Private On the Run

[Ben Donlu]

Location: Melida/Daan

Current Outfit and Weaponry


The transport containing packages of meat touched the landing pad. About 4 guards approached the transport their blaster rifles flashing. The thrusters started to shut down and the back end of the ship opened revealing the large packages. "Come on!" One of the guards barked at the workers who marched towards the landing pad in lines of two. "The boss needs these processed by midday! Life Day is coming up! And he needs to beat his record profits from last year!"

The workers moved silently heading towards the machinery to pick up the large packages. Yet inside one of them, was a young man of about 18. Though inside of the meat packages was cold and had a repugnant smell, he kept still remembering his deep breathing exercises his Master taught him. "Breathe......" he whispered. "Just breathe......" He felt the box move he continued to remain still. He trusted the Force, it's how he survived so far. Faith, trust, and a little bit of luck. He felt the rumbling for half an hour before it dropped. He opened his eyes, pried open the box and looked around.

"Bingo," The young man leapt out of the package landing gracefully on the cold floor. "Man I can't believe that worked!" He said to himself. "But it wasn't time for self congratulatory measures. It was time to get to work."

"Now....." Ben Donlu mumbled to himself. "Where is Elkon's office?"

Vulpina Kyubi

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Everyday I'm Hustlin'
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Worn Clothing
Tags: Ben Donlu

Vulpi didn't know why she was in the manufacturing district. No. That's not true. She was there because she had heard rumors of people disappearing in the district. It wasn't clear how that became her problem. Malida/Daan was only supposed to be a short stop over on Vulpi's trek around the Outer Rim. Why did she care about a few people going missing? It was the working part of town. Things probably went wrong from time to time. People lost jobs and had to move on. There were plenty of good reasons for people to disappear. Why would things be better if Vulpi stuck her nose into things?

Vulpi had a big heart that looked to heal and make things right. That being the case she was drawn to the manufacturing district. She poked around a little and asked questions. This was the fourth day that she had come to do so and all signs seemed to be pointing to the meat packing area of the district.

Vulpi had stashed her "good" clothes back at the apartment she had been using. She didn't want to stick out any more than fox ears and nine tails already made her do. Now in worn drab clothing, Vulpi walked the streets towards the meat packing facilities. She turned a corner, her eyes moving side to side. Suddenly she felt something grip around her waist. "Hey! What the…" before she could finish her yell there was a pinch on her neck and the world went dark.

 

[Ben Donlu]

Current Outfit and Weaponry

"So far so good," Ben whispered to himself quietly traversing through the dark and damp corridors of the meat processing plant. He passed by some posters hung on the grimy walls. Meechie Meat Pies were hastily crossed out as well as Bantha Burgers. The Krayt Dragon steak poster had ENDANGERED labeled above and only the posters that wasn't affected was the mystery meat poster. "New and Tasty!" It read. "Approved by the Empire of the Lost and other major factions!"

Ben raised an eyebrow. Empire of the Lost? That was a faction from the Tion Cluster. The faction wasn't of much interest of the Alliance aside from a couple of Jedi who tried to take back Lothal a few years ago but were defeated and Lothal turned into a slave planet. "It shows what kind of people these industry types are if they're to align with the likes of the Empire of the Lost?"

It was a good thing that they were destroyed but unfortunately, they evolved into something worse. The Imperials were like cockroaches that refused to die. Ben would admire their persistence if they weren't genocidal maniacs. After an hour of walking, Ben approached the grinder. Taking a breath, he used the Force to jump on platforms to the upper levels. The meat grinder was the only way to the boss' office. Might as well get started.

Vulpina Kyubi

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Figure out what is going on
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Good Question
Tags: Ben Donlu

Vulpi woke up in a fog, literal and figurative. Her mind was swimming and groggy but as her eyes focused there was definitely a misty fog in the room she was located. She shivered and tried to hug herself. That was when she noted she couldn't move.

For a moment Vulpi thought it was lingering effects of whatever they shot her up with, but she was able to feel just not move. She doubted her abductors had anything that fancy. Cold radiated from her back. She was able to move her hands a little and felt a metal table beneath her. Holding her in place seemed to be some sort of plastic wrap. In a panic her head moved around taking in her environment as much as possible, but it was the Force that told her she was not alone.

"Hello? What am I doing here?" she called out. She wasn't sure what she expected.

