Private In Their Voices

[Mercy]

The message was brief, desperate, and without explanation.

Her parents’ faces flickered across the grainy holo, voices overlapping in urgency:

“Liin. Please, we’re in danger. You must come quickly. We don’t know how long we can hold out.”

Then the feed cut to black... only to restart a moment later, repeating in a loop.

–––

Days later, the trail brought her to a warehouse on the edge of New Cov, a planet she had left behind a long time ago.

It was a cavernous space, vast enough that footsteps vanished into echoes. Iron pillars rose into shadow, their surfaces streaked with rust and damp. Pipes hissed overhead, dripping into shallow puddles that spread across the floor, scattering the sickly flicker of weak overhead lamps.

At the heart of the emptiness sat a lone holo-projector. Its feed glowed and shimmered in the dark, replaying the same desperate loop she had first received.

The recording stuttered, then began again.

Behind her, the doors sealed shut with a hiss of hydraulics and the heavy thud of locks sliding into place.

The vast room fell quiet.

The trap had sprung.

Liin Terallo

 

[Liin Terallo]

It had been some time since I had heard from my parents. After the Covie government was removed and exiled when New Cov was taken over; I had thought that my parents had fled or gone underground like I did. There was a certain protocol to follow and I was doing just that. I knew that contact would be made ones the proper steps were taken. Yet when I saw their message; my heart sank. There was fear in their eyes. The kind that no child should see from their parents. They needed me and so I had to go.

Days later I was on New Cov in one of the older domes. It made sense that they would hide there away from the capital. Two of my security detail came with me, dressed plainly yet still armed. In my mind I was certain that they just needed to be taken out of New Cov. Afterall the planet is not yet at war and I have heard of no reports of a rebellion.

The warehouse smelled as any abandoned building would. It was large and derelict. I thought that I could hear their voices fainlty in the dark. "Mother? Father?" My voice echoed in the chamber as I quickened my pace. But it was not them that I had seen. Instead it was but another holo-projector.

This is not right. I could feel it.

The grinding of metal on metal confirmed my suspicions, as did the hiss of the hydrolics. It did not take long for my two guards to rush towards the doors. One kept the barrel of his blaster outward; peering through the darkness while the other searched the walls for a mechanism to open it up again. I remained where I was near the holo-projector so that the guards could see me clearly.

"Where are you two?" I whispered under my breath, knowing that the answer would come soon enough.

Tag: Mercy

 

[Mercy]

Liin Terallo

"You know, it's funny..." The voice suddenly piped up from the back of the facility, echoing through the metal corridors. "...when I saw your bounty poster, I felt like I knew you."

Liin would start to hear steps as the voice came closer, the steps turning into soft tremors against the floor. Whatever was talking and approaching, it seemed to be rather big.

"Then I realized! We met a long time ago, on this very planet. You managed to elude me then... a Grandmaster's assistance helped... but that was then."

Finally Mercy stepped out of the shadows.

"Hello, darling. Don't you think this was pre-ordained?" She glanced towards the two guards that were with Liin. For now Mercy didn't bother them, just keeping an eye out on the off chance they try to do something stupid. Something heroic to try and save their employer. It didn't happen that often, not when they realized they had to keep craning their head up just to meet Mercy's eye.

But you never knew.

"Now, nobody needs to get hurt." Mercy smiled softly. "But I don't mind, of course. Do you want to do this the easy way... or the hard one?"

 

[Liin Terallo]

The voice echoed through the warehouse; bouncing off of the walls. It relayed itself louder than the holofeed of my parents looping where I stood. And then came the heavy footfalls. Something big was coming. Was it another holo-transmission?

The guards ceased their search for an exit and rejoined my side, weapons still drawn. I held my ground. Her words hinted at a past encounter. Yet it was not until I looked upon her face that the recognition kicked in. Years ago there was an attempt made for capture of me, back when I was just a junior member of the Board. Some upstart wanted to blackmail NCBC and the Board, but their attempt had failed.

"Where are my parents? Is this transmission a fake? If it is just the bounty that you are after than I can pay you more than it is worth. Then we could all go home. That sounds like an easy way, does it not?" There are some bounty hunters that can be bought. While others cannot. It all depends on what decree they hold and where their loyalties lie. But given our past history, she may not allow me to slip from her grasp again so easily.

