In the Bowels of Bespin

[Caid Centurion]

Ciardha had arrived at the facility without issue. However, rather than notify [member="Samka Derith"] of his arrival, he instead proceeded to the Station Chief's office to announce his intentions. "No. I do not need to speak with the individual whom brought them in."

"Oh. I merely presumed that you Ren preferred to work to--"

"You presume much. No. I wish to speak with..." Caid's masked gazed hovered over the surveillance feeds before indicating one in the top right. "This man. Have him removed from his cell and taken to a more comfortable interview room. No recordings, of course."

The Station Chief glanced at the display and nodded simply. "I'll have him brought up right away."

Without a word, Ciardha Ren turned and proceeded to the room himself. He held no desire to make some grand entrance. Instead, the Ren remained standing in a corner of the room, arms folded across his chest as he waited for Terrac to be escorted in.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Unsurprisingly, the First Order was predominantly human. The small corridors and tight hallways could attest to that. Perhaps they had their strengths, such as getting into the heads of those that didn't like tight spaces. But they also had their weaknesses, such as housing larger individuals. Ghorua learned this first-hand, as he had to duck under yet another low ceiling. Each doorway was an obstacle, each wall a crushing roadblock.

Eventually, the Shark was led away from the rest of the group, to a larger holding cell. Even in the open room, he took up most of the space. The cell was most likely designed for Trandoshans or Gamorreans, which were both much smaller than the Shark. Because of this, he opted not to sit in the chair provided. It would only alienate him further. Instead, he leaned a shoulder against the wall, staring at the door intently. How long will they keep us here, I wonder...

To pass the time, Ghorua brought his Bakuran rock from a pocket under his armor, and tossed it up and down. Perhaps one could consider it a weapon, but in Ghorua's hands, anything could be a weapon. They might as well have asked him to remove his teeth and muscle. He waited patiently, jaw clenched in minor annoyance. The sooner the Herglic could get paid and get of this planet, the better.

- [member="Lady Kay"] - [member="Samka Derith"] - [member="Caid Centurion"] - [member="Darlyn Excron"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Terrac had a bad feeling about this. The old man had seen and heard of it before in his youth. Isolation was all a part of the process, adding a little psychological torment to increase the anxiety. Afterall, the imagination can sometimes frighten someone more than what reality would. It was all part and parcel of a military regime.

"Your turn. Let's go." The cell door opened and one of the guards took Terrac by the arm, leading him down to the interview room. He passed by Kay and [member="Samka Derith"] on his way there. At least she seemed okay. For the moment. That gave him a bit of relief, but they weren't in the clear yet. This was supposed to be his day off, yet the merc hired as the pilot chickened out. Right now Terrac wished that he hadn't. Didn't matter though.

Once he was led inside the interview room his eyes locked onto the form of [member="Caid Centurion"] as he stood there like an imposing statue in the corner. The door closed shut behind him, yet Terrac did not move. He hardened his stare at the blank mask across from him, drawing up his courage. Retirement was too boring for him. He wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. Whether that was today or next year, it didn't matter. At least he was doing something worthwhile.

Terrac kept his tone light as he spoke, but his eyes and his stance almost dared the Knight of Ren to be on the offensive. "Let me take a wild guess...You have a couple of questions for me." He was determined to keep the upper hand for as long as possible.

[member="Hyori Tal"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

While perhaps there was a point in his life where Caid would have offered a dispassionate response in kind, he had long since past that point. This entire situation was little more than a nuisance, and it all could have been avoided had the appropriate measures been taken in the first place by all parties concerned. Instead, his only reply to Terrac was to step forward and raise his right hand, forcing the full weight of his dark presence against the man's mind. The Ren asked no questions, made no threats, and was anything but gentle as he brutally crashed against whatever mental defenses the man might have.

His work would be done only once he had ripped through all the secrets of the man's brain, with particular focus to his short-term memory, to things that had happened just before, during, and after his visit to the corporation's facilities. While all of the temporarily interned might have thought it was because of them, they would be wrong.

