Some Chains You Can't Break

[Ghorua the Shark]

​

Level 1313, Coruscant​

The Swan Dive Bar​

​

It was impressive that Ghorua had never seen the inside of a prison cell before.

The reason bounty hunters often got a bad rap with the populace was because they often skirted the law. Thus, many inexperienced hunters found themselves at the mercy of prison after forgetting to renew their hunting license, or accidentally destroying a building, or saying the wrong thing when speaking to one empire or another. Ghorua was lucky enough to have a comfortable childhood, a superb mentor, and a lucky streak a mile long.

That would change soon enough.

The Swan Dive Bar was about as terrible as the pun that made up it's name. The glasses were never clean, the refreshers were perpetually out of order, and the customer service was abysmal. Considerably, rarely anyone came here. Meaning it was a good place to talk business. The only reason this place was still in business was because of the odd criminal gang renting the place, or bounty hunters meeting for jobs.

Speaking of which...

Ghorua wasn't dressed in his usual armor, instead favoring casual clothes for this meeting. He wore a simple white undershirt, and an enormous jacket tied cleanly around his waist. His shoulder tattoo was easily visible, as was the massive slugthrower in his side-holster.

That was about as casual Ghorua could be.

The Shark glanced to the entrance, his foot tapping under the booth he occupied. He chastised the errant limb, stopping it, but it took only another minute for it to start up again. Someone that didn't know Ghorua might think he was bored.

Others might know better.

He was here to meet a new partner. He hadn't told her much, but he was offering quite the hefty sum. Hopefully, the Pugilist herself didn't get cold feet.

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

To Jaya, the offer was finding a winning lottery ticket on the street. Where some would look at the compensation and lack of details and decide it was more than likely too good to be true or that the employer was hiding something, she herself saw the danger and jumped on the opportunity. It would get her killed one day, but the woman had never claimed to be completely sane. The reward at the end of it wasn't particularly deterring, either. Credits and action, two things she very much liked the sound of.

Besides, it was better to die young than to die bored.

Coruscant hadn't been the most stable of places ever since the structural collapse of the Galactic Alliance, but when it came to mercenaries and bounty hunters that only meant more business. Jaya hadn't expected to be coming down to the planet so soon after the events, but now she found herself walking through the entrance of the Swan Dive Bar in one of the nastier levels it had to offer. With the big-numbered paychecks she had amassed during the time she worked with the Collective, before they suddenly disappeared, and Zoey's constant warnings to be responsible with her credits, there really was no more need for her to ever be anywhere but the more comfortable areas of a planet. Still, her heart was in places like this. Drinking, bar fights, and everything that came with those things simply weren't the same without the grimy backdrop.

Dressed in a simple black tank top and a pair of azure blue jeans, complemented by sneakers that shared their color with her top, the woman walked into the bar and casually looked around for the man who had asked her to come here. A quick tilt upwards of the head was sent his way when she found him before changing her direction to approach him. Despite what most would consider to be better judgment, Jaya never carried any kind of blaster and today was no exception. It was a principle of hers; if she was putting someone's lights out, it would be something she did up-close and personal.

"Jaya," she calmly said as she went to sit down next to her contact. "At your service."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ah, there she is.

Ghorua had done his research on the mercenary he was hiring, so he knew what to expect. A bruiser for the Collective, a group he ran a few jobs for before going dark. A master at hand-to-hand combat, a talented mechanic. Still, all of the holos couldn't do the warrior before the Shark justice.

He had studied people extensively in his time, ways to read them, ways to get into their heads. Jaya walked with the measured confidence of a seasoned veteran. She exuded an aura of power, similar to Ghorua's own, each stride carrying her forward, head first. Yes, he could tell plenty about her from the way she walked up and sat down without a care.

"Ghorua," he responded in kind, a relieved smile relaxing his mind. Waiting was always the worst part of any job. "And I sure hope so. I'm paying you a lot for this."

A good-natured chuckle told Jaya he was half-kidding. Ghorua hadn't told her everything about the mission, only that it involved them working together on Coruscant. It wasn't a lot to go on, and the fact that she trusted him this far was refreshing. Also, the 25,000cr didn't hurt.

Where to start? Ghorua took a moment to think, trying to gather his thoughts. This job was years in the making. One missed detail, one wrong step, and all that time was wasted. He didn't want to rush it, not when he was so close...

To them.

