Off the Grid (Coryth)

[Hevana Martin]

Hevana did not like to consider herself as being needy. She was, but she did not like considering it. Still, having spent most her adult life in some sort of military organization she understood that circumstances often forced lengthy separations from loved ones. That said, there came a time when lack of contact became too lengthy. It had been ages since anyone had heard from Coryth, and give the little redhead's track record that usually implied Bad Things had occurred.

Given that said redhead was also a potentially valuable asset to Firemane, Hevana managed to persuade management to let her hunt the wayward Jedi down. So with a pilot and intel weenie in tow, the soldier set off to scour the Galaxy, one broken nose at a time.

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

 

[Coryth Elaris]

[member="Hevana Martin"]

Coryth had been gone, for an extraordinary amount of time. No phone calls, no letters, no nothing. She'd been out of touch for a couple months, which was odd even for her. Usually she'd drop a line, a message, or at least check in with the Firemane management. But not this time.

Back on Corellia, the Prophetess was still sitting in port. Upon it one might find a few datapads with information on a distant but relatively little known rim planet, the indigenous tribes there, and a small note on a recent conflict but there was little more. It didn't seem the usual type of thing that the little Jedi would get involved in. Not in the least. A few other datapads lay strew about, even a message from an old friend on Coruscant. Nothing really gave a clue to where the little woman could be.

A sigh came as Coryth stirred from her restless slumber. Bound hands lifted to wipe the sweat from her brow as she glanced around in the dark. Crates seemed to be piled around her and the force cage that she currently sat it. "Never .... ever .... drinking ceremonial tribal juice again. Ever." One couldn't help but notice the subtle movement, as they hit hyperspace.

"Ugh, this is so not happening." But it was, it was happening to her, again. To think it all started with a genuine desire to help the people of the nameless little planet, spent weeks among them, healed them, and now here she was. All alone in a cargobay, and trapped. She still wasn't even certain who exactly had her, or for what reason, but that was bound to come out eventually.

Seeing a little lizard cross the floor she sighed once more, "Just had to have Ysalamiri. What kinda of pretentious ass carries around pet Ysalamiri... Oh right, the kind that wants to keep force users for pets..." If she wasn't still moderately drugged, the redhead might actually have gotten angry at that little fact. For now though, she curled back up on the hard floor, and closed her eyes to try and sleep off the massive hangover she was feeling.

 

[Hevana Martin]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

The trip to Corellia had been frustratingly low on information, but Hevana had decided to follow a hunch. Despite the intel weenie's desire to go immediately to Coruscant, she had sent them to the rim. Indigenous tribe that might need healing? Yeah, Coryth all over. Hell, sometimes it was surprising the Jedi was not out healing injured sith cause they're people too. Of course Hevana was honest enough to admit that was one of the redhead's most attractive features, when one spent their life dealing death and destruction there was appeal in someone that brought life and joy instead.

So to the backwaters Hevana went. As one foot rested firmly on the throat of one tribesman, she held another in the air crushing its windpipe while glaring at the rest. "I'll ask you one more time where she is, then I start breaking necks," she said coldly.

"Ma'am!" the intel guy called. "I've found evidence of a ship leaving not long ago. I think with it and what I've, uh, learned so far from the locals I think I know where it's going."

Hevana turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, not yet letting the tribesman loose. "Then let's get moving."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

As the ship shot through hyperspace, and a few hours passed, Coryth once more stirred from her drug induced slumber. Once more tired, and bound hands came up to wipe the sleep from her eyes, along with a bit of sweat that had formed while she was out. "Oh, my head..." She groaned. With her vision returning she took notice of a dark and imposing figure standing in front of her little force cage.

"I'd imagine you feel like a pile of poodoo."

"That'd be a gigantic understatement." Rubbing at her forehead, slowly she was starting to come to her senses. "And who the hell are you?"

"You don't remember do you?"

"If I did, do you think I'd be asking?"

"Perhaps not." He spoke softly. "Tatoonie ring any bells?"

"Uh... you're going to have to be a bit more specific. Far too many people on that planet have a habit of kidnapping me." Grumbled as the little Jedi's head bobbed forward, dizziness taking over. "Mind telling me when this crap is going to wear off?"

The being glanced to a watch upon his wrist. "I figure you have a good eighteen hours or so left."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me.... What the hell did you use on me?"

"The juice the tribe offered you, has an interesting effect on sedatives. Increasing their duration ten fold."

