Private The Fun-vee

[Azula Tindara]

"Good, cos this might get a little..."

She closed her lips and gave a little shake of her head. The conversation outside had stopped. Azula took a slow step towards their door.

She stretched out with the Force, letting it get a grasp of the room around them. She could feel the walls and the floor. The outline of the door.

Knock knock...

Crash

The entire door was thrown outwards. It broke free of the hinges and carried the man into the far wall.

Azula rushed forwards. One sweep and she dropped a knee onto his neck. Dazed and confused, he barely struggled for the seconds it took for the lack of blood to steal him from consciousness.

"Let's go. Up the stairs."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

There would be more - more gangsters that was. It looked like they had split up and were going room to room. That meant they'd have to be quick but all that was against them. At least there would be an element of surprise for themselves, which meant mean a very small advantage. So they ran out into the hallway, the stairs just head on the left.

He couldn't take the stairs two at time - he was far too injured for that. No, they hurried up. However, they had caught the attention of the fellow gang members who were down the hallway. Judah could hear them right behind him, right behind Azula. He would have preferred to be second and let her go first, but he did promise to trust her.

Besides, they were close to the rooftop. A dead end, in his opinion...unless... Unless he could reach his comm. Wait, they had taken his comm. Otherwise he could have recalled the Sirena and got them out of here. Or attempted to get them out here.

Azula Tindara

 

[Azula Tindara]

She got to the top of the stairs ahead of Judah.

"Keep running straight!" she told him. Azula took a step to the left, pressing her back to the wall. After what they had been through, it was still a stretch of trust. She didn't exactly spell out that she was using him as a distraction.

She would beg for forgiveness rather than permission and find a way to make it up to him.

Azula waited until the first of the gang members reached the top of the stairs. They went for their blaster and flicked it to stun.

Azula stepped back into the doorway, elbow first. She broke his nose. One kick to the centre of his chest and he was sent tumbling into his ally and back down the stairs.

This wasn't a movie. Bones had been shattered and they wouldn't get up quickly. Azula closed the door and did what she could to break the lock.

She rushed to Judah who had found that they were truly isolated on the roof of the building. As long as she kept her focus she thought she could use the Force to send him over to the balcony on the other side of the street.

She grimaced.

"You know the trust thing? You're... Not going to like the next part..."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah found himself being tested for the...third? Time in less than twenty-four hours. First the intrusion, then the distraction, and now an unknown. He looked back to the door that led up to the rooftop, debating if the gangsters were a better option. He knew, obviously, they weren't but when one was physically as well as mentally exhausted, crazy thoughts started to run through. Being captured was one of those crazy thoughts.

"I don't want to....but....go ahead."

The unknown meant being levitated across the way to another balcony, giving him pleasant thoughts of Azula Tindara losing her concentration and dropping him onto the duracrete below. Yet it didn't happen, he had a wobbly touchdown on the balcony, unsure if Azula was going to follow or not. She seemed to be taking charge and he wanted to start down the fire escape stairs of the balcony. It was going to take him a minute, hands behind his back still and all.

Eyes scanned around - if they could get to a public HoloNet terminal he could recall the ship to their location.

 

[Azula Tindara]

For a moment, she feared that her concentration would falter. With both hands stretched forward in chains, everything was a distraction. Her fear, the weight of iron, the pounding on the door behind them and the pain behind her eyes.

I had to do this. You must understand girl.

A brief memory of the last thing the original Azula had said to her and she let it all go. She couldn't lose Judah. That fact brushed all other feelings aside.

As soon as he was down she took a run and jumped across the street. The Force gathered around her. She landed heavily, using both hands to stop herself from slamming into the wall of the building.

"What are you looking for?" she asked. She looked back to the far roof as the two who had been following emerged. One pulled out a commlink.

"Are you going to judge me if I say I can hot wire a speeder? We need to get out of this district."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

If his hands had been free he would have tried to assist Azula Tindara in slowing down and coming to a stop before she hit the wall. She seemed to manage fine all the same but it would have been a gentlemanly gesture to do so. The two who followed them emerged and they slinked back into an alley, trying to stay in the shadows.

"Public HoloNet terminal. I can recall the ship - it has a slave circuit. Might not be any in this district...just keep your eyes peeled."

Not everywhere had them. Judah was aware of concerns such as vandalism and slicing and other nefarious activity. Maybe this hotwiring idea would get them somewhere better with terminals. It was probably the only way they were going to be able to get out of Mek-Sha. Plus, tools on board would get them out of their bindings.

"I would be more concerned if you couldn't hotwire a speeder."

Judah ushered them down the alley, knowing they needed to keep moving. They also needed a speeder that was hard-topped so they wouldn't be spotted so easily. He nudged her forward, towards another alley where some speeders were.

"You pick. Some models may be easier to steal..."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"I would be more concerned if you couldn't hotwire a speeder."

"Can't say what to feel about that," she replied. Azula flashed a smile, trying to find some touch of humour to keep them going.