He decided to start small.

Ghorua lowered his voice slightly, a hint of sincerity poking through his bombastic exterior. "Thanks for coming," he said, ducking down. "It means a lot."

The moment of weakness faded, replaced by the pomp Ghorua was known for. "Especially down here. 1313 ain't the prettiest place. Also not known for it's cantinas." The Shark looked pointedly at a hairy varmint across the room, chewing on some garbage. Ghorua had seen it so often here, it could have been either a pet, or a pest. Ghorua couldn't be sure.

"Speaking of which, can I buy you something? Not a great selection, but..." He trailed off, waiting.

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

Jaya tilted her head and scoffed in amusement at the greeting she received as she made herself comfortable on the chair that put her next to the herglic, causing it to creak under her weight. The end result of her shuffling didn't leave her much more satisfied due to the poor state of the chair itself, but it was something that simply would have to be put up with. It was definitely worth the credits at the end of it all. "People who offer that kind of reward straight off the bat get my full attention. It's only fair, I'd say." Perhaps she wasn't exactly a law-abiding citizen but when it came to promises, keeping them went above all else on principle. A contract was exactly that, a documented promise. "And for your offer there isn't a whole lot I wouldn't do."

For only just a moment a more fragile demeanor slipped through the man's exterior, catching the woman by surprise only for as long as it lasted. It wasn't completely impossible this was something close to his heart, maybe even something that created slight desperation. In the few years Jaya ran a street gang, although anyone using that term gang instead of crew would only get one warning, the most valuable thing she learned was how to read faces. There were always people trying to climb the ladder at her expense and seeing through the façade was imperative to making sure such a thing didn't happen. Although that was in the past now, the tattoo on her shoulder would always remind her of that time. Here, however, unlike most people back then, she could quite easily tell that his words were sincere. "I think we will both be more than satisfied at the end of this." Although she wouldn't admit it, as the years had gone on she had learned helping someone who really needed it felt quite good. It was for that reason she had been quicker to take on work from individuals rather than larger organizations ever since the Collective went off the radar.

"I've seen worse places, I think." In all honesty, Jaya wasn't sure if that was true or not. She had seen the interior of too many bars and cantinas to count anymore and many of them she could barely remember, whether it was because of the short time spent there or the fact she was too far removed from sobriety to remember. Her look went along with the herglic, at which point she chuckled slightly. "It's kind of adorable, in a way. That's probably just me, though."

As far as Jaya was concerned though, it was time to get down to business. Part of it was curiosity, but the itching to get to work was also most definitely an increasingly big factor of that wish. Still, a drink while discussing what would be going down was never a bad thing. "Only if you promise the celebration drink at the end of it is on me. And yes, I will want that to be part of the contract. One, that you actually come along, and two, that it's on me." Docking a few drinks off the reward wouldn't put much of a dent into it.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua gave the smaller woman a raised eyebrow at her mention of the animal, letting the silent joke spark between them. He was pretty sure it was a rodent of some kind, and not one any sane person would keep as a pet. The bartender, however, continued to wipe down his counter, giving the thing a cursory look every now and again. Pet or varmint, the bar didn't seem to care.

It was a good thing the bar tolerated strays. If not, they might have kicked Ghorua and Jaya out already.

The Shark showed his agreement with Jaya's stipulations immediately, nodding. "Yes, us going and doing something stupid together is the plan..." He huffed through his blowhole, raising his hand, and getting the attention of the bartender. "Sir! Two of your worst drinks, please!"

The man shook his head annoyed, and disappeared behind the counter. Ghorua gave Jaya an apologetic smile. "Trust me, their best isn't much better. And I suppose us getting that drink depends on how well this job goes." He leaned in conspiratorially. "On my word, we won't come to this chit-hole again."

Ghorua steeled himself, trying to best explain what they were going to do. He thought a moment, then spoke, matter-of-factly.

"Have you ever been arrested before, Jaya?"

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

"The thing is, I don't have any intention of not having the job going anything but well. Plan for success, and success is what you will get." As much as Jaya was able to make it seem like she learned that piece of wisdom from an old Jedi master who once graciously stepped down from his pedestal to enlighten the common folk, in reality it was something a spice addict once yelled at her for no reason whatsoever when she was walking down the street in Tamanen one day. Not that it made much of a difference to her.

