Streetlight Sins

[Rajo Sobek]

"You didn't pay enough... You know that. I know that."

He let go of the Dug's skull, letting it dip back down towards its' thin chest which convulsed irregularly with each breath the pitiful creature drew in. He'd been at this for hours, and his knuckles were beginning to sore. What a stupid excuse of a job. There was no real sport in it, no real challenge. It was like hitting a child's toy, a stuffed doll that just so happened to owe his boss well over a thousand credits...

Taking a lighter from his pocket, Raj stood and drew up to the solitary window of the apartment and rested the arm of his jacket against the rusty sill. The street was dark, save for a few flickering streetlights that showed only the occasional passing soul rushing off to hide in the safety of the shadows. This was one of the dregs he least enjoyed working in, and not because it was one of the most dangerous sectors he'd ever been to, but because it was so damned depressing. Everything was covered in grime from the sidewalks to the walls, and all he could think of was finishing up here and being off to his bed. Not yet though. He wasn't done yet.

He lit a cigarette he'd drawn from his pocket and took a long drag, losing himself for a moment as he drew in the classically flavored smoke. The smell reminded him of home. He wasn't at work in that instant, but sitting alongside Tennek in his workshop on Bonadan. It was one of the few memories he actually enjoyed about that spot of the galaxy... Sometimes he wished he were still there instead of taking orders from a low-born Hutt, but that was life.

It was time to wrap up. He'd certainly had enough of the Dug, still cowering somewhere behind him. He was probably hoping his friends from across the way might come and scare off the enforcer, intimidating as he was. Raj knew better. He knew that all of the prying eyes that watched him were afraid of him, even now. He could feel their gazes as he turned back to face the alien, bloodied and broken. The rush of that knowledge spurred him on.

He knelt gingerly at the aliens side, slapping the back of a gloved hand against the creature's cheek to stir it. Soon he took the thing's head back into his hand and slammed it back against the wall, talking quietly into that webbed ear.

"You're not good enough for a second chance..."

A sudden shriek from the creature drew a twitch from his eye, spurring on the hand that now pushed the burning cigarette butt into the alien's skin. He didn't much care if anyone heard. After all, no one was coming.


[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

The up-sliding door of the parked police airspeeder were closed shut and she gave a thumbs up across the roof of it to her partner, Mathis. He answered it with his own - they were ready to go on foot from here, intending to not draw too much attention to themselves. Sergeant Bowers grabbed the E-11Ds pistolgrip again and took the lead down the dark and quiet road, staying close to the wall of the building. The night vision of the Minerva HUD integrated in the black, faceless helmet aided their visual perception. Along with thermal signature reading and other goodies in the endless fight against crime in the planet-wide city.

They had intel that a male dug would be having information about a criminal gang on the uprising, something that needed to be quelled with force before they got too big or merged with other gangs in the district. A simple mission, hoping for him to be asleep so things would go smooth and quick. Yet they were deep in the lower levels and the risk of running into heavier criminals were always there, that was why they had choosen to go in fully equipped with the Locke And Key police armour. Bowers made a stop sign a couple of meters from the enterance of the old and worn apartment complex. Mathis kept visuals behind them while she brought up the wrist-mounted holographic interface, double-checking the dug's details and floor and number of the apartment.

''Alright, let's do this.'' she called over the intercom. Mathis bumbed her on the shoulder and with blaster rifles at the ready, they headed through the open enterance into a dimly lit up hallway. Not a soul in sight. Smooth as silk. They orderly checked what corners they passed and made a short stop at the beginning of the stairs, letting their aural amplifiers take out any form of sounds from the floor above them. Other than some faint sound of a holo-net left on, there were none to be considered as a threat. One floor... Two floors.... Three floors... They were up. Apartment 97. On the left side, according to the still half-readable signs on galactic basic.

