Una Seem
Character
Una had been traveling for what must have been at least a few hours. The landscape that had surrounded her former overseer's Tatooine palace was rocky and shadowed, full of dark creatures that fed on each other; now she was flying past rolling hills of smooth orange sand. It would be dream-like, if the temperature weren't so scorching.
In her memory she could only recall one time that she had seen this far out from the palace. And that was when she had first arrived on this horrible planet...
She was still reeling from what she had just witnessed. The Hutt was dead, Deetra appeared to have died, they had all died. She would never understand why those men had killed all those innocent people, but maybe she could find some answers when she got to a settlement, if she remained careful -
Suddenly, a high-pitched whining drew her attention, and she frowned. It was coming from the speeder. Unfortunately when she was escaping, one of the men had managed to pierce the engine with the red fire from his gun. It wasn't badly damaged; just a small smoking hole in the front.
The Twi'lek gritted her teeth and pushed down harder on the acceleration with a sandaled foot. She had to get to a town quickly.
Narrowing her eyes against the twin suns, she noticed a dark dot ahead of her, in stark contrast to the yellow sea of sand. As she drew nearer, the dot blossomed bigger and bigger, until she could make out that it was a person. The figure turned when they picked up the sound coming from her speeder.
It was a male Bothan. The wolf-like man was riding aboard a.....what were they called? Speeder bike? Yes, that was the word.
Shielding her eyes with a small hand, she realized he was a guard from the palace. Yes, she remembered this Bothan, with his baggy clothing and sleeked mane. He had always been quiet, never bothered her.
The Bothan waved slightly with a furry hand, his facial expression hardening. He made a gesture. Hard to make out, so he slowed down and she drew up closer to him until she was right beside him.
"Stop! You need my help," he growled, gesturing to the smoking hole in her vehicle.
Una considered - and perhaps out of habit, she did as she was told.
The speeder slowed to a halt, and the Bothan circled back around on his bike so that he could slide next to her. Una quickly hopped from the vehicle, eager to feel the sand wash over her exposed toes and inspect this strange thing the Bothan man was riding.
The Twi'lek smiled slightly as she bent and scooped up a handful of sand, feeling its smooth texture run against her hands and blow away in the wind. This was what freedom felt like - experiencing things about the world and all its nature. Now she was free to experience what the entire galaxy had to offer. Well, maybe that was the heat getting to her brain, but the relief of hope was burning freely in her heart.
"Where did you get that?" the Bothan demanded.
Una turned around, to see the Bothan standing on the other side of the speeder, a clawed finger pointing at the blaster sitting in the passenger seat.
She hesitated. "It's mine."
"You don't need it. Give it." He snarled, extending a hand.
Una considered again. A bead of sweat had begun to form under her headband, rolling in a single track down her face and cooling her exposed collarbone. She let out a slow breath.
The Bothan must have known what she was going to do, because the both of them dived for the weapon at the same moment.
The Twi'lek was closer, fortunately. Her hands closed around the blaster and then the Bothan was on top of her, nails scratching at her lekku, pulling, yanking -
"No! No no no no!" she cried.
Finding some supernatural strength - the will to survive - she hauled him off of her, and he slammed against the other side of the speeder.
Now she was scrambling backward on the seat, kicking at him while his sharp claws tried grabbing at her sandals. Once, twice her kicks connected with his face, and a sharp smack echoed against the hot air.
While she was kicking, her other hand had been fumbling to find the handle on the door. Her fingers closed around the bar, and next she found herself falling backward out of the vehicle and into the sand.
"Oof!"
The Twi'lek slammed the door shut and picked herself back up. Next she was running across the sand, slipping slightly and looking behind her.
The Bothan had regained composure and was snarling, wolf teeth exposed and ears bent, as if he were ready for the hunt. His feet hit the sand as he too jumped from the machine.
The Bothan let out a confused yelp as he fell to his feet and something pulled him under the vehicle.
Una stopped running, confused.
The Bothan growled as he was pulled farther away, this time passing under the vehicle and on the other side. His nails were digging hopelessly at the sand until he reached up and gripped the seat of the speeder bike.
Una circled around slowly to see what was going on.
She was shocked to witness a thick, long tentacle gripping the leg of the Bothan, as orange as the sand. She must have barely missed it when she fell out of the speeder!
Suddenly, more tentacles were slithering over the sand. They grabbed more of the Bothan's body - his neck, an elbow, another leg. The man moaned - he knew the game was up.
Two more tentacles oozed over the speeder bike, wrapping around its metal frame and pulling on that too.
"No no...not a Sarlacc!" the Bothan guard whined through gritted teeth.
"Oh...oh!" Una cried, falling back and scrambling to get away.
She had heard of the Sarlacc creatures. Guests would come to the palace, speaking of the terrible creatures that lived in the desert. They would snatch animals with their large tentacles, and drag them to their mouths to be digested for a thousand years. It was a fate worse than death.