At Ghorua's exclaimed wish that followed to never see the inside of the cantina again, the woman couldn't help but crack a smile accompanied with a chuckle. "Point conceded. It's hard to blame you for having such a sentiment." From that point on, though, Jaya left behind the loose attitude at the change of the herglic's demeanor, sitting back and ready to get down to business. In the end, she was here to do more than just hang out and share terrible drinks. There was work to be done and this was the equivalent of receiving the job description.

"Once, actually. It was quite some time ago now, back when I ran a street crew. The one who arrested me was beyond corrupt, so it wasn't hard to figure out it was a competitor who set it all up. But yes, I have been arrested." There were a few avenues the explanation could go, but no matter what it was there was a good chance it would involve a prison of some kind. It piqued her interest, but kept herself tempered in order to let Ghorua contrinue.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Plan for success, and success is what you will get.

Oh, if only that were true.

As Jaya answered his question, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander to the tattoo on her shoulder. He had a similar one, a beautiful luminescent white star. Funnily enough, it was a symbol of the Black Sun, where Ghorua had directed an entire branch of the Bounty Hunter's Guild for a time. It was a dark point in his life, one he wished he could forget sometimes. Still, the shock value of the tattoo was often enough for would-be aggressors to think twice, if his girth didn't scare them off first.

"I suppose that counts," Ghorua admitted, nodding his head. "I haven't, personally. Stayed off the streets as a kid. Didn't get involved in any gangs, at least for a while." His finger brushed his own tattoo, tracing the star. "Always been cautious, you know?"

"That changes with this job. We're going to get ourselves arrested."

Ghorua reached down to his belt, and pulled out a large datapad. He fiddled with it for a second, then placed it in the middle of the table as it projected a hologram. A large, well-known prison.

"What you see here is the Coruscant Judiciary Central Detention Center. Big fancy name for a max-security prison, meant to cage up the GA's worst." Ghorua frowned, suddenly wondering how much information he should give. "Crime lords, assassins, and killers. I've got files on guard changes, prisoner dossiers, blueprints, just about everything you could ever need to know about the place."

Ghorua tapped a single button, and the hologram shifted. A human face, with a grizzled chin, hollow eyes, and a small scar across where eyebrows should be. "This is famous underworld kingpin Joppa Scarbrow. Named for obvious reasons." The Shark grinned, the eagerness in his eyes barely contained. "I need to have a chat with him."

"So, I've arranged to have us 'arrested', without having our names in the record books." Ghorua scooped up the datapad, replacing it on his belt. "You're a talented mechanic. I've seen plenty of files praising your work, but I'm most impressed with your gauntlets. Good stuff." Ghorua grinned sharply, and continued. "I can have parts smuggled in for you to build something similar. Once I get my chat with Scarbrow, you can punch us out."

"The whole operation shouldn't take more than a week. So," Ghorua smiled again, "is this to your liking so far?"

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

"And now that said GA is crumbling under its own weight, the timing for getting in there couldn't be much better." Things had gotten quite chaotic all across Alliance space, but the worst had passed already it seemed. As expected, the upper levels had been hit the hardest and the fires still hadn't been fully put out yet, but that was an effort that was going to take a while. Nations came and went, and the worlds previously under GA jurisdiction would sort themselves out over time like they always did, but the time required to do so made this operation a bit less difficult. It was still going to be far from a cakewalk, but to Jaya that really was just part of the fun.

As she carefully looked at the face shown in the hologarm, she couldn't help but be impressed. "You did your homework," she remarked with a nod. With the wealth of information that was collected, it was possible to lay out a solid plan. "If a chat with Joppa is what you need, then that's what we're going to get done." Although Jaya wasn't sure on what her role was going to be in it all beyond the eventual escape, that didn't bother her much. Even if that was all she would do, it was more than alright with her. "Besides, I've always wanted to break out of a prison. I'll finally be able to cross that off my bucket list." Said list was quite sizeable, but that didn't make the individual activities any less of an experience.

"And, uh, thank you," sounding flattered by the compliment on her skillset, "the gauntlets are the definition of a pet project. They are the only pair of its kind in existence, but I suppose a spare set wouldn't be too bad to have. I'll have to spent most of that week working on them, but they'll be done by the time we need to get out of there." With that, Jaya extended her arm to offer a handshake to seal the deal. "It's definitely to my liking. Consider my part of the job done."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Exactly," Ghorua agreed, letting himself wallow in his own cleverness. The Alliance was worried about anything but their prisons right now. It wouldn't be long before everything when to chit. He needed to get to Scarbrow before that happened.