She sighed heavily, "You aren't one of them. But I can assume you've spent time with them."

"Only as much as you."

"You followed me there...." A statement more than anything else.

"You expect less of me?"

"I still don't know who you are!" She shouted, but soon regretted it as the throbbing in her head grew immensely worse.

"You really don't remember do you?"

"I think that's rather obvious by now." Coryth spoke as she laid her head in her hands. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"The money I lost because of you, a good fifteen years ago."

"Oh you have to be joking, come on!" She was getting rather angry at that point.

"Once a slave, always a slave Coryth. There's a certain Hutt's cousin who wishes to have you, Jedi or otherwise."

Coryth blinked. "Do any of you people ever let things go? It was fifteen years ago! For a slave lost almost thirteen years prior to that. Of all the things, and reasons, THIS is the one you people pick! One would think you people would learn to be original after a while!"

"Not my problem. I lost a hefty paycheck when you escaped, and I fully intend to get that back." A cheeky smile appeared on the creatures lips, "So just sit back and relax. We'll be landing in Mos Eisley shortly, and you'll be back where you belong." With that the being left the room, sealing the cargobay doors back behind him. It seemed the little redhead's past was coming back to haunt her. In perhaps the most annoying way possible.

A heavy sigh followed as she felt a slight shift in the ship, and a telltale roar as they started to entered into the atmosphere of what she could only assume was Tatoonie. "Seems like I'll be visiting the old homestead. For a problem I thought was long dead. Where the hell do these people get off holding grudges for decades? I'm just one escaped slave, from over twenty years ago. One would think these people could learn to let it go."

[member="Hevana Martin"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

Hevana paced impatiently around the ship as it traversed hyperspace as well. "You're sure it's Tatooine sand you found?" she asked after coming to a sudden stop.

"Yes ma'am. Traces of dewback... DNA, were present among the grains. It is statistically unlikely to have come from any other planet. Even if Tatooine is not the ship's destination, we know they must have come from there and from there we may be able to determine who it is we are dealing with."

Hevana grunted in annoyance. She understood that, but it felt like a step backward rather than a step forward. Unfortunately the tribals had been as useless as they had been drunk. "What is the biggest city on that hellhole?" Having only been there once, she had never bothered to learn the locales. It was not a planet most people even knew existed, just another barely habitable rim world.

"Mos Eisley," the intel guy replied.

"Then that is our destination. Expect an unfriendly welcome." With that Hevana began preparing her gear. She was not expecting a fight, but that certainly had not mattered in the past. Besides, if someone had kidnapped Coryth an unfriendly welcome was the least of the kidnappers worries.

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

 

[Coryth Elaris]

The ship soon landed into the burning sands of Mos Eisley. The tell tale shift in the other cargo in the room with her, gave Coryth a small clue of that fact. Still dizzy, still feeling much like poodoo, she groaned heavily as the same creature entered the cargobay and approached her force cage.

"This can be done one of two ways, little Jedi." He said firmly, a heavy durasteel slave collar in his hands. "One you can put this on willingly, the easy way. Or I can force it upon you. Either way I seriously doubt you'll be able to put up much of a fight with your current circumstances.

Coryth could only glare for a moment. No part of her wanted to willingly put that collar on. It was a matter of principle. "I'm not putting that thing on. So I guess the hard way it is." For a moment, she wondered why he hadn't just put it on while she was passed out. Then the booted feet she could hear on the deck gave her the simple answer. He hadn't had the collar when the journey started.

"Always making things more difficult than they have to be." He said with a sigh. "Even as a teen you were like this. Most annoying feature I must admit." Stepping forward, he turned off the force cage. Coryth had tried to dart out of the way the moment the field dropped, but promptly fell upon her face as the being reached out, snatching her arm, and helping her ever so kindly to the floor. A few seconds of futile struggling, and she heard the collar snap closed around her neck.

Hearing that sound, brought back memories the redhead wanted no part in, tears already welling up in her eyes. "You don't have to do this, please..."

"Is that a hint of fear I detect?" He asked as he drug her to her feet, and giving her a bit of a forceful push towards the door. "I'm afraid I have to Coryth. I'm bound by a contract, one there is no way out of for me. So, yes I must do this."

Soon forced into the bright light of the twin suns, the little redhead cringed, ducking her head down to avoid the pain that came with the sudden shift from dark to light. The men that had only recently joined them, seemed so familiar as Coryth finally was able to see again. Belonging once to the Hutt who had owned her. A Hutt that she'd helped to kill.

