Private Signals in the Void

[Jas Katis]

Outer Rim | Aboard the 'Tython'
Time Unknown
Tags: Rayne Lo'to

---

:: This is Hellion Naval Vessel seven-zero-one. Is anyone out there, over? ::

Nothing but static answered back as the bridge crew watched the floating freighter in the void through the viewports of the Tython. Herrix, the captain of the vessel, tried once again to hail the seemingly derelict freighter.

:: Unidentified freighter, this is Hellion Naval Vessel seven-zero-one, do you copy, over? ::

Even after giving it a few moments, nothing but static met them over the comms. Herrix looked down at the scanner screens stretched across the dashboard in front of him. The freighter's distress signal continued to ping away with a gentle echo, but no signs of life could be detected across the entirety of the heavy freighter ahead of them. Beside him, Jas stood and watched with a curious gaze and hand caressing the tendrils across his chin. "No signs of life, no answers, no nothing from the look of things." He remarked with a shrug.

Herrix glanced at him for a fleeting second before his attention returned to the screens in front of him. "Nothing, sir. Absolutely nothing." He sighed, stepping back to regard the massive vessel ahead of the Star Destroyer. "Denon is still on patrol, correct? What's the status on the Coruscant?" Jas spoke up again as he glanced at his officer. "Coruscant's in the hangar. Ready to disembark, sir. Shall I have her ready for you?" Herrix turned to look at his officer with squared shoulders and a formal posture. Certainly unnecessary with how the patrol trip was going, but Herrix had his way of running his ship and he wasn't going to slip in front of his crew.

"Yeah... get me a squad of marines, too. Let's go see what's going on with that ship. Hopefully it spices up this bloody patrol." Jas slid his helmet on and turned to leave the bridge. A turbolift ride later and he emerged in the bustling hangar, where crews were moving gunships, vehicles and fighters to make room for the Tiburon-Class corvette housed within the Star Destroyer's hull. In short order Jas was aboard the bridge and his escort settled into the vessel as it lifted and elegantly slid out of the massive hangar door. Its docking tube extended and the troopers funnelled through with rifles at the ready. Jas led the pack, immediately switching on his helmet's flashlight as nothing but darkness met them through the derelict freighter's blast door.

"Keep scanners up and keep your heads on a swivel. Two guys, with me. Let's find the bridge. Rest of you, spread out and keep comms open. Anything strange pops up, you let us know." He ordered. Immediately the Pureblood commander's soldiers obeyed and a number of troopers splintered off. Jas looked around the place for any trace of survivors, but for the moment nothing but silence and darkness met them.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Outer Rim
Tags: Jas Katis

Rayne was bouncing with anticipation in the cockpit of her YV-929 armed freighter, the Sunbeam. Space had, up until this point, been fething boring. No good black-market ships to blow to hell, no civilian transports to escort or anomalies to investigate. The young spacer felt she was going stir crazy. Not anymore. A lone distress beacon, calling out into the void and drawing her into the arms of adventure, was all that the twi'lek needed to revive her sanity. Well, what was left of it. With little hesitation, she slipped into hyperspace and rocketed through the Outer Rim, until finally coming upon her target... And a Star Destroyer.

"Oh chit," Rayne hissed, practically falling out of her seat.

There was no way they hadn't seen her. What could she do? The last thing she wanted was to be blown to smithereens. She needed to state her intentions clear and fast.

<<Uh, attention Star Destroyer, or whatever. I'm investigating this ship. If you shoot me, I'll be pissed. Feth you.>>

That was good enough. With no time to wait, seeing as she had kinda just poked an unknown bear, Rayne brought the Sunbeam up to the unidentified freighter's airlock, docking with the vessel. Pretty soon, she was leaning down into the vessel, peering down it's empty halls.

"YO!" the twi'lek shouted into the ship. "SOMEONE DEAD IN THERE!?"

No response. Seeing no other path forward, Rayne slipped down into the freighter.

 

[Jas Katis]

"Sir, ship coming out of hyperspace."

"What?"

Herrix immediately looked at the scanners then the viewport just in time to see the little freighter flying in and behind the target vessel. Looking at the scanners again, it detected only one lifeform aboard it, likely the same one talking over the comms. Taken by surprise, Herri opened a line with the new arrival to try and get them out of the area.

:: Attention, unidentified vessel. This is Hellion Naval Vessel seven-zero-one. This is a restricted area until further notice, please remove yourself from the sector. ::

Nothing but static answered back once again. And with that freighter's placement, giving a more literal warning was out of the question for the moment. With a sigh, Herrix hailed Jas and his team. :: Katis, this is Herrix. A new arrival just boarded that freighter. Keep your eyes pealed, it's only one lifeform from the look of things. But stay alert. ::

:: Copy that, Katis out. ::

Shaking his head, Herrix looked around at his bridge crew for a moment. Everyone else looked just as surprised as he was. Luckily things developed normally for the next half hour or so, at least until a new hail reached the bridge of the 'Tython'. Herrix studied the message before looking at his crew. "New orders. We're heading to the Denon, they apparently need assistance. Let's roll out."