Ghorua nodded at Jaya as she commented on his preparedness, offering a small grin. He always did his homework. It was how he had stayed alive this long.

She offered her hand to shake, and Ghorua raised a single eyebrow. Not many initiated a handshake with the largest Bounty Hunter in the galaxy. The Herglic took the hand, and shook it lightly, well aware of his own strength. "I'm sure it is," Ghorua said, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The bartender cleared his throat behind them, and left a couple of sludge-filled cups on their table. Ghorua took in a big whiff, enjoying the mild scent of alcohol and other nasty things in the drink.

"Hope you enjoy that," the hunter offered, sharing a hidden joke with himself. "It may be the last drink you have until our victorious return. We go tonight."

- - -​

​

After the Swan Dive Bar, Ghorua drove Jaya to an empty warehouse, save for a couple of large, inconspicuous crates. Using his massive strength, Ghorua pulled the tops off, revealing a pair of orange jumpsuits, one obviously to fit a massive Herglic, the other, less-obviously with small tools hidden in the seams.

"Welcome to your new wardrobe," the Shark joked.

For the sake of modesty, Ghorua stepped behind one of the crates, so only his top half could be seen. He turned his back to Jaya, and changed out of his clothes, stepping into the jumpsuit quickly. He had blaster scouring and welts all along his muscled body, and a few long burns that could only be lightsaber scars. He was an experienced hunter, that had seen more than his fair share of combat, and his body was a testament to that.

"Prison speeder should be coming to pick us up in a few minutes." Ghorua shrugged on the top of the jumpsuit, testing his range of motion in the clothes. "Afterward, it'll pick up the other passengers. Then, we're off to the races."

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

The sight of empty warehouses always reminded Jaya of days long gone, of the time she and Zoey created the Eye of the Street to begin doing things their way. The group had lasted for six years before the two said their last goodbyes to their homeplanet of Bavva, and First Order territory altogether when other opportunities pulled them into the wilder parts of the galaxy. Still, the woman always looked back fondly on the time where things had only just gotten started and the abandoned warehouse that served as their first 'base of operations', as far as it was able to be called that. Those years had taught her many a valuable lesson.

Once the duo had made their way inside, however, nostalgia was put to the side to make way for what lied ahead. First on the agenda was making sure they looked the part and to do so they would have to get changed, although first Jaya carefully inspected the jumpsuit that was hers. Simply by feeling at the seams she could tell what tools had been fitted in and it did not take long for her to come to the conclusion that the small collection would be more than enough to get her part of the job done. It would require some improvising at a few points, but that was nothing to be concerned about. If anything, it was a fun challenge.

"The eye-burning orange has got to be part of the punishment they place on the prisoners. I'm not really one for high fashion, but I feel bad for the guards who have to stare at it all day." The statement was most definitely tongue-in-cheek, despite the underlying truth. "It's another reason to stay out of prison, I suppose."

Jaya moved over to a different crate and like Ghorua, stepped behind it before beginning to change. Being a good bit shorter than her counterpart it was easy for her to remove herself from his sight completely, only stepping back into sight once she was finished. "And it'll be hard times for us," she added with a healthy dose of humor. "I won't lie, breaking out of prison's going to be fun, as crazy as that sounds."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"You might be on to something," Ghorua said, amused. Orange was easily his least favorite color. The idea of being surrounded by it day-in and day-out was not a pleasant one. He didn't know if he could last the whole week staring at the garish palette, let alone years.

Ghorua stepped out from behind his crate, adjusting his sleeves. The cloth was chafe-y, and was a little tight around the chest for his liking, but it would do. He packed his discarded things into the crate, and closed the lid, locking his belongings within. He would have to remember to come back and get them when this was all over.

"I'm glad," he responded, letting loose an easy smile. "It sounds interesting. I've broken into a maximum security prison before. Never out of one, though." He rolled his shoulders, trying his best to get used to the fabric.

"Last chance to back out." Ghorua offered a knowing look, already guessing Jaya's decision. But it was only fair to offer again.

Whatever her answer, he heard the sound of the empty prison speeder bus pull up outside the warehouse, the driver revving the engine two times fast, then one time slow. The signal.