"Ah. The new one wakes. Too clean and pretty to actually be from the district. I was about to ask you the same question," it was a male voice, older, from the area next to Vulpi.

"I was investigating rumors of disappearances. Then something grabbed me. Where are we now?" Vulpi responded, still a little woozy.

"Prep area. They like the meat cold before processing. You aren't human…I am not sure how long you have. Depends if they think holding you will be trouble. Had a rich kid here by accident once. Didn't even give them an hour to chill…" that was an ominous thought. No one was coming to look for Vulpi. But she also wasn't a faceless worker of the factories. When would they come for her? The Kitsune struggled against the wrap holding her in place, but it was no use.

 

[Ben Donlu]

Current Outfit and Weaponry

Ben used the Force to guide to where he was going. All he knew was that the Force led him to Melinda/Daan due to rumors that Elkon possessed his Masters Lightsaber as part of his collection.

Ben stumbled in the dark his hands reaching out grabbing hold onto the slippery metal wall to maintain his balance. The only source of light were the glow in the dark painted arrows guiding him to his location.

Ben began to shiver, the cold wind bristled against his dark skin. His mind mottled by what his master told him before he died on Coruscant. Forgiveness? What was he talking about? “He couldn’t be talking about……” Ben mumbled his once hazy mind now coming into focus. “No I can’t forgive!”

“So cold,” Ben mumbled as the area he reached was getting colder. He saw a light ahead, stumbled to it. As he stepped inside, he heard the lurching of hinges. Aaron turned around and saw the metal door slammed in front of him. “Hey!” Ben rushed towards the door trying to open it but all he heard was loud click.

“Frack…..” Ben’s teeth began clacking as he turned around seeing a shillioute of a woman being chained up. Squinting, the lights turned on and Ben saw a woman chained up in the middle of the freezer. “Chit…..” Ben mumbled inching towards the girl.

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Figure out what is going on
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Good Question
Tags: Ben Donlu

As the other captive predicted, Vulpi was not "chilling" for long before two scary looking beings appeared standing over her. They were grunting and growling in a primitive language that Vulpi did not understand. She gave a look to the others in the room. No one had been brought in to the freezing area since her, by the fact that everyone else seemed to be frozen into an unconscious state, Vulpi guessed they had all been there for some time.

"Where am I? What do you intend to do with me?" Vulpi rasped out in a query.

The two "workers" started talking to each other again. In mid sentence Vulpi suddenly began to understand them. "They said it doesn't matter if she is frozen, she obviously does not belong with these others. She needs to be gone."

"Cleaning the machine is going to be hell! We don't even know what her insides look like."

"She is mammal like the rest. She will bleed mostly the same. You are right cleanup is going to suck!"

The workers moved to grab Vulpi. One threw a white drape over Vulpi and the other started to push the table Vulpi. The table moved, a repulsive gurney of some type. "I do not wish to go anywhere!" Vulpi exclaimed, which only got a couple of hissing laughs in return.

After a short time the table came to rest in front of a large vat of some sort. One of the workers moved to Vulpi's feet and placed binders on her ankles. The other worker disappeared. A clanking of chains was heard before it reappeared attaching the chains around Vulpi's wrists. "Take her up,"

Vulpi started to lift off the table a worker tossed the drape aside and cut the plastic wrap that had been holding Vulpi to the table. The young Kitsune slowly was lifted up by her wrists. She twisted her body helplessly, rattling the chains as she continued to rise. Completely exposed to the cold of the facility. Though she doubted that would matter for long. "HELP! Please! Stop this!!"

 

[Ben Donlu]

Current Outfit and Weaponry

Ben reached the meat processing area. It stank of blood and raw meat, as he walked across the platform, he could see the conveyor belt beginning to move causing the young man to cock an eyebrow. The new meat was ready to be cut up so soon? That was strange. Ben walked towards the freezer his body shivering and saw two guards shackling what appeared to a piece of meat. Upon a closer look, Ben's eyes grew wide seeing that it wasn't meat, it was a girl.

A young woman around his age exposed and chained up. She was screaming for help before being lifted up. The men laughed at the helpless girl before walking away. Ben quickly hid behind the frozen meat as they walked away from the freezer closing it. "Oh great....." Ben mumbled but there was no time to dwell on it. Ben walked from his hiding place approaching the girl. "Hey!" Ben called out. "Are you okay?"