As they steadily made their way down the hall towards the apartment, a shrieking noise were picked up by the amplifier. She could not make out exactly who or what it was, but suddenly the mission didn't feel it would go as easy anymore. Reaching the apartment, the noise stopped just for a second and then came again. She looked back at Mathis and gave him a short nod to break up the door. He stepped in front of her and brought a tool from his back, readying it. Bowers turned on the flashlight mounted on her blaster and gave the signal. With one... And then two forceful hits in between the door and the doorframe, Mathis bent it open with ease. Sometimes, they were grateful for the lower levels often out-dated constructions and technology. She entered the apartment before Mathis who were close behind him after a quick switch to the blaster rifle again.

''Police! Hands where I see them!'' she called through the voice speaker. The helmets did a good job keeping the officers anonymus which added to instill fear and obedience in thieves and drug dealers alike. If one listened and looked closely, a keen eye could at best make out the gender of the officer.

''Hands! Hands! Lay down on the floor! Both of you!'' she ordered, slightly surprised as seeing a man knelt by the dug. They might have came here in the nick of time.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

A pit grew in Raj's stomach as soon as he'd heard the first hit on the door. Could be another enforcer calling to collect. That would have certainly made for an awkward encounter, but it was unlikely. Enforcers didn't break in doors right off the bat, only if the person inside didn't answer. No, unless it was a Herglic thug that didn't know its strength, these people weren't here for the same reason he was.

"Feth!.."

That short feeling of terror had begun simultaneously with the second hit and subsequent sound of metal being contorted. In an instant he'd drawn his blaster and put the limp dug between him and the now blinding sources of light. He didn't even have to wait for their authoritative shouts to pick out who they were. Through the obnoxious beams coming from their barrel mounted lights, he could make out the vague silhouettes of the armored officers he'd only truly encountered a few times before.

Double feth...

Even if he were foolish enough to attempt a firefight with the two, he'd not outlast that armor. They'd come prepared, and he'd suffer for it if he didn't pick the right move and fast. With that in mind, he brought the dark barrel of the blaster against the dug's cheek. Somewhere between the noise and the lights, the dug had found the strength to open its' eyes once again and struggle against it's captor, however futile that might be. He must have come to the conclusion that they were police as well because soon it was spouting some foreign gibberish at them, probably begging them not to fire. Pressing the barrel closer to the creature's chin, Raj finally shouted a warning.

"I'll shoot him right here, back off!.."

With that threat, he backed up towards the window that sat shut at the end of the room and stopped as soon as his rear touched the rusting sill. With one arm wrapped securely around the dug, blaster facing up into it's grey chin, he used his other arm to fumble for the window's control panel, failing a few times before finally landing on the small switch and flipping it. The window opened at once, thankfully being one of the few things in the apartment that hadn't completely fallen into disrepair over the years. He felt the breeze on his back and exhaled shakily. He obviously couldn't see the facial expressions of the officers, but he knew they would have him here if they were determined enough to go through with it. Funny that... Moments ago he'd had the dug's life in his hands and now the dug was the only ticket to his escape. With little more to do but plot a route, he sat against the sill, flashing a determined look towards the two officers as the dug squirmed in his grip.

"You're gonna let me go alright? And then you can have this thing all to yourselves!"

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

The targeting systems in front of her eyes flashed and highlighted the human man and warned for this, at the moment, innocent dug. For one not trained with the Minerva HUD, the information it provided could easily overwhelm the wearer of the helmet, making it more of a burden than an aid. Who was he? Why was he interested in the dug in the first place? Did he work for anyone higher up in the hierarchy of the criminal underworld? She didn't recognize his face from any wanted list or the frequent ''guests'' at the jail. The questions were many as the situation leveled out in some sort of stalemate.

''Who the hell are you?'' she blurted out instinctively, without much of a thought how she sounded. Mathis had taken a few steps sideways but also had to guard their backs, the helmets audio systems aided somewhat in that task.

Oh, how bad her police instincts wanted to know more about this guy. Arresting him for unlawful threat, larceny for a gun he most possibly didn't have a permit for and assault of their main target. The will had to stand back for reason, though. She tried a slightly more relaxed posture of her body, going from aiming through the sights of the E-11D to just directing it towards him.

