Up, Down and Sideways

[Dax Perl]

Dax looked out into the brown fog, searching for any sign of movement. Not that he expected to see any. Moving at this speed, barely able to see more than a couple meters. Even if he did see something, it wasn't likely that he'd be able to do anything about it. The endless brown hazed seemed to stretch on forever. Until, at last, a couple stray rays of sun began to peek through the dense cloud. They were nearing the side of the giant wall of sand. Dax would've cried out in joy were it not for his raw throat.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel kept her focus on the way ahead. The sensors were limited in their range due to the weather, so she kept connected to the Force, expecting any warning to be forthcoming if anything untoward were to approach that could not be seen or scanned.

And after what felt like hours, the bleak sandstorm began to break up. Firstly a glimmer of light shone through and before long it was streaks of light and finally glimpses of blue.

And then they were through it. The silence was almost deafening – the absence of sound strange to the ear and every other noise suddenly amplified, like the speeder’s engine.

And her face felt frozen into place, she’d had to avoid opening her mouth for so long that her lips felt welded shut. And then the beginnings of civilisation appeared on the horizon and Sorel’s heart leaped. Missions were never over until they were over and so she remained vigilant, not wishing to count any chickens just yet.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax blonked and shielded his eyes from the bright light that descended upon the two Forcers. How long had it been since they'd last seen a sun?

Dax attempted to speak, his first attempt only achieving a raspy cough. His face and throat had both been worn by the abrasive dust that haf only moments before permeated the air. The second time the man managed to form the words he'd sought. His voice cane out gravelly and hoarse, " Home stretch. First thing I'm doing is drinking a gallon of water."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel attempted a smile – but her dry lips fought against the urge and she knew that to press the matter would be to risk them splitting. So she settled for a few nods before attempting to lick her lips. Her mouth was dry, but not as dehydrated as her lips and she appreciated the feeling that returned to them as she found they would also bend slightly.

After a few minutes, she too risked talking – her voice as croaky and quiet as Dax’s had been. “I’ll drink once our Sith friend here is safely taken care of. And then a shower. A long one.”

With a horizon to aim at, their travel seemed to hurry up and with the addition of buildings to the landscape, it speeded up even more. Soon they would reach civilisation. “Do you think our friend here was working alone?”

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"He could've been," Dax said pausing to fish fot his bottle of water in his bag. He'd forgotten about the precious canister. "Got a few ways I could find out." he said, finally pulling the dusty metal from the bag. He offered it to the Jedi first.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel appreciated the fact that Dax gave her the first chance to drink. She remembered the bottle she’d given to the street urchin at the start of the mission – and how welcome the ice-cold drink would be now.

So she took the bottle and resisted the temptation to glug down mouthfuls of the water. In part because it was rude and also because she needed to respect the fact it was Dax’s water. So she took a few well-measured sips. It slaked her initial thirst and lubricated her lips and throat, which were the important things.

She then handed back the bottle with a hearty, “Thanks, I needed that,” and she welcomed the fact the small buildings in the horizon were fast becoming much larger buildings and much closer than the horizon. “Finding out would be good. I’d hate to run into opposition at this late stage without at least some prior warning.”

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax took the warm metal back from Sorel and brought it to his lips, the warm water wetting his parched throat. He took a couple more sips before bringing the can back down from his mouth. "I can't garuntee that there'll be much of him left to bring back though." he said as he placed the bottle back into his pack. His voice was beginning to sound normal again, still cracking slightly on occassion. Water was a beautiful thing.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The Sith in the trunk of the speeder was still alive – Sorel could sense that. They’d inflicted some damage and there was no telling if any wounds were potentially fatal – but they’d exercised the minimum of force to overwhelm him – and allowing him to recover fully risked his escape.

By now they were passing the outlying buildings and by the volume of traffic and the position of the suns, it was now late afternoon. Sorel was forced to slow and she tapped coordinates into the speeder to take them to the hangar where her ship was housed. Then she sent a coded message to request someone come and collect the Sith.

“With any luck, there is someone nearby that can take him off our hands.”

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"Sounds good to me." the Rogue said as they entered the city once more. The sparse crowds parted before their speeder and the two drifted through. He half expected to hear the Sith start crying out for help in the trunk, his voice muffled. But no, the Sith had far too much pride for that. "What are you guys planning on doing with him?" Dax finally asked as they neared the spaceport.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

As they slowly progressed, Sorel made a conscious effort to sense the area around them. In part for any Force auras and secondly to be attuned to the Force in case it was to warn her.

She did not receive any feedback on either count, but maintained her vigilance. She shrugged at the question. “I suspect, as I don’t know for sure, that first and foremost he’s evidence that we were not responsible for those atrocities. Next we would need to find out what plan the act was part of. It’s unlikely to be a random act, nor a complete plot. Instead he was no doubt a cog in a larger machine that had been set in motion. But to what end?”