Vulpina Kyubi

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Figure out what is going on
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Good Question
Tags: Ben Donlu

Vulpi sighed in relief when the factories "workers" left behind. Their laughs were ominous, but as long as they stayed put Vulpi didn't have much hope for escaping. She still wasn't sure what it was she was trying to get out of. What happened here. She had picked up some of what the workers were saying. There was a machine. It would require cleaning, and cold or frozen meat made that easier. Vulpi was not exactly worldly, so the inner workings of a processing plant continued to elude her.

The chains around her wrist clanked as they were pulled taught. Vulpi's hands started to raise up, followed by her head and her shoulders. The drape that had been placed over her fell away leaving nothing but skin to combat the cold of the factory. She heard the voice, speaking Galactic Basic. A male voice. Vulpi tried to twist and contort her body to provide as much modesty as possible, but she couldn't be too focused on that. She needed his help more than to hide herself.

"HELP!" she cried out again. "Yes! Over here! Hurry before this machine eats me up."

 

[Ben Donlu]

Current Outfit and Weaponry

Ben could feel his heart thumping against his chest as if it was trying to escape. The cold air wrapped around his skin causing him to shiver though he did not immediately hug himself warmth. Ben stood there stunned at what he saw, a woman being chained up in the middle of frozen meat. Why? Was she going to be tortured?

"Machine?!" Ben looked around but there was no sign of a machine. He didn't feel anything in the Force other than the cold. "I don't see anything!"

There was no time to dwell on that, Ben was delayed in getting to the CEO's office but there was no way that he was going to leave the woman to her devices. "Hang on!" Ben drew his Sword and attempted to slash the chains, however the blade collided with the metal with a loud clang instead of slashing through. "What?!" Ben said. "How?! This blade is Force imbued?!"

Vulpina Kyubi

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Get help to be set free
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Do chains count?
Tags: Ben Donlu

Vulpina couldn't help a slight roll of her eyes. The man who she was depending upon to save her didn't realize that a processing plant would have a lot of machines. As if to amplify the situation loud rotors started to make noise. Behind Vulpi, above her, it seemed like the sound was everywhere. As the sound whirred to a constant hum Vulpi's feet lifted off the conveyor belt and all of her weight was suspended from the clanking chains.

Thankfully the man didn't wait around to figure out what the machine had to do with things. He stepped up and produced a sword of some sorts. Vulpi felt a strength from the sword. That was an odd feeling. The man took a swing at the chains, but the chains merely rattled. The attempt also had Vulpi swaying from side to side a little. The chains were making a louder clanking sound. Vulpi hoped the factory "workers" wouldn't hear it and notice that something was happening.

"A Force sword? Why not just use a lightsaber?" the question didn't seem like it was very timely. And the answer wouldn't make a lick of difference if something didn't break the chains, or free her in some other manner. "It doesn't feel like the chains are anything special. Maybe they are made of some special metal. Maybe there is a weak point where the chains are connected or something." Though she was no Jedi Vulpi did have a connection to the Force. She hadn't been properly trained, but she was curious. Curiosity led to experimentation. She reached out to sense the chains. Vulpi could feel the strength in the metal they were created with. Her eyes popped open as she "felt" a weakness. Her nose scrunched in frustration as she tried to find the right words to explain where the weakness was. In the end she shook her head. "There is a weakness…take another swing. I will try to guide things to make it count…"

 

[Ben Donlu]

Current Outfit and Weaponry

"I....." Did Ben really want to tell a stranger that he was actually an ex Padawan? Even though she's in peril, Ben wasn't sure it was the right time to reveal that information. The Galactic Empire is putting up bounties for any Jedi who fought on Courscant and Ben was one of them. "I don't have a Lightsaber!" Ben said as the platform continued to lift up. Ben could hear the sounds of saws ripping into the flesh of meat. He needed to hurry.

"Trust me!" Ben said looking at his sword. "This weapon is more than enough to slice away simple chains! They must be made out of Beskar or something!"

The woman then said to take another swing saying that there is a weakness. Raising an eyebrow, Ben readied his sword trusting the woman he could feel the Force inside of her..... was she.... "I'm ready!" He said. "Tell me where to swing!"