Roughly, she was thrown into a cage in the back of a large speeder, along with a kit containing Ysalamiri. It seemed these boys covered their bases well. Coryth sighed heavily, as she reached up and tugged at the slave collar, every bit hating the feel of that cold metal upon her skin.

It didn't take long for the little caravan to reach it's final destination. One that made her stomach turn. It was the same compound she'd been held in as a teen. Tears came easily now as the group around her lifted her cage from the vehicle and carried her inside.

Her eyes moved up to the pedestal in which an ... old friend was laying. "Zolchi, you slime ball, never thought I'd see the day when we'd ..." Her words were cut off with a yelp as the slave collar around her neck sprang to life. Coryth gasped for breath as the collar finally eased off.

"Welcome home Miss Elaris, or should I say.... Master Elaris."

Coryth growled at the words, more than a little angry. "What the hell do you want from me? You'd have thought with your puny brain that you'd have forgotten all about me."

"After killing my cousin, no. You, could not be forgotten." The Hutt's dark grin spread across his lips, and sickening laughter filled the room, "What I want from you? Oh I want nothing from you, other than to make you a lovely decoration upon my wall. I've heard carbonite is a most unpleasant substance. You'll make a good statue, in which I can keep till the end of my days."

"Those days, just might be rather numbered." She grumbled, as the grouping of the Hutt and his counterparts all headed off to a side room, Coryth in tow. The little redhead, bordering on the edge of panic as she looked up to find the system for carbonite freezing, already setup, and technicians waiting for her. She glanced frantically from side to side as they set her cage down, along with the crate of Ysalamiri. The door of her prison soon opened, and she did her best to cling to the bars in the back of the cage, anything to try and stall her fate just a little longer.

"Come now Coryth, have a little dignity." Zolchi spoke to her, rather amused by the woman's fears.

Finally the men pushed their way in, managing to remove her fingers from the bars, and drug her most forcefully out of the cage, and pulled her towards the table. Still weakened by the drugs and the tribal drink, there was little she could do beyond what she already had, to put up a fight. Once out of the cage it was a very simple matter to place her on the table, and soon the carbonite solution was filling the space around the little Jedi.

[member="Hevana Martin"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

When her ship landed on Tatooine, Hevana descended its ramp in full combat gear. Which given the unending heat on the planet was a good thing, its internal climate control kept her from dying of heat exhaustion. The intel specialist followed after her wearing only a sidearm, but that was okay. She was carrying enough weaponry for the both of them.

At first the locals seemed hesitant about speaking, but despite her short stature it seemed even the tough skinned locals were nervous about being question by a woman carrying a missile launcher, grenades, and countless other equally deadly devices. Perhaps it was word of the knife she had planted though one drug dealers hand that finally started loosening lips, but the missile launcher couldn't have hurt!


"One person says he saw a small red headed girl being taken away to a Zolchi the Hutt's place. I was able to get rough directions some local thoughs that used to work for them."

"Give me the directions," Hevana said holding out her hand and memorizing them with a glance. "Follow me, but keep a distance. I've never heard of a hutt with light security, so I'm going to have to go in hot."

Once she knew where she was going Hevana began heading toward the hutt's hideout as fast as she could without losing her subordinate. When she neared the complex she slowed down, eyes darting about. The only real external defense appear to be a pair of heavy repeaters next to the doors. Likely the real defenses were inside, with the repeaters more for intimidation than anything.

Still, they had to be dealt with first. Falling to her knee, Hevana pulled her missile launcher over her shoulder and aimed it at the ground directly between the repeaters. Pulling the trigger, she let sail a missile that followed true to its destination exploding in a massive fireball and slagging both repeaters beyond use. Not to mention taking out the guards manning them.

Sliding the launcher back against her back she took off at full speed brandishing her Mk I Bolter in one hand and shoto saber in the other. As a new guard appeared at the blackened entrance, she fired a bolter round into his chest killing him and anyone within the blast radius behind him. A few seconds more and she was hopping over the charred remains and into a stairwell leading strait down.

A group of thugs tried to ambush her as she rounded a corner, but they ran strait into the glowing blade of her shoto. Four quick slashes and they were disposed of. Over the sounds of battle she heard noises coming from another stairwell. Charging into it she found a whole mess of the hutt's men, the hutt himself, in a side room with what was clearing an active carbonite freezing system in this room.

