Two paths before me. A light path and a dark path. In one my friends are beside me, standing against all who oppose us. In the other, I'm alone, and I've killed somebody... and.. I've fallen.
Muaarga's prophecy, not mine.
I don't know what to think.. I can't get my mind off that dark path. I try to anchor myself down, like he said, and think of my oath or the code or those who care for me. It keeps me relatively sane, but the not knowing bugs the ever loving kriff out of me. How does it happen? What did I do? Who.. did I kill? ...do I kill. It hasn't happened yet, and it can still be prevented. The dantari tell me that there comes a time in every brave warrior's life when he realises he is not a god. Well, I wouldn't take myself as far as that, but I'm definitely.. humbled. For the first time in my life, my faith in myself is truly shaken. If only I could have seen it....
*She changes her tone, deciding to focus on another subject.*
I was captured again, for a short while. A bounty hunter caught me- not the same one who's been after me, but one I don't know. I was taken down like a chump.. I can't believe I made that mistake.. but when I woke up I was put straight to work. A bloody waitress at the very comedy night event I had wanted to attend when I heard about it before any of this slavery stuff started. I had a kriff of a time trying to find the drinks- had to read all the bottles in the fridge at least twice, and I still haven't got that braille thing down. Some, I admit, I improvised. The tea? I mixed my pepper-tea, loaded it in the glasses, and nobody was the wiser. Tadpole smoothie... void! ..I had to make it with live tadpoles. *She shudders as she thinks of blending them up.* I have no idea if I did that right, but Igirts seemed to accept it.
As the room filled up, I noticed that several friends were among the crowd. Zan came, and even did a standup routine- a roast of the late High Colonel Verne. Muaarga, whom I had told about the event when I heard of it, showed up. Keren, or he-who-always-appears-when-I-least-expect-him, was there as well. I was glad to see them. There were also some odd characters there. One woman insisted on standing, and not taking anything to eat or drink. She did a comedy routine featuring the cheesiest pickup lines you could imagine, and was kind enough to "translate" for me what a sullustian guest wasn't saying. Another interesting character was a kind of quiet... I don't know what he was... He sounded canineish like a bothan, but had a strange accent that I can't pin down. Anyway, I didn't think him or his friend too unusual until much later... but I'm getting ahead of myself. His friend, whom I assume was human, also did a short act, I believe. Hell, even I was pushed on stage. I kinda bombed though. I got in maybe two good jokes, threw some fruit, and then started to crash and burn when I was picking on that rodian fellow. Consequently I was pushed off stage, so I made a crack about my slavegirl trappings and hid behind a terminal.
Meanwhile, I was secretly talking with Zan, Keren, and Muaarga while I waited tables. Keren had a plan.. he tried to buy me, but old Mr. nairadyotehtkaA said he had other offers. I never found out if that was true or not. When the party died down, I was offered my freedom in exchange for leading another young twi'lek down to the basement. Knowing what's down there.. I only assume he meant to enslave her. I told her to get the hell out- to make it look like she'd struggled away from me and got loose. Right in the middle of that demonstration, she smacked me like I told her to- but I screwed up. Her whack to my head threw off my concentration, and down I went, feeling the full effects of what an Ysalamiri could bring me- just like in the Quietess temple months ago.
I blacked out. I had hoped she ran anyway, but when I came to I found out she didn't. The shit had hit the fan while I was unconsious, and the defenses had been activated. Keren was fighting with Igirts, the girl was standing over me, Zan was somewhere near the entrance, and the both.. can.. the two men who were at Keren's table were.... well they must have been somewhere in the building, but I couldn't hear them. I heard Keren fall as the turrets stunned him. Within minutes, Zan's voice shouted "You're all clear, Nyx" and I could feel my strength slowly returning. The Ysalamiri was dead, but Zan had fallen unconsious. I jumped at Igirts, and grabbed Keren's saber to fight with, but the turrets kept me busy enough. The girl came back with a lightsaber and helped to defend me from the turrets, but as we made our way to Igirts, the room began to fill with Gas. Again, I blacked out. When awoke to a big gulp of air as Keren blasted the front door open- the building was on lockdown -I couldn't find the girl anywhere. Cessius and... stars I forget how to pronounce his name... the botha-canin-alien were fighting the guards outside. Muaarga was injured. Zan was fighting inside. Then I was taken out the door, and.... GUESS! ....knocked out for the third- FOURTH- time that day by whatever that slave collar injected me with.