:: Katis, this is Herrix. Denon's apparently stuck with something, they need backup. We're moving to assist, Coruscant will stay with you. ::

:: I bloody hope Coruscant stays with us. Okay, Katis out. ::

The Star Destroyer elegantly turned and jumped to hyperspace, leaving the corvette with the two freighters.

---

Navigating the dark halls were proving to be more time consuming than the marine team initially expected. Apart from artificial gravity and emergency life support, the ship was completely dead in the void. Tapping into a terminal to grab a layout of the ship was also out of the question, leaving Jas and his team to figure out their way to the bridge on their own.

What caught them by surprise was a voice calling out through the sprawling hallways. "Sir, I'm picking up a life form. Probably that one that flew in."

"What's the status on the other teams?"

"Searching the other areas. We're closest."

Jas looked at the trooper then further into the hallway. With a sigh, he gestured for them to move up, gripping his weapon tighter as well as he quietly began to close in on the stranger. "Lights out, team one going dark." The three soldiers' helmet lights cut out as their visors briefly flashed bright green, activating their night vision. The three soldiers steadily moved closer through the darkness towards the unknown lifeform.

They finally moved into a hallway where a yellow twi'lek was busy doing her own thing, likely looking for loot. :: Move up. :: Jas spoke over their comms as they slowly began their approach. Once they were close enough, their flashlights came back on as they trained their weapons onto the stranger.

"Stay where you are, get down on your knees!" The Pureblood ordered as he watched her. "Don't move or we'll be forced to shoot. Stay right there." He rose from his kneeling position and carefully approached the woman. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Outer Rim
Tags: Jas Katis

"Stay where you are, get down on your knees! Don't move or we'll be forced to shoot. Stay right there. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Rayne wasted very little time raising her hands, but she wasn’t getting on her knees. That was the last thing she’d do. In fact, she’d rather die.

“Rude,” she pouted. “I asked if anyone was dead in here when I arrived AND I told your friends I was here! Besides, last I checked the Outer Rim was lawless. Am I supposed to believe you’re some half-assed attempt at law enforcement?”

The Twi’lek sighed. She had come for something exciting, but this blew. There was no way in hell she would’ve followed that distress signal if this was where it was gonna land her.

“Name’s Rayne,” she frowned, “And for the record I was being a good samaritan. Not everyone out here is a pirate.”

Rayne, of course, was a pirate. Just of the morally just kind, anyways. She was probably one of few that was out here regularly sticking it to the Hutts.

“Well I’m not getting on my knees, anyways,” Rayne shrugged, “So if that’s bothering you too much then just fething shoot me already. You’ve pretty much already ruined my day.”

That’s what she got for trying to be the good guy.

 

[Jas Katis]

Jas could only stare on with wide, perplexed eyes at the tailhead's words and the attitude that accompanied them. He glanced at his troopers, who all seemed to have the same reaction as him. What the hell were they supposed to do with her? "Hate to break it to you, but usually when there's a Star Destroyer in an area, it's usually not because of a joyride. You're lucky they didn't open fire on you." He remarked as he lowered his gun, at least for the moment.

“Name’s Rayne,”

“And for the record I was being a good samaritan. Not everyone out here is a pirate.”

Jas said nothing in response to that, neither did his troopers. All three helmets merely stared at her with enough expression to carry the point across that they weren't exactly believing her story. "Yeah, no. Krast, cuff her."

"Sure thing, sir."

One of the troopers pulled a pair of binders from his kit and attempted to restrain the "good samaritan" for the time being. "Don't cry too hard about your day, you're not the only one who's having a bad one." Jas remarked as he leaned against the wall for a moment. He studied the scanner in his hand for a few moments before looking up at Rayne. "Say... you just flew in here and started exploring. Are you familiar with the layout of this model of ship?" He asked as he turned to face the tailhead, towering over her by quite a margin.

"There might be something in it for you if you assist us."

The last thing he wanted to do was negotiate with a scavenger, but in this situation it would take far too long to track down the bridge without some kind of assistance.

Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Outer Rim
Tags: Jas Katis

Suddenly, there was a click... and her hands were behind her back?