Ciardha Ren had not been called in to deal with mercenaries brazenly operating within First Order space without registering with the First Order. No...the concern of his superiors, of the Supreme Leader, was the involvement of First Order personnel in the exploit...ordered or not. Terrac was merely the first step in confirming the story of [member="Hyori Tal"].

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Terrac was ready for anything physical, but not a mental attack. He took a step back and shut his eyes, bringing his hands up to cover his temples in a useless bid to try to protect himself. It was like nothing he had ever felt. Different parts of his mind felt as though it was being stabbed in quick succession, with each shot of pain bringing up a memory. He tried to stop it, tried to focus on where he was, but each attempt would last but a few seconds before another shot of pain would bring about a different thought, a different memory.

There were memories of piloting the Free Lady to Bespin, not exactly being comfortable with the idea, but liking the idea of having a few days off to drink and gamble. And then came the call to pilot the Rusty Bucket down to the platform. He had an affection for Kay as though she was almost a daughter to him, and it was because of his loyalty to her that he agreed. There was a lot of anxiety and tension for him as he made his rounds around the platform while listening to everyone else investigate and then get attacked on the inside. And at least they listened to him when it came to making a haste retreat. Having to fly towards the platform as it was about to blow brought him back to his exploits when he was younger. But it worried him to think that it could mean the death of him. And there was a great feeling of respect for [member="Hyori Tal"] and her men. They shouldn't of come, but he was glad that they did. Kay and the others might be dead if they hadn't. More worry emanated from him as they were detained. It was the second time in recent months that they were in First Order custody. Everyone had their secrets and the Knights of Ren were a threat to that.

The old man screamed as he couldn't take it anymore. And hearing his own voice echo in the room gave him something else to focus on.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

The Ren ceased his manipulations the moment he believed that the experience would cause the man to go unconscious. There was little use in torturing someone to that point - the end result was merely the automatic shut down of their body to recover. However, if you brought someone to the edge of that reality and then retreated, their body would have little choice other than to endure the fatigue. It was as much a chemical response as it was a mental choice. "We're done here."

Without another word, Ciardha departed the interview room. The facility supervisor was waiting for him in the corridor. "Have the two mercenaries deported, identities flagged. The next time they step foot on an Imperial world, they're to be taken into custody."

The security official looked...uneasy. "I will have to run this up my chain of command."

Ciardha's masked features turned to face the officer squarely. "Do what you must." Casually he began to step past the man and walk down the corridor. "You'll endure the consequences either way." In less than two minutes, he arrived back in the cell block where [member="Lady Kay"] was being held. Waving away the individual that had been questioning her, Ciardha Ren stood in front of the cell and folded his arms over his chest. "Your friend Terrac gave some good information. I guess this officially makes you a repeat customer, doesn't it." The question was completely rhetorical. "Are you aware of Imperial policy with regards to weapons being imported and carried by non-citizens?" Not exactly a rhetorical question, but the answer was no doubt obvious.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] | [member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

It wasn't until [member="Caid Centurion"] left the interview room, that Terrac let himself collapse onto his hands and knees. His head throbbed and his entire body felt fatigued. His moment of respite was short lived as he was grabbed by the arms and taken back to his holding cell.

Kay was waiting for [member="Samka Derith"] to ask more questions when the older Knight of Ren moved in between them and had some of his own. She continually focused on keeping her Force signature small and held her ground. Her thoughts went to Terrac. Was he tortured? Or did he cooperate? She hoped for the latter.

Her arms were already crossed over her chest, but she lowered them, staring up at the mask while she spoke; "No sir. I am not aware of the policy. I merely arrived in the same manner that I always did before the First Order claimed this section of space. As this was an internal matter, I didn't want to bother or endanger any of your lives, so I hired my own help. When Agent Tal was sent to go with us, I fully complied with her orders. And without those weapons, we would all be dead right now." If there was a next time, then she would have to learn the correct procedures and follow them. But unlike her parents and older brother, she wasn't raised in the First Order. It was a far more strict system of laws than she was used to. It gave one far less control.

"This was my mistake. I take full responsibility. It will never happen again. So if there's a fine to pay, then I will pay it and then we'll be on our way." Hopefully it was just some monetary fine and nothing drastic. [member="Hyori Tal"] told her to comply and that was what she was doing. It was the easiest route towards helping her to regain her freedom and to keep the Knights of Ren away from them. For the moment, she kept her defiance in check.