I awoke on Keren's ship, which was docking with a medical vessal. Everyone was there except Zan and the girl. Muaarga helped me to the medical vessal, and left me with Keren and the med-droids while he and the others went back down to the planet to get Zan. There, they removed any tracking chips implanted in me, and helped me recover- for the most part -from the collar's injection. *sigh* This is the second time such an injection has almost killed me. I probably should have stayed in the med facility where Keren left me, but my paranoia took over- I had to leave. I stowed away on the next shuttle down to the planet, and hid until the others came back with Zan.
...but not with the girl. Apperantly Igirts says she's dead. If she's not dead, she's his slave. It's... well kark blast.. why didn't she run?
*Her voice breaks, and the sound of the microphone being smothered in some kind of cloth can be heard. A few sharp buzzing sounds, and the sound of a strong wind may be heard above it. After this there's a few minutes of rustling cloth, then the recording is unsmothered. The woman continues in a calm, quiet voice.*
I... we all boarded Cessius's ship. Zan healed Muaarga's wounds. Ces gave me a change of clothes. As his friend played some sort of queer alien music, it was then Muaarga offered to look into my future. I already told you what came of it. Soon, the music stopped- he wasn't feeling too well, I think, the ....bothan? Frell, I know that's not right, and I feel bad for not being able to say his name, but that's what I'll call him so we can move the hell on. Anyway, he went down to the main cabin, Cessius followed, and Zan followed him to heal him; leaving Muaarga and I to talk. When they all came back up, it was time to land. Zan went off on his own, and Muaarga and I followed Cessius and his friend back down to the planet.
What happened next was one of the strangest experiences of my life. We went to an area of Lok that seemed.. alive on its own... I didn't understand it, but it was the same feeling I got from the bothan. The word "alien" is undervalued- after all we're all aliens -but this felt truly alien to me. It didn't seem right. The place was abandoned. We went inside a building to look for... somebody. I lost Muaarga in there, but I followed the other two, hoping I would find him again, and making sure I didn't get too lost myself. My senses were clouded- the air hung heavy with that alien sense, in some rooms more than others. There were also these barriers... Cessius knew how to defeat them, but the bothan had more trouble, I think. Whoever they were looking for, he was long gone. They later left, but allowed me to stay behind relatively nearby while I waited for any sign of Muaarga. Cessius offered for me to stay in his.. castle? ...but I couldn't find it before the sandstorm. I broke into an abandoned camp-shed a few hundred meters away, and used their comm. system to call for a Flynt droid. Flynt brought my recorder to so I could kill time while I was riding out the storm.
Wait.. I sense something.... I'll talk more later.
*END*
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Muaarga's prophecy, not mine.
I don't know what to think.. I can't get my mind off that dark path. I try to anchor myself down, like he said, and think of my oath or the code or those who care for me. It keeps me relatively sane, but the not knowing bugs the ever loving kriff out of me. How does it happen? What did I do? Who.. did I kill? ...do I kill. It hasn't happened yet, and it can still be prevented. The dantari tell me that there comes a time in every brave warrior's life when he realises he is not a god. Well, I wouldn't take myself as far as that, but I'm definitely.. humbled. For the first time in my life, my faith in myself is truly shaken. If only I could have seen it....
*She changes her tone, deciding to focus on another subject.*
I was captured again, for a short while. A bounty hunter caught me- not the same one who's been after me, but one I don't know. I was taken down like a chump.. I can't believe I made that mistake.. but when I woke up I was put straight to work. A bloody waitress at the very comedy night event I had wanted to attend when I heard about it before any of this slavery stuff started. I had a kriff of a time trying to find the drinks- had to read all the bottles in the fridge at least twice, and I still haven't got that braille thing down. Some, I admit, I improvised. The tea? I mixed my pepper-tea, loaded it in the glasses, and nobody was the wiser. Tadpole smoothie... void! ..I had to make it with live tadpoles. *She shudders as she thinks of blending them up.* I have no idea if I did that right, but Igirts seemed to accept it.
As the room filled up, I noticed that several friends were among the crowd. Zan came, and even did a standup routine- a roast of the late High Colonel Verne. Muaarga, whom I had told about the event when I heard of it, showed up. Keren, or he-who-always-appears-when-I-least-expect-him, was there as well. I was glad to see them. There were also some odd characters there. One woman insisted on standing, and not taking anything to eat or drink. She did a comedy routine featuring the cheesiest pickup lines you could imagine, and was kind enough to "translate" for me what a sullustian guest wasn't saying. Another interesting character was a kind of quiet... I don't know what he was... He sounded canineish like a bothan, but had a strange accent that I can't pin down. Anyway, I didn't think him or his friend too unusual until much later... but I'm getting ahead of myself. His friend, whom I assume was human, also did a short act, I believe. Hell, even I was pushed on stage. I kinda bombed though. I got in maybe two good jokes, threw some fruit, and then started to crash and burn when I was picking on that rodian fellow. Consequently I was pushed off stage, so I made a crack about my slavegirl trappings and hid behind a terminal.