She was bound. Her wrists were bound. Holy chit someone had just bound her wrists. Rayne's eyes dilated, goosebumps breaking out over her skin in rapid succession. Then the sweat came, her face and palms becoming clammy and pale. It wasn't long after this before her hands began to shudder in their binds, twitching ever so slightly in sporadic fashion. She could feel everything again. The cracking of electro-whips. Blades raking down her back and slicing her skin. Hot irons and shock batons struck her body in rapid succession. It all culminated in a large hand wrapping itself tightly around her throat.

The Twi'lek was petrified, frozen in place like a wild animal in headlights. Her breathing had increased significantly, nearing the point of hyperventilation. In that moment, it seemed as if the entire galaxy was crumbling down around her. She may have thought about how much she would have rather been shot, but Rayne was far too paralyzed to even think properly. After what felt like an eternity, the soldier's voice broke the silence.

"Say... you just flew in here and started exploring. Are you familiar with the layout of this model of ship?"

"There might be something in it for you if you assist us."

"F-fine," she finally stammered, her breath stilling ever so slightly. "I'll help or whatever... I don't give a chit about what's in it for me, just... let me leave afterwards."

Rayne hadn't come for anything in the first place. Now all she wanted was to leave.

 

[Jas Katis]

Jas watched as her entire demeanour shifted pretty much instantly when the binders snapped around her wrists. She froze up for a few moments, completely unresponsive to the rest of the galaxy around her. He knew exactly what was going through her mind, but what caught him was his own reaction to seeing it.

"Millie..."

For the briefest of moments he saw her, her doe-like eyes staring back at him as raw fear petrified her. Blinking, he straightened up and closed the distance before hunching over to level with her.

"F-fine,"

"I'll help or whatever... I don't give a chit about what's in it for me, just... let me leave afterwards."

"Hey... you're not in danger. If you stick with us, and promise to help us out, we'll take them off."

"Sir, what are you doing?"

The Pureblood stood up and turned to look at his soldier. "Eyes on the perimeter, Krast." He ordered with a stern voice. Looking back at Rayne, he lingered for a moment or two to make sure she understood, then reached over to release the binders. He was going to get a lot of flak from his troopers once they finished up.

"Let's move out." He fell into formation with his troopers around Rayne with weapons at the ready. "We need to get to the bridge. Which way-" A loud rumble echoed through the ship, cutting Jas off as the troopers looked around. "That's cannon impact."

Several more rumbles erupted around them as bolts impacted the hull of the freighter.

:: Katis, this is Coruscant. We're taking heavy fire out here! We... tha... reactor. The... jamming... ::

"Commander, ships just docked. Coruscant separated, we lost contact with 'em."

Jas gave his men a look and they followed his wordless order, taking formation and dimming their flashlights. Looking at Rayne, Jas drew his pistol and held it for her to take. "Please don't shoot me in the face, I rather like it the way it is." He quipped with a smirk behind his helmet. Right now, their priorities became a lot more serious.

Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Outer Rim
Tags: Jas Katis

Rayne was rather taken aback by the sudden shift in the man's tone. It was strange. Personal. Almost like he was looking through her and seeing someone else. The moment didn't linger. The vessel began to shake, an assault from a newly arrived third party, and the strange soldier uncuffed her and handed her a gun.

"Please don't shoot me in the face, I rather like it the way it is."

"I won't shoot you," Rayne frowned, her scowl returning. "But take that helmet off and I might just slap you, treating a lady like that."

The sudden attack was rather unusual. Scrappers didn't usually go after vessels if it risked being blown to bits, and any pirate worth their salt would keep their distance until the bigger fish had cleared out to check for any smuggled cargo. Whatever was on this ship must be valuable enough for a full on assault. But what? Rayne took a few paces out from the group, tapping the ground with her foot, finally setting on a soft spot. One good kick and her boot was through, revealing a smuggling compartment. No doubt one of many. The Twi'lek leaned over, prodded the inside, and immediately grimaced at the substance that now sat on the end of her finger.

"Chit," she hissed. "This isn't a civilian ship. It's a spice runner. They've got tons of it under the floorboards. If they're taking time out of their day to send a recovery crew, I'd wager it's value is in the millions."

So who owned the shipment? Black Sun? Some Consortium remnant? The Hutt Cartel? The answer was unclear at the moment, but Rayne had no doubts they'd make themselves known soon. Regardless, she knew one thing for certain: She could kill these people with no weight on her conscience.

"They'll be going to retake the bridge," the Twi'lek reasoned. "If they jump back to their home base, we're fethed. I'd reckon it's somewhere towards the center of the ship, insulated from outside attacks and hidden from intruders."

 

[Jas Katis]

"I won't shoot you,"

"But take that helmet off and I might just slap you, treating a lady like that."