''Alright... Relax, and nobody will get hurt... Do you realize what will happen if you shoot him?'' she explained and took a few deep breaths, readying herself if he tried anything stupid.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

There was no need to announce his name, that was for sure, and he left that question up as one of those things that officers yelled that nobody really ever answered; much like "Hands up!" or "Drop that gun!". The situation was odd though. With two armed officers to his front and a three story fall behind him, the decision became one of urgency. Was he willing to risk that fall? No way. He'd surely break a bone and then it would be curtains for him anyways. Keeping the blaster trained on the alien's chin, he dipped his head outside of the window, trusting that the officers wouldn't make any movements. If they did... Well... He was a man of his word.

The breeze pushed his hair around as his head slipped outside of the window frame and soon enough he saw what he was looking for. It was obvious really, the flickering neon sign that advertised cheap apartments and vacancies still hung right by the window and it was close. Quickly, he mapped out the route in his head.

Jump there... Catch a ledge there... Dont fall...

With the hastily made plan of escape, he quickly brought his gaze back to the officers, hoping that he might not have to execute it. Perhaps they would reason with him? The Coruscanti police force was one which had never given him much trouble, but one he'd done his best to avoid since dropping into the lower levels. Most, he'd heard, were corrupt.

"I have a pretty good idea of what'll happen to him if I fire, Sweetheart, so get out of here! I'm in big with the Hutts y'know? They'll put you on ice if you cause any more problems, better to leave."

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

She thought of their options for a second, not moving a muscle except for tilting her head slightly to the side and peered her eyes inside the black expressionless helmet. He seemed to feel it though, that the gaze of the two coruscanti police officers were staring him down, not wanting anything else than to bring him in. If she could have earned a credit for every time she had been called stuff like that, she would have been rich by now. A quiet snort left her and she shaked her head slightly to the man.

''Was that a threat I heard? You better mind your words, citizen...'' she said with an artificial voice through the annunciator. ''Lower the gun. And hand him over. Simple enough orders, even for a delivery boy like you to follow.'' she continued demandingly but still did not make a move against him.

What was he going to do, exactly? Jump from the window and surely break a few bones in his body, just to be ready for them to pick up down bellow? Why did he risk that?

''Being big with the Hutt's doesn't help if you're dead, right?'' she continued, trying to get him to seriously contemplate his options.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

Raj rolled his eyes at the insult, reveling in the fact that he knew that they'd not risk anything while the dug still drew breath. Still, it was quite the bind. He'd given them his position on the small hostage problem twice, and they seemed quite adamant to take him in. Couldn't really blame them though. The simple fact of the matter was that he couldn't be brought in. Not now. Not after he'd foolishly made a threat to an officer, not to mention the fact he still held an 'Innocent' at gunpoint on orders to drop him that night. No, this wasn't going to work. It was now or never.

At once, the young criminal flashed a confident smile at the officers, seeming to know very well what he needed to do next. They might not feel inclined to act, but time was only against him. If they'd done the smart thing they'd already called for backup and minutes had become precious.

"No way to talk you out of this, huh? Shame... Could'a ditched the dug and your boyfriend for a night on the town! Gonna be hard shifting all these chips by myself... But I guess I'll have to manage, 'eh?"

He was stalling now. The worse part was that he thought he might be doing a very poor job of it. It was one thing that all the other gamblers and thugs had seemed to be quite good at, delaying tactics, but he seemed to have no real talent for it. Of course, it helped to have the body shield to hold them off.

With little else to do but put the questionable plan into motion, Raj let his first leg climb over the windowsill, keeping a wary gaze on the two officers and a steady hand on the blaster. He'd have to do it fast, and he'd have to do it right. He couldn't slip. The sign itself was suspended by two fairly thick steel brackets, though it was anyone's guess as to how stable they might be with a few hundred pounds of extra weight tugging at them. He was sure they'd hold. They'd have to hold. The alternative was a clumsy fall to the duracrete below, and cold cell after that. No, he certainly wasn't going to jail tonight.

" 'Fraid I gotta tell ya' the time's come. Last chance. Chuck your guns out the window or the night gets a whole lot more interesting. Think of the guy here."

He gave a coy smile with that final taunt, moving the dug around a bit in his grasp; to show that he still had life in him if nothing else.