It was what was in store for the Bothan.
She heard him let out one last howl of terror, and she heard the speeder bike fall and scrape against the ground, but she dared not look back. The goal was to get away from the scene, even if that meant leaving the speeder. They had been unfortunate enough to stop in the nesting ground of the creature.
Una simply ran, clutching the blaster, the agonized cry of the Bothan haunting her steps...
---------------------
The Twi'lek woman had journeyed for perhaps another two hours. There was no tracking time anymore. It was just her and the hot suns, the sharp sand that drifted through the wind, and the unforgiving heat.
She was breathing deeply now, her thoughts on the last meal she had consumed. It had been long ago and far away, she needed food now.
The landscape had at least turned more promising. Gone now were the shifting dunes of sand, that endless stretch of bright nothing.
Sand was replaced by hard, dark rock. She seemed to be walking between a ridge of mountain now, and every so often she would see a cave etched out of the stone.
The Twi'lek people were naturally cave-dwellers. She remembered her home, so long ago, with its cool interior that provided shelter from Ryloth's dangerous wilderness. Her family, who so loved each other. Those safe days she hoped to see again in her lifetime.
She eyed the blaster in her right hand. Hopefully she wouldn't have to take another life to get to freedom, but things didn't look promising for the moment....
Suddenly, the ground was trembling beneath her feet. The Twi'lek stopped. How odd this world was. She looked around, head-tails whipping slightly with the motion. There did not appear to be any disturbance. Why did the ground tremble so?
A dark shadow began to form in front of her, down the other end of the alleyway of rock. Una took a step back as the shadow grew in size and appeared darker than the hazy air around it.
The shadow took a slow step forward, into a patch of sunlight.
Rancor!
The fearsome monster was brown and scaly, with two arms and giant, razor sharp claws. It stood 5 meters, and its small beady eyes had locked on the target - the small Twi'lek tripping over the rocks behind her.
"Uh! Uh!"
Her eyes were wide with terror, her mouth open in shock.
My misfortune! How could I be so unlucky?!!
She had been so concentrated on keeping her eyes on the rancor, she wasn't looking behind her.
Her heel connected with a thick rock behind her, and she found herself falling backward, the blaster flying from her grip and bouncing against the wall of rock beside her.
Whack!
Her lekku and skull hit a rock as she landed.
The rancor was coming, but the edges of her vision were quickly giving in to darkness. The pain, the misfortune, the terror of the situation was too much to take anymore, and she couldn't fight the peaceful, forgiving numbness running up her back.
At least it will be over soon, she thought wistfully, and then her eyes closed.
-------------
In her memory she could only recall one time that she had seen this far out from the palace. And that was when she had first arrived on this horrible planet...
She was still reeling from what she had just witnessed. The Hutt was dead, Deetra appeared to have died, they had all died. She would never understand why those men had killed all those innocent people, but maybe she could find some answers when she got to a settlement, if she remained careful -
Suddenly, a high-pitched whining drew her attention, and she frowned. It was coming from the speeder. Unfortunately when she was escaping, one of the men had managed to pierce the engine with the red fire from his gun. It wasn't badly damaged; just a small smoking hole in the front.
The Twi'lek gritted her teeth and pushed down harder on the acceleration with a sandaled foot. She had to get to a town quickly.
Narrowing her eyes against the twin suns, she noticed a dark dot ahead of her, in stark contrast to the yellow sea of sand. As she drew nearer, the dot blossomed bigger and bigger, until she could make out that it was a person. The figure turned when they picked up the sound coming from her speeder.
It was a male Bothan. The wolf-like man was riding aboard a.....what were they called? Speeder bike? Yes, that was the word.
Shielding her eyes with a small hand, she realized he was a guard from the palace. Yes, she remembered this Bothan, with his baggy clothing and sleeked mane. He had always been quiet, never bothered her.
The Bothan waved slightly with a furry hand, his facial expression hardening. He made a gesture. Hard to make out, so he slowed down and she drew up closer to him until she was right beside him.
"Stop! You need my help," he growled, gesturing to the smoking hole in her vehicle.
Una considered - and perhaps out of habit, she did as she was told.
The speeder slowed to a halt, and the Bothan circled back around on his bike so that he could slide next to her. Una quickly hopped from the vehicle, eager to feel the sand wash over her exposed toes and inspect this strange thing the Bothan man was riding.
The Twi'lek smiled slightly as she bent and scooped up a handful of sand, feeling its smooth texture run against her hands and blow away in the wind. This was what freedom felt like - experiencing things about the world and all its nature. Now she was free to experience what the entire galaxy had to offer. Well, maybe that was the heat getting to her brain, but the relief of hope was burning freely in her heart.
"Where did you get that?" the Bothan demanded.
Una turned around, to see the Bothan standing on the other side of the speeder, a clawed finger pointing at the blaster sitting in the passenger seat.
She hesitated. "It's mine."