The scene, and a decision on what was happening and how best to respond flashed instantly through her head. Even before she had fully entered the room the shoto was tossed up, the empty hand gripped a vibroblade from her belt, and the vibroblade was sent flying toward the freezing system, embedding itself deep into the device and cutting it off.

Catching her shoto, Hevana pointed her bolter toward the window. "Your move slug."

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

 

[Coryth Elaris]

With the carbonite freezing system dead, the freezing process had been nearly complete. The block that contained the tiny redhead, slowly starting to thaw. Soon enough the little Jedi would be able to move, free from the horrid stuff, but that time was not now.

The Hutt glared down at Hevana. The alarm had already been raised within the palace. His bulbous eyes shifted as he glanced to a group of men approaching from behind. "Kill her." The only words that needed to be spoken, as the rest of his men approached the trooper from the front.

"If the Jedi moves, end her too." The Hutt said firmly, as fire from various blasters rang out through the halls. Hevana might have been armored and well protected. In Coryth's state, slowing awakening from the carbonite slumber as it melted away, she was rather helpless. The Ysalamiri certainly were not helping that situation either. He may have wanted Coryth as a trophy, but he'd settle for dead as well. He wasn't truly that picky. Though, if truth be told, he was disappointed about losing the nice piece of art that Coryth would have made.

Now Zolchi really enjoyed breathing. In his best interest, he started to slither away, for in an actual fight, the old slug was rather useless. And one thing you can guarantee about a Hutt, they will always save themselves at the earliest possible moment. No need to risk a messy death. He also figured Hevana would do the foolish thing, and save the tiny woman from a horrible fate, which would buy him a little time to gather reinforcements and find a means of escape.

[member="Hevana Martin"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

She had given the hutt a chance to live, but he had turned it down. Naturally as soon as he ordered her death she started moving, she was not one for listening to the speeches of her enemies. Dropping a standard thermal detonator she kicked it toward the group approaching her then sprang toward the carbonite freezing hole. Mid leap she fired a bolter round at the hutt's back knowing even if he survived he would have a very large chunk missing. Then using the recoil she spun her body and raised her light repeater with her other arm firing it at the group behind her.

Landing on the ground and going prone she used her body as a shield as she fired another bolter round toward the rear group before turning her repeater toward the first group and firing more blaster bolts toward the remainders. "Coryth, could use some back up about now."

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth managed to blink, frightfully cold, and shivering as the material drained away. Thoughts weren't exactly forming for her, but at least she'd not been in the carbonite long enough to cause temporary blindness. "Y-sa-la-mir-i." Cory chattered out, attempting to get the point across that she was next to worthless. You took the force away from her and she was nothing but a tiny fragile woman with a bad temper. Simple fact was, she wasn't going to be much help to anyone for the time being. Those annoying little lizards had to go first. Beyond that, she simply ducked down as far as she could in the hole, keenly aware that she had no armor to protect her from the blaster fire that was pouring in.

The Hutt was doing his damnedest to escape. But the bolter struck him in the shoulder, leaving the beast to howl in agony. It if hadn't been for extremely thick skin and a large layer of blubber beneath, Hevana might have killed Zolchi then and there, but such luck was not to be had. He kept moving, trying to get the hell out of the room before anything else happened.

The rest of the men in the room, what remaining few that were still alive had sought cover and continued their attempts to kill the soldier. Perhaps it was a good thing, that Coryth was in no condition to help. There was just something about Coryth that attracted trouble in spades. No doubt if she stuck her head out of the little hole in the ground she was bound to catch a blaster bolt or six.

[member="Hevana Martin"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

"Fraking lizard things," Hevana mumbled under her breath.

Using the moment of the enemies taking cover, she searched the room and saw the menance in its crate. Having little respect for its life when it came to her own and Coryth's, Hevana fired the last bolt from her current magazine turning it into crispy lizard bits. Dropping the bolter next to her, Hevana swung her missile launcher down. The goons clearly were smart enough to dive for cover as she did, but Hevana did not let that bother her. Targetting just above one of the groups, she let it fly and let the auto-detonator do the rest.

Before the other crimminals could return to firing she sprang up and charged them leaving the missile launcher behind. Vaulting over their cover she pulled out her shoto and shoved it through the nearest one's face. Her repeater was pressed against the chest of another, and soon he was cripy bits as well. Her shoto and repeater danced as she mowed through the rest of them ignoring the heat and pain of glancing blows against her thin armor.