Vulpina Kyubi

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Get help to be set free
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Do chains count?
Tags: Ben Donlu

Vulpina continued to rise. She felt the uncertainty of the man who was her only hope for safety. The young Kitsune know the source of the young man's hesitation, but it really didn't matter. Vulpi had to put her faith in him and his sword. There were just plainly no other options. He announced the fact that he didn't have a lightsaber. Vulpi thought that was a bit obvious. Her question was why he didn't have one, not why wasn't he using it.

As lift continued Vulpi fought the compulsion to swing her legs as they dangled further off the conveyor. Instead she kept them crossed tightly. Her shoulders and wrists were starting to ache having all of her weight hang from them. The man said his sword would be strong enough unless the chains were beskar or something. But why would this place invest in beskar chains. It must have been something else, but what the chains were made of didn't much matter.

The young man said to tell him where to hit. Vulpi closed her eyes a moment and then she opened them and shook her head. She could still feel the weakness in her bindings. "I'm not sure I can tell you accurately where to strike. Aim for between my hands and I will guide the sword…" She hoped the man would have faith in her abilities. It was her life in the balance after all.

 

[Ben Donlu]

Current Outfit and Weaponry

"Great....." the platform continued to move until it reached a bloodied conveyor belt. Ben's eyes grew wide seeing the active rusted saws whirring a few feet ahead of them. The floor rumbled followed by the sounds of gears grinding against each other. The conveyer belt started to move at a snails pace towards the rusted saws.

“Oh no…..” Ben’s body was paralyzed with fear his brow wet with sweat. “Definitely need to hurry!”

But he had to stay calm first, Ben needed the force for this one and the woman was trying to guide his blade towards the weak point. “Here I go!” Ben closed his eyes trying to still his breathing.

“Let the Force in,” Ben closed his eyes as he repeated his Masters words. “Don’t think, just let it guide you.”

He raised his sword feeling the force flow through him like a gentle stream. Ben could also feel the woman using the Force as well and the two worked in tandem. Ben bought down the sword slicing the chains in half and freeing the woman.

“Come on!” Ben grabbed the woman holding her close to him and he leapt off the conveyor belt and onto the rusted platform.

“Whew!” Ben breathed. “That was a close one!”

Vulpina Kyubi

 

[Vulpina Kyubi]

Objective: Get help to be set free
Location: Manufacturing District, , Malida/Daan
Outfit: Not even chains now…
Tags: Ben Donlu

The shriek of rusted teeth biting empty air followed them as the chains gave way. For a split second, Vulpi felt weightless. Then Ben's arm was around her and the world lurched sideways as he pulled her from the slow crawl of the conveyor. The platform hit beneath their feet with a jarring clang, and the grinding machinery continued behind them as if disappointed its meal had slipped away.

Vulpi staggered when they landed. Her legs were slow to remember themselves after hanging bound for so long. She caught Ben's shoulder more out of instinct than intent, her breath quick and uneven as the echo of the saws rattled somewhere behind her ears. For a moment she just stood there, trembling, trying to convince her body it was no longer seconds away from being torn apart.

Alive. The realization came in uneven waves. Her ears twitched first—two russet triangles flicking toward every groan and rattle of the decrepit factory. Then her tails followed, curling close to her back rather than their usual expressive sway. The Force still hummed faintly around her senses, residual from the moment their efforts had aligned.

She looked up at Ben. Golden eyes studied him in a mixture of disbelief and relief. "You…" Her voice came out rough from disuse. She cleared her throat, pushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. "…cut it very close."

There was a small, tired smile hiding behind the words. Vulpi straightened a little, though she kept one hand lightly braced against the platform railing for balance. Her posture tried to reclaim some dignity despite the obvious ordeal she'd endured. "I thought you might miss," she admitted softly, her ears tilting in a sheepish angle. "But the Force… it listened."

Her gaze drifted briefly toward the still-moving conveyor belt and the rusted saws chewing hungrily through nothing. The sight made her tails bristle before she forced herself to look away again.

When her attention returned to Ben, there was something warmer there now—gratitude that hadn't quite found the right words yet. "You saved me," she said simply.

Then her ears perked sharply at another distant metallic groan echoing through the facility. Vulpi's eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced down the dim corridors surrounding them."…We should probably not stay here," she added, a hint of dry humor creeping back into her tone despite the lingering tremble in her legs. "Places with giant saws seem to dislike us."