Meanwhile, I was secretly talking with Zan, Keren, and Muaarga while I waited tables. Keren had a plan.. he tried to buy me, but old Mr. nairadyotehtkaA said he had other offers. I never found out if that was true or not. When the party died down, I was offered my freedom in exchange for leading another young twi'lek down to the basement. Knowing what's down there.. I only assume he meant to enslave her. I told her to get the hell out- to make it look like she'd struggled away from me and got loose. Right in the middle of that demonstration, she smacked me like I told her to- but I screwed up. Her whack to my head threw off my concentration, and down I went, feeling the full effects of what an Ysalamiri could bring me- just like in the Quietess temple months ago.
I blacked out. I had hoped she ran anyway, but when I came to I found out she didn't. The shit had hit the fan while I was unconsious, and the defenses had been activated. Keren was fighting with Igirts, the girl was standing over me, Zan was somewhere near the entrance, and the both.. can.. the two men who were at Keren's table were.... well they must have been somewhere in the building, but I couldn't hear them. I heard Keren fall as the turrets stunned him. Within minutes, Zan's voice shouted "You're all clear, Nyx" and I could feel my strength slowly returning. The Ysalamiri was dead, but Zan had fallen unconsious. I jumped at Igirts, and grabbed Keren's saber to fight with, but the turrets kept me busy enough. The girl came back with a lightsaber and helped to defend me from the turrets, but as we made our way to Igirts, the room began to fill with Gas. Again, I blacked out. When awoke to a big gulp of air as Keren blasted the front door open- the building was on lockdown -I couldn't find the girl anywhere. Cessius and... stars I forget how to pronounce his name... the botha-canin-alien were fighting the guards outside. Muaarga was injured. Zan was fighting inside. Then I was taken out the door, and.... GUESS! ....knocked out for the third- FOURTH- time that day by whatever that slave collar injected me with.
I awoke on Keren's ship, which was docking with a medical vessal. Everyone was there except Zan and the girl. Muaarga helped me to the medical vessal, and left me with Keren and the med-droids while he and the others went back down to the planet to get Zan. There, they removed any tracking chips implanted in me, and helped me recover- for the most part -from the collar's injection. *sigh* This is the second time such an injection has almost killed me. I probably should have stayed in the med facility where Keren left me, but my paranoia took over- I had to leave. I stowed away on the next shuttle down to the planet, and hid until the others came back with Zan.
...but not with the girl. Apperantly Igirts says she's dead. If she's not dead, she's his slave. It's... well kark blast.. why didn't she run?
*Her voice breaks, and the sound of the microphone being smothered in some kind of cloth can be heard. A few sharp buzzing sounds, and the sound of a strong wind may be heard above it. After this there's a few minutes of rustling cloth, then the recording is unsmothered. The woman continues in a calm, quiet voice.*
I... we all boarded Cessius's ship. Zan healed Muaarga's wounds. Ces gave me a change of clothes. As his friend played some sort of queer alien music, it was then Muaarga offered to look into my future. I already told you what came of it. Soon, the music stopped- he wasn't feeling too well, I think, the ....bothan? Frell, I know that's not right, and I feel bad for not being able to say his name, but that's what I'll call him so we can move the hell on. Anyway, he went down to the main cabin, Cessius followed, and Zan followed him to heal him; leaving Muaarga and I to talk. When they all came back up, it was time to land. Zan went off on his own, and Muaarga and I followed Cessius and his friend back down to the planet.
What happened next was one of the strangest experiences of my life. We went to an area of Lok that seemed.. alive on its own... I didn't understand it, but it was the same feeling I got from the bothan. The word "alien" is undervalued- after all we're all aliens -but this felt truly alien to me. It didn't seem right. The place was abandoned. We went inside a building to look for... somebody. I lost Muaarga in there, but I followed the other two, hoping I would find him again, and making sure I didn't get too lost myself. My senses were clouded- the air hung heavy with that alien sense, in some rooms more than others. There were also these barriers... Cessius knew how to defeat them, but the bothan had more trouble, I think. Whoever they were looking for, he was long gone. They later left, but allowed me to stay behind relatively nearby while I waited for any sign of Muaarga. Cessius offered for me to stay in his.. castle? ...but I couldn't find it before the sandstorm. I broke into an abandoned camp-shed a few hundred meters away, and used their comm. system to call for a Flynt droid. Flynt brought my recorder to so I could kill time while I was riding out the storm.
Wait.. I sense something.... I'll talk more later.
*END*
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