maeve couldn't quite place, but it didn't matter. She wasn't intimidated in the least.

Rather, she was more annoyed, if anything.

"I do not understand why it matters," she said. "I enjoy pacing around to think, just as you seem to enjoy captivity. Why not let bygones be bygones and you mind your own business?"

Maeve huffed. She had seen how comfortable the girl looked, sleeping on an actual slab of rock. However long the girl had been stuck in this cell, Maeve had no idea, but she had no intention of growing as content as they had in such a miserable place. The girl had clearly accepted her role as an inmate. Maeve would not. She could not.

She waved a hand, turning away. "Go back to sleep. Continue dreaming of your life here, if you must, but I have better things to do than wait and rot."

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

Saahar was fully prepared to return the sentiment of mutual annoyance, but then Maeve had to go and accuse her of being content.

She'd never felt that way a day in her life.

"I don't recall asking for a chit bunkmate either and yet here we are." The girl fully sat up this time, a fiery glaze replacing the exhaustion in her eyes, one unbefitting of a lawful inmate.

"And for your information I'm not just sitting on my arse and rotting. I plan on getting out of here the same as you." She argued. And yeah, eventually she did, but it would be a lie to say that was one of her priorities. There wasn't freedom out there for her. She'd simply be escaping one cage just to walk straight into another.

Plus the Sith didn't take kindly to failure, at least no one here cared enough about who she was and what she'd done to hammer in that fact. For all intents and purposes she was treating this as a little break from war mongering. Who said Sith couldn't take vacations?

Coming to a stand at her full height, Saahar stretched the sleep from her limbs and regarded Maeve pointedly. Saahar was tall, muscular, and even a week spent eating prison grub had yet to sap her of strength. Suffice to say she could take out a guard or two if prompted to do so.

"Well I'm wide awake now." She yawned, "What's your game plan blondie? You gonna sass the guards to death?"

She could humor her. Not like she had anything better to do. Besides a part of her knew it was well past time for her to be seeking freedom.

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve looked back over her shoulder at the girl, surprised to find her standing upright, a dark fire alight in her eyes. She was tall, almost enough to loom over her, but Maeve wasn't intimidated. She'd faced down acklay and nexu and was hardly ever the first to blink. She could do the same for a random girl.

Of course, she didn't seem so random. No, useful, perhaps…

Maeve cocked an eyebrow, watching her carefully. "If you plan to get out of here, you don't seem to be doing a good job of it." She crossed her arms. "But if you must know, I've got a general idea. Maybe we can help each other out, as long as you can think you can keep up."

Frankly, she didn't care whether the girl could or couldn't. She hadn't come to this prison to initiate a riot or help a stranger escape. There was something, someone, she'd come for, and in that, she couldn't fail.

"If you want to help, well, you could start by doing me a favor," Maeve said, and oddly enough, she settled onto the floor, laying on her back with her hands clasped. "Call the guards. For all intents and purposes, I'm dead."

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

"But if you must know, I've got a general idea. Maybe we can help each other out, as long as you can think you can keep up."

Saahar stared blankly at the woman, looking her up and down. "Yeah, I really don't think that's going to be an issue."

Despite her inclination to leave Maeve and her delusions the hell alone, Saahar couldn't help but agree with the Jedi's assessment. She wasn't doing a particularly good job escaping.

Or at anything other than being an unapologetic pain in the arse for that matter.

"Call the guards. For all intents and purposes, I'm dead."

"Oh- maybe I'll like this plan afterall." Saahar's eyes seemed to brighten, a certain unshakeable smugness tugging her lips. Regardless she followed, walking up to the barrier as soon as Maeve was in position.

With a final glance down at Maeve's "corpse" the girl raised a hand and proceeded to frantically rock the bars, sending an echoing whine of metal down the surrounding corridors.

"I need a doctor over here NOW."


Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

At the girl's sly remark, Maeve sighed. "Funny."

Fortunately, the inmate didn't spare much time. Once Maeve looked appropriately dead, she rattled at the bars, shouting for the guards. Almost instantly, boots thudded from down the cell block corridor, approaching their little cage. While her eyes were closed, her breathing slowed, Maeve could tell just by their footfalls how many there were. Four, at least.

The main guard stepped up to the bars, brandishing a stun baton. Lightning cackled in the air. "Back up, inmate. What's going on here?"

Another guard—a droid—neared the cell and hummed. "Second inmate down. I am not picking up any vitals from her, sir. It would appear she is dead."

"What?" the man snapped. He aimed the stun baton at Saahar. "Speak! What did you do? What the hells happened here?"