 

[Caid Centurion]

Ciardha Ren was silent for several moments. When he did speak, his voice was as dispassionate as it was metallic through the vocal actuators in his helmet. "Your corporation will be fined not only for the breach of Imperial law but for failure to follow procedure as established by commercial licensing codes. In the future, issues with facilities on Imperial worlds must be briefed to the Ministry of Industry as they arise." Ciardha paused for a moment as he considered what Hyori had said. "The Ministry of Security will look into these alien saboteurs. You are advised to leave the situation to them within First Order space. Your actions here have already brought your corporation under Imperial Review. I'm sure someone from the Ministry of Industry will be in touch."

With seemingly nothing left to say, Ciardha began to turn away but suddenly stopped. "Oh," he started, turning back to face the woman. As he did not intend to reveal his true identity, there was little reason for him to fully let on to his...familiarity with the woman. The days of his occupation as Supreme Commander of the Galactic Republic were not that long ago, after all. "Your mercenary associates are being deported from the system. If they ever return to a First Order system, they will be taken into custody. The Supreme Leader does not recognize the Bounty Hunter's Guild, and as such, their presence within our borders is not welcomed. You would do well to tread carefully too...Senator." Whether she remained as such or not...was irrelevant.

Turning to [member="Samka Derith"], Ciardha offered a barely perceptible nod. "Proceed as you wish, Derith. Have her out-processed by close of business." With that, Ciardha Ren retreated and disappeared from the chambers. He had...company to return to at his condo.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay clenched her jaw a little. Did she need to ask the First Order for permission to do every little thing? What about breathing? Well she was lucky enough that [member="Caid Centurion"] was leaving her alone, so to speak. She wondered how Terrac was doing.

With each sentence and each restriction being placed on her, Kay was glad that there was very little need for her to venture into this part of space. Yet as the Knight mentioned her by her dormer title, her jaw dropped slightly. He must have read her file. She hadn't been a Senator or even been a part of the Republic for some time, yet people still insisted on linking the two.

Kay watched as Caid left and then turned her attention to [member="Samka Derith"] . "....Is there anything else that I need to be made aware of? Or are we free to go?" At least she knew that [member="Ghorua the Shark"] and [member="Darlyn Excron"] were allowed to be released. It was just such a shame that restrictions were put on them as well. Though she knew that they were more than capable of handling themselves.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Quite amusingly, the entirety of his imprisonment so far was Darlyn sitting at the entrance to his 'cell' and playing cards with his guard, without gambling of course. That would entirely ruin the fun, given that Darlyn was currently broke until he got paid, and the trooper likely made little money anyways. Still, it was quite the amusement to pass the time, but not really because of the game itself. No, cards were rarely fun if they weren't some kind of chance, risk, or strategy to the game itself. And this game had none, it was safe, easy, and most of all despite the chance the game was meant to have Darlyn wasn't likely to lose once.

He was cheating of course, using what little force he had regained from the long wait in there to manipulate the cards in his favor. Every hand was brilliant, if at least in the apparent 'luck' he had. He made it seem random, you had to understand. It wasn't an absolute curb stomp, and more than once he got 'close' to losing the game. But he always got lucky, much to the soldier's frustration. Made the young hunter smile, which you could clearly see now. His mask had been laid beside him, and his cloak's hood pulled so everything around his nose and up were shrouded in shadow. Though he had little to hide, he still needed to maintain some sense of mystery. After all, that was half the reason he ever got hired...

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] <Urm, not sure who else to quote here...>

 

[Samka Derith]

Proceed as you wish Sam almost had to ask the retreating Ren to repeat that. Samka was loyal beyond question to the Supreme Leader but sometimes the way that the First Order insisted on rigid uniformity and regulation rubbed her the wrong way. Not that she would ever dream of voicing such concerns.