Tag: Mercy

 

[Mercy]

Liin Terallo

"Oh, you poor thing." Mercy murmured with faux-sympathy as she came to stop halfway through the distance between them.

"This isn't about money, poppet."

Mercy glanced at the two guards. "If you two put your weapons down, I will let you leave with your head on your neck. Otherwise I am afraid this will get messy and the darling here will get blood on her pretty clothes."

For now she'd let them be regardless of what they did, so she could refocus on the true target of today's meeting.

"It's not your head I need, my dear, it is the brain inside. Apparently someone has been naughty naughty and working on some illicit experiments she shouldn't have? It has drawn the attention of our illustrious Prince and Underlord. Who would like you to work for him." Then a shrug. "I am doing it this way to make it clear you have no opportunity to say no. Either I take you in by force or we go all good and comfortable like."

She grinned.

"Choice is yours."

So far Mercy hasn't mentioned her parents even once.

 

[Liin Terallo]

The pet names, and the way that she cooed at me as though I was some little child that needed a scolding was disturbing. Not only that; it was twisted. This woman was unhinged.

I wanted to run. I wanted to disappear. But I am not one of those Force Wizards that are able to teleport. I am essentially locked in a metal box with my guards and with her. And while she is not one to be bought off; perhaps someone else will be. Not her Prince mind you; but anyone else working for him. Credits are the most important thing to them, right? I might not have much of my own; but I have connections with others that do.

"Let them go," I requested, giving the two guards the signal to lower their weapons. If anything they could be vital to my rescue, letting others know what had transpired here today. Otherwise it would seem as though I had just vanished.

The two men lowered their rifles, even going so far as to setting them down onto the warehouse floor before stepping back away from them.

My eyes were drawn to the flickering holo-images of my parents. The urgent look in their eyes and the words that playing in a loop still echoed throughout the abandoned warehouse. Was it even real? She did not respond on the subject at all.

"The need for force is not neccesary. I will go with you." With each word uttered I felt heavier and heavier. It is the synthetic Force that her Prince is after. And there is little doubt in my mind that he wants to use it like the Imperials did. But I cannot allow that to happen. In whatever ways possible I will have to thwart my own efforts. Afterall, they do not know that I have been successful. Do they?

I can only hope that they do not.

Tag: Mercy

 

[Mercy]

Liin Terallo

"Mm, obedience, now that is a trait sorely missed in the Galaxy of today." Mercy purred warmly as her eyes flicked down to the guns being put on the floor. It was rather obvious what was happening here. Liin was hoping to keep the guards as witnesses, so that they could let people know what had happened.

Otherwise it would just seem as if the woman dropped off of the face of the earth.

Smart.

Mercy considered this for a moment and decided she didn't care.

"And obedience is something I wish to encourage, so, your people can run along. They can tell whoever they wish what happened." A shrug there and then flicking her hand.

Visually, it just seemed as if she swatted the air in pursuit of a mosquito. But the physical reaction happened almost immediately. Both the guards crumbled suddenly to the floor, when hard force connected with their heads and knocked them unconscious. "But I don't want them to interfere while we are leaving, you understand, I hope."

Mercy drawled with a smile and lightly walked towards Liin.

Once near her, Mercy offered her hand. If there was a chance to try and take Mercy out, it would be now, in close proximity while she seemed heedless of any danger.

 

[Liin Terallo]

I stood there on edge while she spoke. Every word, every phrase could have a double meaning. I could not trust her. And the fate that she presented me with was not one that I wanted to have.

The suddeness of my guards falling to the floor caused me to jump where I stood. I turned and approached them, kneeling down so that I may check their pulses. My hands trembled but I found the evidence that I had sought. They were indeed alive.

I could smell the static energy beginning to build around me; partly out of my own fear. But I did not want another shockwave to happen. I needed to remain as calm as possible.

Slowly I rose to my feet; only to see her standing there with her hand held out towards me. And in that moment an idea sprang to mind. There would be consequences, surely; but it could be my only means of escape. I refocused the static energy building around me and centered it on my hand that I then placed into hers. And as our skin touched, I sent through her a bioelectric pulse which I hoped would be enough to stun her, just as she had stunned my guards. If it works then I could arm myself and then hopefully find a way out.

Tag: Mercy