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

Following Ghorua's example, Jaya collected her belongings that would not come with her on their 'excursion' and without bothering to put them away neatly she casually tossed them into the crate before closing it up. Seeing how it had been a very long time since anyone had been inside the warehouse, there was little reason to worry that they wouldn't be there once they got back. "This is actually the first time a job brings me to a prison. It's surprising it's only happening now, but as long as I don't get stuck there I have no problems with it," she said while patting the top of the crate to make sure it was properly closed. Variety always made life much more interesting, so different things were always more than welcome.

The herglic's knowing look was met by a furrowed brow from Jaya. "What does 'back out' mean?" A grin couldn't be contained, as hard as she tried to hide it. "Aww, I was going to try to convince you I literally didn't know what it meant, but apparently I suck. 'Do you mean, like, not coming along with you? Why would I do that?' She put up a silly voice to her failed joke in order to salvage some of the comedic value, if there was any of it to begin with.

The signal that their transport had arrived sounded through the warehouse, at which point the woman cracked her knuckles and moved towards the large door that separated them from the outside world. "Looks like our taxi's here."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Jaya only got an upturned eyebrow from Ghorua for her comedic troubles. Some jokes work, some don't. Years of making badly-timed battlefield jokes have taught him at least that.

"I appreciate the effort," Ghorua said, rubbing the back of his head, moving toward the sound. "Maybe the inmates will want a show."

Ghorua couldn't quite stifle that chuckle.

The prison bus outside was about as unassuming as Ghorua could have hoped for. It was slate-grey, with bars over the windows, and a grumpy-looking Trandoshan in a uniform nodded to the pair of 'criminals'.

"Thank you very much, Jussk." Ghorua nudged the Trandoshan's shoulder as he passed, walking through the heavy security doors to reach the inmate section past the driver seat. He gestured for Jaya to sit next to him, his mirth dying a little.

"Stay close," Ghorua muttered under his breath, as the prison speeder took off, headed for the penitentiary. "Once actual prisoners start getting on, I can't imagine they'll be all that friendly."

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

"Lookin' good. Almost wanted to punch you out of annoyance, means you play the part pefectly." As Jaya followed Ghorua into the speeder, she flashed the trandoshan driver a wink for the moment their gazes met. Despite the violent exterior it really wasn't very difficult for her to find herself with company, be it drinking partners or things higher up that ladder. If they were the brawling type, however, it was even easier for her to what she classified as socialize. Exchanging a few blows before sitting down for a drink was her definition of making a good friend. Sometimes those friends were 10 feet tall hulking masses of people, who would in a fist fight would knock her out no matter how good she was, but pain the morning after generally meant it had been an enjoyable night. The trait often translated to her being much more approachable than one would first assume.

The woman took her seat and outstretched her arms on the backrest, trying to get as comfortable as possible on the not-so-comfortable seat. It reminded her why she had shelled out a ridiculous amount of credits for a lounge chair back at home; Times where she sat comfortable were rare. Still, she was just as unbothered as she had been before. "I have one request. If they do decide to be a bother, don't interfere. I actually kind of want them to try me." Many times before had a testosterone-filled man been a nuisance, be it condescending her or trying to hit on her, thinking they were much more than they actually are. Every single time they left with less teeth than before and if they were really unlucky a few broken bones. It all depended on how far they would go. "I love crushing fragile egos."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Lots of egos for you to bruise in the slammer, I imagine. As long as you leave mine intact." The Shark didn't smile, but his his jovial eyes betrayed him. "It's my greatest weapon, after all."

Ghorua was slightly worried by the statement, but was reminded of an old adage his father taught him. If you go to jail, find the biggest guy, and punch his lights out. But that had been in the context of one of his old gang stories, not really pertaining to the situation. More importantly, he'd heard that if you talk the talk in jail, you'd better walk the walk as well.

Ghorua and Jaya wouldn't have a problem with that.

A few minutes of silence passed before the bus had it's first stop. A cadre of ten or so men and women of all creeds and species, orange jumpsuits similar to the one's Ghorua and Jaya wore, trudged on, followed by two prison guards. They dispersed around the bus, and it went on it's merry way.

The prison speeder had three more stops, each one collecting more and more inmates. Eventually, they had to begin sitting closer together, as prisoners filled in the gaps between those seated. Ghorua's bicep was jostled by a Theelin woman, horns protruding from her temples menacingly. Despite that, she appeared to be looking straight ahead, trying to avoid the eyes of others.