The prison guards crowded outside the cell. It had been a simple trick, really—Maeve had learned how to play dead many times back when she was just a little girl, slowing down her heartbeat, using the Force to enter a kind of stasis, much like carbon-freezing.

She hoped it would be enough.

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

The girl seemed to stifle a look of surprise at the medical driod’s assessment. No vitals? Damn this mystery woman was convincing. Not to mention way more interesting.

Saahar quickly tabled the thought as a face-full of electricity redirected her attention. “Hey, let's not jump to conclusions.” With hands raised in mock reassurance, the girl stepped back as if ceding ground to the guard. “She was like this when I woke up. I’m not exactly thrilled about it either.” After a quick glance down, she shrugged. “Although the peace and quiet has been pretty nice. I was getting a suspicious amount of sleep.”

Stepping further back into the cell, Saahar regarded the main guard with a raised brow.

“You think you could do your job and idontknow maybe get the dead body out from my cell?”

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

The prison guard scoffed in disgust. He kept his baton cackling, but with a wave, ordered the others to unlock the cell. In a matter of moments, three men and the hulking prison droid stepped inside. They circled where Maeve laid, but kept a particular eye on Saahar, making sure she didn't attempt an escape.

"Try anything stupid, and I'll fry you like a tray of mynocks," the main guard threatened, aiming his baton at Saahar again, forcing her back to the corner.

Not that it would matter. Maeve was already moving.

She opened her eyes, much to the complete shock of the others. The droid was the first to reel back, unable to process that she was still alive, while the other two guards let out little gasps of surprise. Maeve didn't let them speak a word after.

With all her strength—and a little sprinkling of the Force—she took the legs of each man and yanked, crashing them to the cell floor. Then, she leapt to her feet, intending to knock each out. That only left the droid and the main guard. Whether or not the other girl would get involved, though, was her choice to decide…

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

The girl reflexively shuffled away as Maeve raised from the dead, quickly dispatching two of the guards with nothing but her momentum.

Saahar would never say it aloud, but the glint in her eye betrayed the fact she was definitely impressed by Maeve's little display.

"Oh- I guess she's better. "

At this point she still had the option to plead ignorance. Hell, if she helped the warden subdue Maeve she'd probably earn an extra ration bar for her troubles.

The girl sighed and turned to the remaining guard, still clutching his baton like he stood any chance in a room full of two angry force sensitives. Her palm clenched and with it the baton shattered, slipping like water from his gloves. Without giving him any time to process that specific development the girl moved, dodging a few punches before ramming him down on her knee.

Like a rag doll he fell to the floor, clutching wildly at his face. She'd definitely broken a nose, but didn't seem all that concerned about it, simply stepping over him towards the droid.

An alarmed slew of binary followed her movement, the droid clearly signaling for back up.

"Shit-"

Realizing her mistake the girl quickly used the force to dent the droid's chassis, interrupting whatever alarm bells were in the midst of being rung.

"You done over there? Cause we need to move, like right now."

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Just as the droid's chest was crushed, a foot swung out of nowhere, knocking its head clean from its shoulders, shattering against the cell wall.

The droid collapsed, revealing Maeve standing just behind it, the two guards she'd tripped already limp and unconscious on the floor. Looking at what the girl had left behind of the main prison guard, though, she cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, it seems you didn't need my help after all."

She smoothed out the wrinkles in her outfit and stepped deftly over the droid's broken, skeletal head. Taking a quick look outside the cell, she made sure no more guards were approaching, though it wouldn't be long before the warden realized what was going on. Stories said he had eyes everywhere. Soon enough, the entire prison would come bearing down onto them.

Maeve glanced back at the girl. "There's someone else I came here for. You're welcome to find your own way out of this wretched place, or you can help me and earn a straight shot off this planet wherever you want. Your choice."

Maeve would've preferred to seek out her target alone, but the girl had proven surprisingly useful. She rippled outwards with the Force, and that alone was enough to make her a special exception in this case. For now.

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

Saahar was about to break into a dead sprint away from Maeve. She'd done her part and took no issue with going their separate ways, zero acknowledgement required.

But then she actually thought things through for a minute.

Maeve had a plan, a clear way out that Saahar lacked. She could go wherever she wanted.

The girl hesitated a moment before her shoulders slumped in agreement, whistling out a small groan of annoyance, "Fine. We'll grab your friend, but if you happen to value your life I suggest you keep your word."

Saahar honestly didn't know if it was wise to threaten the blonde. Sure, physically she loomed over the Jedi, but raw strength wasn't everything. The way Maeve danced around the two guards was a craft. It was all the experience and tact Saahar lacked.