[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

Damn it! Now, they didn't have the option to stun them either with the risk of them both falling out of the window and straight down to the solid pavement down bellow. The optical sensors and aid systems in the Minerva HUD still flashed in front of her eyes and options begun to run out. Calling for back up now would probably stress the guy.

''Hey...! Look at me!'' she exclaimed to get the scum from looking in and out of the window. She cared little if he would fall but the dug they were after in the first place was more of a concern.

''You know that's a can't do... I have another offer for you; My partner will back out of the room...'' In the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Mathis clearly did not agree with this plan and was about to say something, before she stopped him by continuing. ''Then, I'll begin to back out and lower my blaster, at the same time you let go of the hostage.'' she paused shortly to see how it landed so far with the small time thug. ''I know it's hard to take my word for it but, I won't shoot at you. If I did, if not killing you... I'll be adding a shot wound to your injuries from falling out of that roof. And believe me, I'm tempted by it... But... I'm a cop, it's not how I work. How's that for an offer?''

She intended to get him alive and radioed Mathis over the helmets intercom, telling him to rush down to the enterance if the scum jumped.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

Funny, that almost made him want to come in. The only flaw, at least that he could see, was that it was no real solution. He'd simply remain bottled up until more of her friends could arrive and then that'd be the end of it! Poof, he'd be nicked. In a strange way, he imagined that she knew he'd not be able to accept those terms. He wondered, in the moments of silence that engulfed the room as he sat there on the sill, why they wanted this Dug so badly. What was he to them? It seemed perfectly reasonable that they might go through all of this effort to simply save an innocent, though the urgency that was put on offering up terms seemed to suggest this wasn't any ordinary alien. Regardless, he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Reasonable, but not good enough. 'Fraid it's not gonna turn out like that, Miss..."

He noticed some movement from her partner, as he'd responded, and for a few moments he thought she might well know of his plan to escape. It all seemed very cut and dry to him. That officer would run down and cut him off once he'd landed if he chose to stay and chat any longer! That was if she knew. He could only assume that she did...

Time seemed to slow as he acted. The rough Plasteel grip of his blaster weighed heavily in his hand as he became of aware of the fact that the moment had come. Was he afraid? Of course. Any moron could see hundreds of reasons to be afraid, excluding the immediate possibility of being shot or falling to death. He could be caught, tried, and slammed for life. He could die, here, in this wretched hole tonight. If it weren't for the pure adrenaline that tugged at him to just break the tension, he may well have chosen to give up. But that wasn't him. He knew what had to happen next.

In one fluid motion, he pushed the dug away from his body, towards the officers who still held their ground awaiting his final answer. He could have jumped after that. The dug was no longer weighing him down, hell, they might even let him go out of disinterest if he let the pitiful creature live! But that, truthfully, was the issue. The dug was to die. His hand shot to the steel bracket that sat adjacent to the window frame, grasping it with all he was worth before letting himself fall from the window. His other hand, however, had held its' bead on the dug's back ever since he'd let him go. He pulled the trigger, feeling nothing, but the flash of red light was bright and true. He'd no time to see the results of his grim deed, however, for his eyes slipped past the windowsill nearly as soon as he'd taken the shot.

With his grip twisting against the rusted steel girder, he winced with pain and cursed under his breath. Had he hit him? It looked as if he had! He couldn't be sure, not now, but he'd done his best. Now was the time to press on. He breathed for only a second, as that officer would surely be baring down on him, ready to plug one in his back if he gave her the chance. He swung, thrusting his weight towards the small fire escape that sat below the sign. Funnily enough, he'd never tested this sort of move. It was ad lib. Straight from the holofilms! He felt his heart fall into a pit as he let go, flying the few feet onto the escape. It was not a soft landing by any means, stumbling onto his hands and knees haplessly as he hit the steel frame, but he'd made it. Any sense of pride in having accomplished the small feat would have been overshadowed as he came back to his senses. He stood up now, a story below where he'd began, soon rushing down the rusted steps of the escape with all of the juice he could muster.

Soon enough he'd drop onto the pavement.


[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

The stalemate were suddenly broken when the delivery boy, being helt in a tight spot, did something very stupid. Damn it!