Jaya's shoulder was bumped by a large man, possibly an Epicanthix, as he had to squish between her and a rather plump Chevin. Quite opposite of the Theelin, this man's eyes darted around wildly, as if he were asking for a fight.

They hadn't even gotten to the prison yet, and Ghorua felt mildly uncomfortable.

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

With it being the last opportunity to do so until the job had been done, Jaya let out a hearty chuckle. In the setting they would find themselves in for the coming week a more stoic demeanor was going to be required so in order to get it out of her system before others joined the speeder she didn't hold it back. "I like you. If it means anything, I'm glad to be working with you." Honesty, according to Jaya, was the greatest virtue. Ghorua seemed genuine and she respected that greatly. His humor was also a plus.

When the first batch of prisoners were brought in, the woman's carefree attitude changed somewhat. The jovial edge disappeared but worry and fear were still nowhere to be seen; she was getting ready for anything going south. It was no secret she aired her issues with others to them without a filter. In addition to this, it was common knowledge that the types who end up in a prison like the one they were headed to this very moment tended to be less accepting of criticism. It came back to their ego, there simply were too many alpha types holed up in a single place.

More stops were made and eventually Jaya had no choice but to return her arms from the backrest to her lap in order to accomodate for the increasing number of passengers. It was followed by her new neighbour sitting down who bumped the woman's shoulder as he tried to fit inbetween her and the chevin. With a raised eyebrow she watched as he made his show of intended aggression, something the epicanthix would note.

"What're you looking at me for, huh?" His intonation matched the man's non-verbal communication, making it clear he was about to burst. "Got a problem, missy?"

Calling Jaya 'missy' would be the thing he regretted most from the entirety of the short exchange they were going to have. "I suppose some would say I have multiple. Last I checked my name was not Missy, though, so I would suggest using Jaya next time." The way she spoke made it abundantly clear his intimidation tactics were ineffective, which seemed to only add to his unfriendly mood. The taller man angled his head downwards to close some of the distance between his face and hers and looked Jaya straight in the eye, his seething anger on display as he did.

"I can and will call you whatever I want. Now be a good little girl and know your place." A wicked smile crept onto his face, but before he could realize his reaction did nothing but amuse his target of intimidation Jaya used the angle at which he held his head to apply a chokehold out of seemingly nowhere. He was left completely at her mercy and by doing it as quickly and as silently as she did it alerted none of the guards.

"You are being quite rude. All I ask is that you call me Jaya and that you realize you aren't nearly as big of a deal as you think you are. It's really not that hard." The epicanthix began to fade out of conciousness but before that happened she let go, then patted him on the head with an innocent smile. "Better now?"

The man was too embarrassed to even look in her direction.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

It did mean something.

Ghorua was silent as more and more people got on the bus. He was obviously the largest, and therefore had to squeeze the most. He was given a few dirty looks, a few sideways glances, but nothing he wasn't used to. Nobody would try anything before they got to the safety of the penitentiary, right?

It appeared the Epicanthix hadn't gotten the memo.

Ghorua listened on in mute horror as Jaya systematically overpowered and embarrassed this man. She'd told him what to expect, but he hadn't expected it so soon, nor so efficiently. The Shark glanced up at the driver, Jussk, who was conveniently looking away. Ghorua had picked the right man to bribe, it seemed.

One thing was for sure. Jaya may have just made an enemy.

The rest of the bus ride was relatively quiet after that. A couple of heavy-set individuals talked quietly at the back of the speeder, but the quick show of force by Jaya had pacified most of them. The only interruptions were the jostling of the bus as it sped through war-torn Coruscant, and the chorus of grunts that accompanied it.

Finally, the speeder descended, and touched down with a heavy thump. The prisoners began to stand in the crowded bus, all silent and solemn. Ghorua stood with some difficulty, hand massaging his left shoulder. It was acting up again.

They stepped out of the speeder, and were greeted by the harsh glare of a floodlight. The path to the main gate was lit up like a Life Day tree, and filled with armed guards. Ghorua blinked, stepped forward, and placed a massive hand over his eyes to shield himself. The entourage began to wind their way into the prison.

- - -​

​

Ghorua would accept no less but the best experience from prison.