She followed into an alley. They would have scant minutes before being discovered again. Now they had been spotted they would be convening on the area. If she wasn't so focused on keeping moving through the concussion, she might have been able to sense their sense of purpose closing in.

"You pick. Some models may be easier to steal..."

"Maybe not that much of an expert..." she muttered as she selected a car. She glanced at the entrance to the alley before pressing her hand to the handle. She closed her eyes and turned her focus to the internal mechanism.

There was a dull thump as it unlocked.

She saw movement.

"Quick, get in," she hissed. She opened the door and slunk in, opening his side and then closing the door as quietly as possible. She had thought they might have had to hide in a speeder under much more fun circumstances. In the darkness, she ducked down into the footwell and went still.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Again, Judah wasn't sure how the Force worked. Azula Tindara could use it to unlock the speeder, but not remove their bindings. Maybe she just wanted him to suffer. Maybe it was just much more complicated than a speeder lock. As much as he wanted to know, asking Azula or Balun Dashiell how these things worked wasn't high on his priority list.

Quickly getting into the speeder, Judah sunk his body sideways down in between the seats. He was doing his best to look like a shadow or just crumbled up piece of, clothing? Debris? Anything non sentient.

Azula was somewhere in the speeder, but he wasn't quite sure since his face was just staring at interior paneling. He did his best to not even breathe, seeing shadows outside the speeder. Difficult to say if it was people walking by or if it was the two searching for them. Judah couldn't imagine they would go speeder-to-speeder. Probably thought they had continued on running.

"Azula." Judah barely whispered. "Can you tell if they're gone?"

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Azula." Judah barely whispered. "Can you tell if they're gone?"

"I think so, wait a moment," she whispered.

It was like having her hearing blocked, but for her senses through the Force. Everything was spatially smeared out. She waited for a few seconds and then sat upright slowly. She glanced at the mirrors and then turned to look through all the windows.

"Alright, we're clear," she said. She fumbled around in the dark to find a panel under the steering wheel. Her nails scratched at plastic before she found purchase and pulled it free.

"I skipped any electronics and just pulled the latch, but that won't get the engine started. These cuffs are not helping..."

She yanked a bundle of wires from beneath the console.

"...and it's been a while since I did this. Might take a minute. How are you doing? Anything injured?"

There was a small spark and she swore beneath her breath.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Carefully, he sat up. Or attempted to. Having pushed himself down far as possible into the space between the seats was wise - to a point. Now he had to struggle to sit back up, a feat with his hands behind his back and adrenaline only doing so much in terms of pain and the push forward in general. A deep breath and he stopped - getting up on the seats would be stupid right now. Just in case he had to duck back down.

"Take your time. I think we have a few moments before they double back."

At least, this is what he was assuming. The gangsters following them would most likely continue to search outward before circling back. This should have bought them five to ten minutes, easily. Yet he didn't know how long it took to hotwire a speeder. Sparks were seen and he arced an eyebrow. Was that supposed to happen?

"Yeah but its gone from extreme pain to extremely numb pins-and-needles so....there's that. What about you? I saw you limping so at the very least your leg is hurt."

Judah added that bit in, knowing she was try to downplay any injuries.

"Straight to a med center after this I think."


Azula Tindara

 

[Azula Tindara]

His quiet words of encourage went some way to balance the frustration that her exhaustion threatened to tip her into.

"My ankle isn't broken, but it's in a bad way," she admitted. "A word with your executives and security about your contact on the way to a bacta cocktail bath. Someone leaked your itinerary."

Several lights appeared on the display. Azula sucked in a breath, trying not to make a sound of triumph.

She sat upright in the driver's chair and touched a button on the display.

"Alright we've got power. Er...can you twist around...no that won't work."

With her hands bound, she used the Force to push the drive from forwards and reverse to ease them out of the parking space.

"I'll keep the lights off."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

“When we get to the ship, I'll give you a stim for pain.”

Judah had a decently stocked medical supply on board. He didn't think there was a brace for her leg on board but the stim would at least take the edge off and perhaps allow her to relax. Personally he was going to take any pain killer the medical kit had.

First though, they had to get to the vessel. That was more concerning to him than anything. If the gangsters were wise they would be staking out and waiting. It was one of the main reasons he wanted to hit a HoloNet terminal and recall the vessel to a different location, it would give them an advantage.

He pushed himself more upright, looking out the front now to get a better idea of the direction and scenery.

“I don't really have security for myself. Never saw the need - more or less just security for the business and our dealings. You're right though, an internal investigation will be required after this. Could have been a hack too - not necessarily anything anyone did on purpose.”

Unlike Makai, he wasn't fully utilizing the Dark Net that Alric Kuhn worked to put into place. Perhaps a switch over and a different type of encryption would be needed in the short future.

“If you can, try to steer us into a business or industrial district. Should have terminals out in those areas for workers. I'll recall the ship to us, have it land on some business so we can escape. At least it will be populated with more friendly faces. Make it more difficult for the gangsters to try to take us out.”

They may be so bold to, but Judah knew business. Anyone worth their salt had security staff that didn't want trouble for the corporation who operated the business. Plus, while he wasn't as famous as Danger, many did know who he was, which would grease the wheels of assistance.