The red laser bolt went into the dugs back, and with a splash of blood and a cloud of smoke the alien fell forward head first. She swung the blaster rifle in its sling up onto the back, knelt down and grabbed the dug. With the guy nowhere to be seen, she turned her head to Mathis.

''Get him!'' she shouted through the helmet and her long running colleage dashed out of the room and down the stairs. She turned back looking down at the dug. Not much more than a second was needed to ascertain the aliens death as he draw his last breath and went limp.

''Dispatch from 31-2-2-7! Shots fired at our location. The target is dead, shot by another suspect now on the run from the address. We're in pursuit, send reinforcements. Out!'' she called in an emergency transmission over the radio before she hurriedly got up on the feet and to the window. The helmets optical sensors picked the fugitive up and yet again highlighted him in red. A feeling of anger were quickly coming to her as well as her police pursuit instincts. With a swift move, she drew the OS-104 blaster pistol from her leg holster and aimed down the fire staircase the guy were rushing down in. It was not a clear shot, but she took the chance and fired a stun shot at him - missed!

She turned and bolted out of the room and down the stairs, jumping every second step. She were not going to let Mathis face him alone. The hunt were on this night.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

Cursing under his breath at the familiar buzz of a stun cone impacting just behind him, Rajo finally rolled down onto the pavement from the decrepit old fire escape. All at once he could feel his heart begin to race as the sounds of sirens began to fill the air of the underworld. Even if they were still miles away, he could only imagine they'd be bearing down on him in minutes. In that moment of pure terror, he could only begin to run like he'd had to do so many times back on the streets of Bonna.

He took off.

The sound of sirens seemed to grow louder by the second, but soon the only sound filling his mind was the continuous slapping of his hard leather flight boots against the smooth duracrete of the alleyways. He'd turn left, then right, then left again, all in an attempt to lose any sort of tail he might have coming for him. He looked towards the skies to see if he could spot any lights from speeders but the thought of losing his footing locked his gaze back on the street in front of him.

It was strange being on the run again. He was certainly not a rich man, and he had no great army of followers to see him through life, but there is one thing that being an enforcer granted you in these sectors of town. Power. He looked like one of the scum of the street, a man not worth the dirt under a senator's shoe, but in this world he was a man to be feared. The thought that he would now be the one running for his life was quite unappetizing.

He had to stop. He had to gain his bearings and think of a plan.

Soon he'd come out of the alleyways and entered a mostly abandoned old marketplace. Signs in various languages hung eerily about him like old relics of an age long since past. The streets of Coruscant were ancient, and this place could well have been abandoned for centuries without anyone knowing of it. It would be a hive for drug dealers of all types but it would have to do for now. Heaving in air at this point, he pressed himself against the side of an old market stall and slid down onto his rear, panting and searching about for any signs of a true escape route. Of course he could try to hide in one of the many abandoned buildings about the place, but there would be officers combing the streets all night and it would only be a matter of time until he was found. Either that or they'd given up a long time ago. He hoped that it was the latter...


[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

''Hold on, Mathis! Let's stick together for this one!'' she radioed through the wrist commlink interface, just before leaping out through the enterance and heavy boots gripping onto the concrete with a thump. Not loosing that much speed, the grip helped her into another determined sprint after the crook. Better safe than sorry if the scum felt hard-pressed as soon as they catched up with him. If they did. She had the confidence to think so but of all the houndreds crooks she had met through her career, there was thousands more she had not and he was one of those; a new ''player''.

The Minerva HUD highlighted Mathis in green as she catched up on him from behind. Despite the officers gear, they were trained to work in it and not seeing it as an obstacle. It was a sophisticated tool that gave them an edge over the criminals, who most often lacked such technology.

She expected the delivery boy to try to shake them off by turning at every corner that they encountered, not wanting to be running in a straight line for too long. By her experience, they also changed directions every now and then. They had to go for that. She could not come to think of a better plan while on the run. Hearing the distant sirens gave them further comfort in the pursuit.