She left the statement hanging, not expecting an answer but leaving a space in case Dax had a theory.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax thought silently for a few moments, working through a possible plot. "Well I can't think of reason why someone would go after the Outback...we've stayed out of the galaxies greater politics thus far. So maybe its just something against the SJO?" he offered, "Tons of smaller Sith offshoots have been popping up lately. Maybe he's affiliated with one of them."

Dax didn't keep up to much with politics. From what he knew, the Kathol Outback stayed in their sector and in their own business. Sure they had their allies, but in large part they let the galaxy deal with its own problems. The SJO on the other hand, Dax knew next to nothing about. Of course he could be wrong, and the Sith had been targeting both or none of them. Just Jedi in general...whatever the case it was a disturbing situation.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel mused Dax’ words. “Many things are possible. It could also be a Mandalorian plot. Many of them hold a grudge against the Order. Not that they’re necessarily friends of the Sith, but it’s another possibility.”

The location was now familiar to Sorel and she knew they were close to the hangar. “I think I should secure him on my ship before returning the speeder. What do you think?”

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Well the woman wasn't wrong. Mandalorians could certainly have taken a side with the Sith. They hated everyone equally and Dax doubted that they wouldn't take any opportunity to crush their opponents. 'A tactical alliance' he was sure, and one that could be broken at a moment's notice.

When the Silver Jedi asked if she should take the Sith to her ship Dax nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'd feel a lot better know the dude won't pop the trunk and run away leaving a trail of chaos or whatever." Then they'd have to chase the bosh'tet down again...which he doubted would be fun.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened to Dax and nodded her agreement as she approached the hangar. It was a small affair, able to host only a dozen ships or so, but its advantage was that it was close to the centre of the town, unlike the larger ports that tended to be on the outskirts.

She pulled the speeder into the building – that in truth was little more than a circular wall – the roof non-existent, to allow the ships to take-off and land.

She navigated slowly around technicians, customs officials and pilots alike to reach her ship. It was nothing to look at from the outside – an old medium freighter. But that was intentional. If the outside was as hi-tech as the inside, it would draw unwanted attention.

She jumped out of the speeder and moved her arm carefully – it was supported but it wasn’t yet free of pain. Pressing a button, a ramp lowered, revealing the cargo bay. “There are secure containers in there. We can pop him in one with a respirator. He’ll not suffocate and he can’t get up to any mischief either.”

“Can you give me a hand?”

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"It'd be my puleasure." the Rogue said, hopping out of the speeder and moving around back to the trunk.. The man cracke his knuckled as he prepared to open the trunk. The Rogue threw the trunk and suddenly delivered a wuick jab which was followed by a loud crack. As he hauled the Sith out, blood ran freely from his nose. "Lead the way."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel couldn’t say she approved of Dax’s behaviour. But she’d learned enough since her Padawan days to hold her tongue. Just because it was not her way, it did not give her the right to judge others or determine their approach was inappropriate.

So she simply nodded and walked up the ramp of her ship and into the cargo hold.

Externally the ship looked old – primarily because it was. But internally it was of the highest tech – even if some of the aesthetics didn’t reflect the fact. And the cargo hold was a prime example – given it was, after all, just an area that cargo was stored in.

Half of the area was taken up with a jeep – an addition courtesy of her friend Orihime. It was a latest model. And next to it were a number of crates. Sorel opened three before she found an empty one. Taking a respirator from her belt, she offered it to Dax to place on the Sith before he would be deposited in the container and locked in.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Dax took the respirator from the Jedi and placed it on the Sith. Getting the man into the crate on the other hand, did not go as easily. The man struggled against even approaching the box, and Dax had to practically pick the man up, his squirming figure almost comical as he fought against his new confinements. The Rogue had to literally stuff the Sith into the box, "Help me close it will ya?!" he said, as he fought the kicks coming from the man now inside the container.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel used the Force to close the box lid. It didn’t matter how strong he was, he wouldn’t be able to fight against the pressure exerted by a Force Push – which was constant and not susceptible to muscle fatigue.

The top did not close automatically, but the constant force being exerted meant the two Jedi could keep prodding and poking him as the lid slowly closed. It was much like a constrictor snake operated. Contrary to popular belief, they did not squeeze their prey. Instead they maintained a steady pressure. Once the victim moved, the snake simply tightened their grip – until the unfortunate prey could no longer breathe.

Not that Sorel planned to kill the man, but they did need to contain him.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Stuffing the Sith's flailing arms and legs into the crate, the lid finally slammed shut and Dax quickly secured the lock, a beep and red light signifying that the crate was securely shut. A single curse was uttered at the two Forcer's from within the box an Dax kicked it harshly, rattling the man inside, "Ey, shut it."

Dax turned to the woman and nodded, "Guess that's that."

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel smiled. “I’d say so. Once someone comes and picks him up, I can have this looked at.” She lifted her arm to show him the splint that he’d crafted for her.

“And I know it’s a cliché, but I couldn’t have done this without you. Not even close. Once someone comes and picks him up, I can have this looked at.” She lifted her arm to show him the splint that he’d crafted for her.

“You took the lead and impressed me substantially out there. You’re a credit to the Jedi.”

[member="Dax Fyre"]