“You're doing good. I feel like we're getting a step ahead.”

 

[Azula Tindara]

"I should have done better..." she muttered.

She gave a little shake of her head and immediately regretted the gesture. Her fingers tightened around the wheel.

"... That's silly. We got hit by a van. Wasn't much I could do."

Azula took a moment to reflect. It seemed like no time had passed since she had woken up chained to the floor. It was a lesson for the future, at the very least. She wouldn't want Judah to live his life worrying, but she could be a little more prepared when they visited less civilised corners of the Galaxy.

"Could be as simple as they have people at the dock and you got ID'd. I can't really... remember everything they said."

Passing a row of neon signs, she turned up onto a road that was elevated above the slums. She accelerated and turned the lights back on.

"Hopefully we're leaving them behind now."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"So are you a girlfriend or a body guard? If it's the second I've violated some workplace best practices."

Despite the situation, he still found the time to joke. Unlike Azula Tindara , he wasn't going to try to evaluate the situation in the moment. There was nothing they could do.

They were clearing going up and out of the slums. This was a good for the simple fact there would be more resources. More local law enforcement. Actual HoloNet terminals. To cause a ruckus in a upscale area was always frowned upon - the gangsters may draw too much suspicion to themselves.

Eyes scoured for a terminal and he finally spotted one in a decently lit area up ahead.

"Stop up on this corner. I'm going to recall the ship and get us out of here."

Judah all but jumped out of the speeder. Now his hands were still handcuffed but he could use voice commands at the terminal and that was good enough. Using a local map of the area, he could recall the ship to the top of a local warehouse.

 

[Azula Tindara]

"So are you a girlfriend or a body guard? If it's the second I've violated some workplace best practices."

A laugh escaped before she could stop it. She immediately grimaced as pain blossomed down one side of her ribs.

"Oh regrets," she said. One hand went towards her side but she couldn't separate it from the hand on the wheel.

"Stop up on this corner. I'm going to recall the ship and get us out of here."

She pulled up, lifting both hands to tilt the rear view mirror. Azula tried to stretch out her senses, to feel for any danger. Her senses briefly turned to the handcuffs. There were three real pins and at least one false set inside the mechanism. If she had time she could work the mechanism open.

No one arrived before she saw Judah jogging back. She felt a little tremor through the Force. Someone had seen him from a window, but it was the sight of his hands behind his back that had shocked them.

"Where are we meeting them?" she asked. "I've got a sense you might have been seen."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Where are we meeting them?" she asked. "I've got a sense you might have been seen."

"That's not surprising."

Judah managed to close the door of the speeder with great effort. Twisting around and the movement was aggravating his aches and pains but it couldn't be helped. They were in the home stretch of being able to leave and get back on the ship. He wasn't relaxing until they got into hyperspace but the glimmer of hope was there.

"Straight ahead. See that tall building, the one that takes up two blocks? We need to get to the roof of that one. Its a massive warehouse owned by one company. I don't anticipate any problems. Yes the handcuff thing but it would be easier to explain our situation to friendly security who can verify who I am than continuing to run. I doubt we can get into the warehouse without some type of clearance."

Shadow loomed as they were directed into an underground garage, greeted by a bored looking Rodian. Judah rolled down his window.

"Judah Dashiell. I need to speak to the head of security. I've got my vessel landing on the rooftop. As you can see, rough evening." He leaned forward to show the handcuffs behind his back.

The Rodian got on an internal comm system, speaking low before pulling out his blaster.

"The Director will come down to meet you. Pull forward inside the building, do note I was a sniper in the Alliance for over ten years..."

Azula Tindara

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Did you hear that, he was a sniper. For ten years.

"I don't know why I said that, I'm sorry."

There was a touch of delirium as the adrenaline was left with nowhere else to go. She was exhausted and concussed.

Azula pulled them forwards as soon as the shutters were up. She was careful in getting out of her side of the speeder, but quick enough to help Judah out of his side.

"Why are you cuffed?" the rodian asked. He kept a little distance between them, but clearly didn't feel overly threatened.

"Someone tried to kidnap us. Well, him. We ran and we..."

She decided there was no reason to spell out the stolen speeder just yet.

"...got here."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Long story. We can repeat it for your Security Director when he comes down."

They didn't have to wait long for the Security Director to head on down. He then repeated his story, the tale of trying to start to a recruitment office and how the entire plans they had went sideways. Which was no surprise to the Director, explaining a tale of how refugee chaos had increased gang activity due to the easy nature of being able to hide with the influx of people.

Remaining cuffed until his identity was verified through contacting both of his assistants, they were finally released. There had been an offer to help with medical assistance but Judah waved him off, wanting to get off world. He appreciated the gesture but he was unsure if they would be safe given the gangsters would still be looking for them. He didn't think warehouse security would be willing to watch over them. One could only trust so far.

So they boarded the vessel that had landed on the rooftop and took off, confident they would be fine until they reached the nearest safer planet.