"You don't need it. Give it." He snarled, extending a hand.
Una considered again. A bead of sweat had begun to form under her headband, rolling in a single track down her face and cooling her exposed collarbone. She let out a slow breath.
The Bothan must have known what she was going to do, because the both of them dived for the weapon at the same moment.
The Twi'lek was closer, fortunately. Her hands closed around the blaster and then the Bothan was on top of her, nails scratching at her lekku, pulling, yanking -
"No! No no no no!" she cried.
Finding some supernatural strength - the will to survive - she hauled him off of her, and he slammed against the other side of the speeder.
Now she was scrambling backward on the seat, kicking at him while his sharp claws tried grabbing at her sandals. Once, twice her kicks connected with his face, and a sharp smack echoed against the hot air.
While she was kicking, her other hand had been fumbling to find the handle on the door. Her fingers closed around the bar, and next she found herself falling backward out of the vehicle and into the sand.
"Oof!"
The Twi'lek slammed the door shut and picked herself back up. Next she was running across the sand, slipping slightly and looking behind her.
The Bothan had regained composure and was snarling, wolf teeth exposed and ears bent, as if he were ready for the hunt. His feet hit the sand as he too jumped from the machine.
The Bothan let out a confused yelp as he fell to his feet and something pulled him under the vehicle.
Una stopped running, confused.
The Bothan growled as he was pulled farther away, this time passing under the vehicle and on the other side. His nails were digging hopelessly at the sand until he reached up and gripped the seat of the speeder bike.
Una circled around slowly to see what was going on.
She was shocked to witness a thick, long tentacle gripping the leg of the Bothan, as orange as the sand. She must have barely missed it when she fell out of the speeder!
Suddenly, more tentacles were slithering over the sand. They grabbed more of the Bothan's body - his neck, an elbow, another leg. The man moaned - he knew the game was up.
Two more tentacles oozed over the speeder bike, wrapping around its metal frame and pulling on that too.
"No no...not a Sarlacc!" the Bothan guard whined through gritted teeth.
"Oh...oh!" Una cried, falling back and scrambling to get away.
She had heard of the Sarlacc creatures. Guests would come to the palace, speaking of the terrible creatures that lived in the desert. They would snatch animals with their large tentacles, and drag them to their mouths to be digested for a thousand years. It was a fate worse than death.
It was what was in store for the Bothan.
She heard him let out one last howl of terror, and she heard the speeder bike fall and scrape against the ground, but she dared not look back. The goal was to get away from the scene, even if that meant leaving the speeder. They had been unfortunate enough to stop in the nesting ground of the creature.
Una simply ran, clutching the blaster, the agonized cry of the Bothan haunting her steps...
---------------------
The Twi'lek woman had journeyed for perhaps another two hours. There was no tracking time anymore. It was just her and the hot suns, the sharp sand that drifted through the wind, and the unforgiving heat.
She was breathing deeply now, her thoughts on the last meal she had consumed. It had been long ago and far away, she needed food now.
The landscape had at least turned more promising. Gone now were the shifting dunes of sand, that endless stretch of bright nothing.
Sand was replaced by hard, dark rock. She seemed to be walking between a ridge of mountain now, and every so often she would see a cave etched out of the stone.
The Twi'lek people were naturally cave-dwellers. She remembered her home, so long ago, with its cool interior that provided shelter from Ryloth's dangerous wilderness. Her family, who so loved each other. Those safe days she hoped to see again in her lifetime.
She eyed the blaster in her right hand. Hopefully she wouldn't have to take another life to get to freedom, but things didn't look promising for the moment....
Suddenly, the ground was trembling beneath her feet. The Twi'lek stopped. How odd this world was. She looked around, head-tails whipping slightly with the motion. There did not appear to be any disturbance. Why did the ground tremble so?
A dark shadow began to form in front of her, down the other end of the alleyway of rock. Una took a step back as the shadow grew in size and appeared darker than the hazy air around it.
The shadow took a slow step forward, into a patch of sunlight.
Rancor!
The fearsome monster was brown and scaly, with two arms and giant, razor sharp claws. It stood 5 meters, and its small beady eyes had locked on the target - the small Twi'lek tripping over the rocks behind her.
"Uh! Uh!"
Her eyes were wide with terror, her mouth open in shock.
My misfortune! How could I be so unlucky?!!
She had been so concentrated on keeping her eyes on the rancor, she wasn't looking behind her.
Her heel connected with a thick rock behind her, and she found herself falling backward, the blaster flying from her grip and bouncing against the wall of rock beside her.
Whack!
Her lekku and skull hit a rock as she landed.
The rancor was coming, but the edges of her vision were quickly giving in to darkness. The pain, the misfortune, the terror of the situation was too much to take anymore, and she couldn't fight the peaceful, forgiving numbness running up her back.
At least it will be over soon, she thought wistfully, and then her eyes closed.
-------------