The prisoners had been shepherded from the courtyard to the main building, passing the cafeteria, the exercise room, and finally arriving at the cells. The pair, accompanied by the other new arrivals, were ferried up to their cells. Ghorua and Jaya were on the bottom floor, in neighboring single-person rooms, separated by a foot of durasteel. Instead of a door, a yellow plasma wall tinted the world beyond their cells.

The rooms were relatively sparse. Ghorua's only had a bed and a desk, sized for a Wookiee or Trandoshan, but not a giant like the Shark. Jaya's had a bench as well, but upon closer inspection, was chock full of hidden wires and parts. Ghorua wasn't sure everything was there, but they would figure it out.

The Bounty Hunter sat cross-legged, next to the wall of force, leaning back haggardly. He rubbed his shoulder, his eyes glittery and cold, staring out past the energy field.

So, this is what they saw. For two years.

He cleared his throat, hoping he was close enough to Jaya's room for her to hear.

"You there?"

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

If any more motivation was needed to break out of prison after Ghorua's business had been finished, the cell that would be Jaya's place to stay provided more than enough. From the blatantly dull grey walls to the eternally infuriating buzzing of the field that prevented her from leaving, it was going to be quite the challenge to survive the entire week. The view was also far from amazing, which did quite the number on her creative side. Still, it was going to be worth it in the end, the prospect of a prison break dragging her through it for now and at the very least she had the building of a set of a gauntlets to keep herself occupied with.

Speaking of that, not long after being placed within her cell Jaya had checked out her desk, taking inventory of the materials that had been provided to her. It seemed like it was going to be enough to make it work, albeit with some working around less-available parts. The result would be far from perfect, but time wasn't going to allow for that in the first place. Using pieces of paper and a pencil she was drawing up the design she would be going with, figuring out how the gauntlets would be built before properly getting started. With time and access to more materials she would've never done such a thing, but now she didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to actually finish them up within the span of a week.

The silence in her cell was broken with the sound of Ghorua clearing his troat, causing Jaya to turn her head towards the energy field. "I didn't escape without you already, don't worry," she replied as she got up from her chair. After making her way over to the corner of the cell where the field and the wall met, she sat down against the cold metal. "So, what's the first course of action?"

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The humor was gone from Ghorua's voice, sapped away by his thoughts. He was so close to answers. And at the same time, very close to a longer prison sentence than expected, if the plan went awry. He felt a little melancholy, staring through the semi-translucent force wall, so close, yet so far.

The joke by Jaya didn't illicit a chuckle, unlike her other jabs. Ghorua answered, measured and serious. "For now, rest. The first night here, we'll be under tighter guard. After tonight, things should go back to normal." Ghorua hunched forward, elbows on his knees. "We've got two meals a day, one hour for each. Then, three hours of free time. Exercise room, courtyard, chit like that. The rest of the time, we're here."

Ghorua felt restless. "In that time, we need to make your gloves, and figure out a way to get to Scarbrow."

He didn't want to wait another second, much less a night in a bed too small for him. He sighed, looking around for something to do, finding absolutely nothing.

- [member="Jaya Tandris"] -

 

[Jaya Tandris]

Although nobody could see it, Jaya nodded throughtfully while she listened. Due to how active the guards were she had made sure to do nothing out of the ordinary, but kept her schematics from the line of sight of the camera that watched her. To anyone on the other side it looked like it was nothing more than drawing to pass the time. The free time for the most part, however, was going to be spent on keeping up with her workout routine. Some had their genetics in their favor but Jaya wasn't one of them, so that distance had to be closed another way. It didn't bother her; in fact, she was quite proud of how far she was able to push herself.

"I don't know how prison gangs differ from the street," the woman replied, "But from my experience, the best way to get the attention of someone like him is to make noise and to make sure they know you're the one making it. Nothing that hinders them, though. You don't want to make them an enemy." Perhaps here Jaya's past could come in handy. She knew how to get what you want from someone with more influence, it's how the Eye had been able to get off the ground at all. "They gotta see you have something they want, be it muscle, goods, whatever. It isn't very hard either, they tend to have eyes and ears everywhere." It was much easier to get someone to approach you than the other way around.

Planting her hands onto the floor, Jaya then got to her feet again. "In any case, I'm gonna go sleep on my gauntlet design. I'll catch you in the morning," she said as she began to move away, "we'll find a way to get Scarbrow's attention then. Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll find an opportunity sooner or later."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]