A toothy grin formed behind Jas' visor as he glanced at her for a moment. "Careful what you wish for, you might all in love before that happens." He teased before pushing on. With rifles at the ready, the squad proceeded forward in the darkness through the hallways, backtracking all the way towards the center of the ship. Dim flashes of lights glimmered occasionally in the distance, along with faint echoes of voices. "Contact front, stay sharp." Jas spoke up as his grip on his rifle tightened.

:: Commander, contact on the port side of the ship. They're closing in. Permission to engage? ::

:: Contact on starboard side as well. Permission granted. :: The Pureblood spoke softly, sparing a glance at Rayne behind him as she spoke up.

"Chit,"

"This isn't a civilian ship. It's a spice runner. They've got tons of it under the floorboards. If they're taking time out of their day to send a recovery crew, I'd wager it's value is in the millions."

"What?" He leaned over to look at the hole she made, a low growl rumbling in his throat. "Kriff... alright, stay in cover." He muttered, before motioning to his soldiers with a series of hand signals. They all nodded and hit buttons on their vambraces, cutting any sound from their helmets. Only faint echoes of voices inside escaped as they moved in sync with one another toward the lights ahead.

The moment they laid eyes on the enemy, they paused to analyse the situation for a few moments. Nobody was aware of their presence, although the pirates were on high alert. Echoes of blasterfire erupted from deeper in the ship, only to be accompanied with more shots from Jas' team. The initial surprise paid off, allowing the team to cut down a number of intruders, but their numbers managed to return fire.

Ducking behind cover, Jas glanced back at Rayne. "Keep an eye out for the bridge!" He called out to her as he took aim once again. The hallway became a gauntlet of blaster bolts flying back and forth between the two crews.

Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Outer Rim
Tags: Jas Katis

"Careful what you wish for, you might all in love before that happens."

Rayne scoffed, puffing out her cheeks in irritation.

"Fat chance," she dismissed.

She wasn't going to entertain that, not while there was an active threat. It wasn't long before blaster fire came down the halls, with the strange soldier's men quick to take cover and return retaliation. Again he asked her to keep an eye out for the bridge. Simple enough, right? All they needed was access to a ship terminal. One quick run through with her scomp tool should be enough to locate the blasted thing. The Twi'lek poked her head out, scanning for such a terminal and ultimately finding it, very upsettingly, behind the wave of goons that had appeared to kill them.

"Feth," Rayne muttered, turning back to Jas. "It's behind them, the terminal I need. It should be communicating with the central computer. I can use a scomp to get a rough schematic of the ship. I... Uhg, let me see what I can do."

Rayne poked her nose out again, opening her mind to feel the equipment present on the incoming thugs. She didn't know why, but since childhood Rayne had a strange connection to tech. Some could even say an unnatural one. There wasn't much she could do with it, but subtle influences had their uses. The Twi'lek reached out to the weapon of the hostile in the center of the group, releasing the safety on the fuel cell of the blaster rifle he held. With nothing to restrain the cell of the battery, the rifle exploded, tearing up the man who held it and sending shrapnel flying into his allies.

She was quick to pull back into cover, clutching her forehead. Using her connection took a tole on her, one which made her very tired. Rayne had to restrain her use of it.

 

[Jas Katis]

As the firefight ensued, Rayne managed to spot a terminal behind the attackers ahead of them, somewhat of an inconvenience for the group. At least they had a plan to get to the bridge now. Rayne peaked out of her cover again for a moment, but what happened next had Jas pause for a moment.

The Force rippled for a brief moment before a rifle exploded in the hands of a pirate. The resulting confusion and distraction was precisely what they needed to push ahead. His two comrades were quick to take the initiative, although Jas' gaze lingered on the twi'lek for a second or two before he pushed on as well. The group made quick work of the survivors, allowing Jas to let Rayne access the terminal while they kept watch.

"You winning?" Jas' voice spoke up as he stared down a hallway. Blasterfire continued in the distance, but soon died down along with the comms chatter and pings on his HUD. The second team was overwhelmed. "You saw that, sir?" one of the troopers spoke up. Jas let out a grunt in reply to him, but didn't say much else. Not only did their chances of survival just dwindle, he felt a hint of anger towards the pirates. "Rayne, lead the way. We get to the bridge, restore power, then hail our ships. Either that or blast out of this system." He spoke as he rose to his feet, waiting for Rayne to take point.

All the while he kept his eyes on her, studying the woman by reaching out with the Force. That was no mere coincidence. She had to be sensitive.

Moving through the halls, more pirates surfaced, but only in small groups. They were likely looking for the bridge as well.

"Easy targets." He muttered as he withdrew a vibroblade from the back of a downed pirate. He looked to Rayne, waiting for her to continue on. "I'd love to know what nifty gadget you used back there. Making an enemy weapon blow up like that is rather useful." He remarked.

Rayne Lo'to