"Is there anything else?" Samka repeated [member="Lady Kay"]'s question and brought her fingers to her chin as though lost in thought. "Officially I believe my esteemed colleague covered everything. Unofficially..." Sam leaned closer to Kay's cell and spoke in a quieter tone, "these aliens may be a greater threat than Ciardha Ren appreciates. we were completely unaware of their presence and their ship did not register on our scanners at all and most disturbingly of all their motives remain a mystery. You may not leave here with an entirely positive view of the First Order but in the interest of our further security I request you pass any information you may uncover in the future directly to me, particularly if it involves their stealth systems." Sam stood up abruptly. "I shall pass that information along to your mercenaries via holopad. You are free to go and your weapons should be on board your ship."

Sam turned to leave sweeping her cloak behind her in what she hoped was a dramatic exit though both the comically cramped conditions in the cell of [member="Ghorua the Shark"] and gambling antics of [member="Darlyn Excron"] gave the young Ren a pause and raised brow. She shook her head and continued to the exit, notifying the security the four should be escorted to their ship immediately.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Samka Derith"] was much easier to talk to. Perhaps she'd be able to befriend the girl. She reminded Kay of her adopted daughter Rae-Anna that was hidden away from her as well as her older brother shortly after her husband died. It was for their protection. "I will pass along every detail that I can remember. I wouldn't even want my enemies to face them, let alone the First Order. This is partly my fault and I have been treated fairly, so thank you."

After the young Knight left, she was escorted out and handed her satchel. Kay passed Terrac's cell first. He didn't look so good. But he was a proud man and didn't accept any of her help. She then passed [member="Ghorua the Shark"] and [member="Darlyn Excron"]'s cells. "We are free to go. Your weapons are on the Rusty Bucket, they say. And I'm sorry but you two are banned from First Order space. In light of that and the hazards we faced, I am tripling your pay." She followed their escort to the ship, being quiet for the rest of the day. Paying for a larger team was what she prepared for, so it wasn't as though she was going over budget. But this was fair.

It was time to leave Bespin behind.

For now...

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua the Shark had been in that cramped holding cell for what seemed like hours, when in reality it was more like fifteen minutes. The Herglic stood in his corner the entire time, staring at a wall, reminiscing over what had happened. He'd regained his smug composure by the time [member="Lady Kay"] found her way to his cell. The Shark looked over his shoulder, expecting some FO lackey. It was nice to see a friendly face.

"About time. Let's get out of here." Ghorua gave a slight nod to Terrac, who seemed worse for wear. He nodded to [member="Darlyn Excron"] as well, not yet saying anything. He squished down yet another narrow hallway, and responded to Kay. "Don't worry about that, Madam. This isn't the first time I've been banned from an entire nation. But I do appreciate the extra pay." Ghorua wished he was lying, but lo and behold, he wasn't allowed in Mando space. It was all a misunderstanding over some beskar, nothing more.

He then turned to Darlyn, a sly smile parting his lips. "So, what do you say to a drink? Far away from this planet," he said, once again bumping his head on the ceiling. "Oh, kark."

For perhaps the rest of his life, Ghorua woud have nightmares of reaching claws, face-less horrors, and thick mist. Hopefully, that would be the last he would see of them.

For now...

- [member="Samka Derith"] - [member="Ciardha Ren"] -

 

[Darlyn Excron]

He bid the trooper he had been playing cards with goodbye, and left with Ghorua and Kay. "It's all business. Like their words or warships mean much if a high priced target comes through their space. Besides, just makes me want to get a job from them, just to rub it in that masked face of his." He chuckled and patted the Herglic's back best he could. "I'll have some credits to spare now, why not two? not like I can get into more trouble today." Well, honestly that wasn't much of a truthful statement, he could go off and kill someone. Honestly he wanted to, just to release some pent up frustration. But he didn't have enough rest to project more than a simple trick or two at the moment, and he would need a good night to go back to his lightning happy self.

"Didn't do too bad yourself, for an old fish. Though you were woefully lacking in explosive usage." He chuckled and couldn't wait to get his lightsaber crystal and blaster back. He was feeling rather lacking without the both of them. NOt nearly enough firepower, though somehow they had all missed the extra stun and thermmal detonator he still had. And fully intended to keep hidden.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Samka Derith"] [member="Ciardha Ren"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

THE END.

For now.....