Canting her head out towards the surrounding cells, Saahar stuck the Jedi with a gaze, "Lead the way."

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"A threat," Maeve said sourly. "Funny."

She stepped out into the cell block corridor, expecting the girl to follow. She was appreciative for the help, but if the stranger wanted to risk it out on her own, then Maeve had no qualms about it. She merely saw a useful tower of muscle and figured it'd be best if they worked through this together.

Of course, at the first sign of trouble, she wouldn't hesitate to kill the girl.

As she crept down the hall, which overlooked several more cell blocks and the prison's central tower, she made sure to avoid roving spotlights and cameras. She was a Jedi Shadow. Finding blind spots was her specialty. Trusting strangers, well, that was a different story.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly. "Unless you'd prefer I assign you one."

One of the cellmates next door spotted them leaving. Eyes wide, they leaned towards the bars, a hand outstretched, but just before they could call out, Maeve's fist snapped out and knocked the inmate right back to the floor of his cell, unconscious. She didn't need more stragglers.

"You may call me Maeve."

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

Saahar followed after trying- and failing- to replicate Maeve's measured steps. It seemed like the woman almost floated down the hall, bobbing and weaving past any danger.

The acolyte sighed, ducking under the rusted ceiling pipes that threatened to smack her forehead, "You have something in mind?" The girl responded with the same note of nonchalance as the woman- Maeve - asked for her name. A part of her wanted to answer. It wasn't like she actually had anything to lose. Still some irrational part of her clung to the false safety anonymity offered.

"Maeve's a pretty name." The girl commented after the Jedi scared another cellmate into the confines of their cell. Despite her history of pointed remarks, for once Saahar seemed to be genuine.

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

Maeve sighed as the woman declined to offer up her name, but she wasn't surprised. That was expected for a cellmate she'd met only a half-hour ago. Let her keep her secrets. It changed nothing about their end goal: escape.

"Thanks," she said gruffly. "I hope you like yours, because you're now officially Dopey." It was a name she'd picked up from some old children's story, and Maeve felt it fit the girl from what little interaction they'd shared so far. Depending on how useful she was, there was a chance she could earn a different name.

For now, Dopey would do.

"By the way, for your own knowledge, the person I am after here is no friend of mine. He is a target. An alchemist in service to the prison warden, in possession of secrets that could endanger the galaxy. I cannot leave as long as he draws breath." She could explain further, but she suspected Dopey didn't care for the details, as long as she got off-world.

"He should be on the upper prison levels, not far from where the warden stays." Maeve turned the corner and paused at an ironclad door at the end of the cell block corridor. A horrible reek wafted through. Whatever was inside that room, it wasn't pretty. "Do you know how to climb?"

Saahar​

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[Saahar]

"Dopey." Saahar repeated, her eyebrow arching in mock offense. "Glad to know you think so highly of me." Truth be told, she found it funny.

Maeve then went and disclosed her intentions. So, this woman was also an assassin? Something about that made complete and utter sense, clicking into place like parts of a machine. Saahar regraded the woman, blinked, and then canted her head in approval. "Damm, wouldn't want to be him right now."

Her final question wasn't met with a verbal response, just a deadpan expression and crossed arms. She'd managed to pull a number of more complicated maneuvers than climbing in the brief time they knew each other. Like any salty teenager who felt like they weren't being properly recognized, Saahar shrugged. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine."

Maeve Linahan

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"No, you certainly wouldn't like to be him."

Maeve had every intention of killing the alchemist. The prison warden too, if given the chance. While she heard few rumors about her target, the warden was a different story. He was a man said to have conducted experiments on those imprisoned here, a man who enjoyed drawing out the screams of tortured inmates. That couldn't stand. Not on her watch.

"What we're about to climb is a little different from what you might normally be used to," Maeve said, then pushed open the door into the stinking room.

The room was damp and smelled utterly of shit, which made sense, considering there were buckets of excrement piled in the corner, left to stew. This was the refuse room, where waste and dirty laundry were tossed down a long shaft into the incinerator. Of course, when burning waste, the smoke had to go somewhere, and if the shaft went down, it was sure to go up.

So, it didn't take a genius to understand what was coming next.

"This is it," Maeve said, pressing a button next to the large furnace. The metal hatch swung open. "They only run the incinerator in the afternoons, so we should be fine. The shaft should lead up the prison roof, and from there, we can access the warden's room and vault."

She cocked an eyebrow at Saahar. "Would you like to go first, Dopey?"

Saahar​

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