[member="Coryth Elaris"]

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Yeah, Coryth personally had a few choice words for those lizards, that weren't for polite company. With the shot fired, and the little creatures life ended so abruptly, the force flooded back like a tidal wave into Coryth's mind. It took a moment, for Coryth to even gain her bearings in the cacophony of noises, the battles between life and death. Each death, felt so harsh, so close to her. Too real. Before she could even begin to help Hevana she had to help herself. Forcing her guards walls back into place she sealed out most of the pain and agony felt, to where it eased into the back of her mind as a dull twinge with each passing soul.

It was funny to think, that most people assumed the tiny Jedi fought with a saber. That she needed a saber, but that couldn't be further from the truth. As long as the redhead had her mind, there was nothing she could not do. Now Coryth did not hesitate, reaching out with the force, she plucked Hevana up and pulled her into the small hole. "Stay." She commanded. The little redhead's body might still have been a touch loopy from the drugs, the drink.... but this, her mind could not have been more clear in that particular moment. First she needed to protect Hevana from what she was about to do. Second well, it was about damn time that people needed to learn that the most powerful weapon the little woman needed, was her mind. The only weapon she needed.

Calling upon the Force, she pulled hard against the infinite strands of power. Coryth was not happy, and someone's day was about to get karked up beyond all repair. In an instant she lashed out, sending a shockwave of force rippling out through the room, all but the epicenter where they were tucked into the hole, was caught up in the crushing wave of invisible energy. All objects, bodies, and weapons were caught up in the mess, thrown against the walls. Machinery was ripped from the floors, shattered. A few men impaled on what was left. Something that would pain her greatly, after it all sunk in.

Now was was that saying about redheads? Never piss one off if you want to live. Yup. That summed it up nicely. Coryth far from played fair when she was pissed off. Today, she had been pushed too far. All by people who long should have forgotten her. They all poked the proverbial buttons. Without the force, Coryth had been happy to put aside her anger at the situation, to give into sorrow and fear of what would come. Slavery truly was something she feared, when she could no longer be the master of her destiny, forever bound to be property, forced to do as another pleased to the end of her days. It was not a life she ever wanted to revisit. Thoughts feelings and emotions, all felt that Coryth had never wanted to feel again. That was perhaps one of the many mistakes of the day made.

As rustling was heard, the Jedi Master drew upon her powers wrapping a protective bubble of the force around them both as she lifted her head. "Force bubble is keeping us safe, for the moment. So long as you stay by me you'll remain protected. Seven alive in this room," The Force confirmed two more deaths around them. "Correction, five. More people are heading this way." Coryth stating the obvious as the sounds of booted feet in the hallways, could be heard growing closer.

Involuntarily the small Master found herself shivering. The chill still hadn't worn off from her body, freezing her down clean to her core. As much as she wanted to stop, to rest, get warm, it simply was not possible. There just wasn't time. For now she was just going to have to deal with it. Without another second of delay, the Jedi used the force to help herself free from her temporary prison, only waiting long enough for Hevana to join her, before she started for one of the machines that had been ripped free from the wall. As she took the first step towards the cover of the equipment, Cory found her knees threatening to give way. It seemed she was still weakened, and while she had great skill within the force, under these circumstances the woman could not last forever.

[member="Hevana Martin"]

 

[Hevana Martin]

Another mook was sent to an early grave when suddenly Hevana found herself hurtling backward with a very dignified "Gah what the flying f-" before landing inside the carbonite freezing hole doohickey. Apparently Coryth was feeling a bit better.

"Here I thought I was the Dom," Hevana grumbled as Coryth ordered her to stay put. She had a kill steak going, and Coryth had ended it! Not that she could complain too much about the support, her armor was quickly approaching swiss cheese status. The soldier was lucky that she did not have any serious burns given how bad of shape her armor was in now, but there was still plenty of time for that to change. Climbing out after Hevana, she simply nodded about the bubble then fired off five shots from her slug thrower sidearm at the twitching thugs.

"Do me a favor love?" Hevana said pulling out a frag grenade and pulling the pin. "Toss this toward whoever is coming. I need to get my weapons."

Holding the grenade for a moment, she quickly went to where her missile launcher and bolter had been thrown. The launcer was irreplacable, and she was fairly certain Siobhan would not be happy if some common crimminals suddenly started using Mk I bolters.

[member="Coryth Elaris"]