They exited the alleys and popped up on a large square. A quiet market which had seen better days, many years ago. What shops that were left looked closed and the only thing to be heard were the distant approach of police sirens mixed with the airspeeder traffic high above them. She panted slightly after the run and while catching her breath, the HUD of the helmet scanned the area closely of any signs of movement. Instinctively, her gloved hand detatched the stun baton from the belt. With a handsign, she ordered Mathis to the left while she took the right, the both officers beginning to sweep the area.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

His breath slowed and stopped almost immediately as the familiar sound of pounding feet finally emerged into the square he'd come to occupy. It was them alright; he could tell by the sound of their equipment shaking about on their bodies. The moments of exhausted relief he'd allowed to come over him evaporated almost immediately. These two weren't giving up and he certainly couldn't think of any way that he might begin to fight them. He had to run again. Only problem now was that they'd certainly hit him with a stun cone if he tried.

He closed his eyes, breathing lightly as he set about regaining his composure. The square was large, relative to most other areas down here, and its clear that at one point it must have been a center for some alien culture or another that had all found common refuge in the forgotten scraps of those that had come before and built these streets. Having been hiding, there was certainly no way for the young enforcer to know that they'd split up at all, but the sound of a single pair of boots walking towards his relative location sort of gave it away. It was what he'd do if he were in their shoes. It was too much ground to cover in a constant team. That was good for him. At the very least he wouldn't be taking them both on at once. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to do something like this, but he'd be lying if he claimed to not feel an itch of anxiety crawling over him at the sound of the servos on those powered suits.

Moving slowly, he got back onto his feet in a low crouch as the sounds of someone's pair of boots drew ever closer. It would either be the bird or her partner; it really didn't matter to him all too much who it ended up being. All he was focused on was the derelict entryway of what seemed like an old grocery store that sat adjacent to his stall. That would be his way out. The only problem with his plan seemed to be that he'd be dropped as soon as he tried to make his way from behind the stall to that ghostly door hanging on a rusty hinge. He had to make a decision.

He'd never shot at an officer before. He'd never had any reason to shoot at an officer before. It seemed as though that would be one of the only barriers he'd have left to cross in the metaphorical arena that made up the underworld. The armor they wore would protect them easily and he certainly didn't expect to kill anyone with the crummy sidearm he carried, powerful as it might be. He had to set them off balance, though, and that's all he could hope to do.

He waited for a few more seconds. Soon enough he'd made up his mind that the time was right and set about what he hoped wouldn't be his last maneuver of the night.

Suddenly emerging from around the corner of the stall, crouched as he was, he let loose a flurry of bolts at the approaching figure's head. It wouldn't penetrate, but he knew few beings that would remain completely cool with laser fire flying right at their eyes. If he did manage to shock his would be assailant into momentarily seeking cover, he'd take his chance and sprint into the old building to elude the two further.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

With each careful and slow step, the Minerva's photo receptors constantly scanner the area of which she looked upon. It highlighted some trails on the ground with vague footprints. Some were aliens and some were of humanoid origin, but it was hard to tell how old they were without kneeling down and thus take focus from the threat that she felt was still around somewhere. She searched for reflections in the windows but the guy were nowhere to be seen. He was still around, though. The CPD sergeant was positive on that.

The wailing sirens from approaching patrols were getting closer and louder. Suddenly, the receptors registered a threat emerging fairly close in front of her. She didn't have the time to change weapon but did manage to shield her face with the arm, before it were hit with a few laser bolts. She stumbled and fell backwards because of the surprise and shock of being fired upon at that close range. Everything went deadly fast, but still felt like minutes before her head hit the ground and the sensors of the helmet flickered and a warning sign flashed in front of her eyes.

FETH!

Mathis would surely have heard that and would be on his way over, but being nocked to the ground in front of this motivated criminal made her a sitting duck during too many seconds. She quickly catched her breath and tried to get her bearings back, before hastily dragging herself to the wall where she had some cover and could draw her own blaster. Slowly, she felt a burning sensation grow more intense on the arm that were hit. A bolt had went through and grazed her arm. This would maybe be harder than she thought.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]

 

[Rajo Sobek]

He'd slow his sprint to a jog once he'd entered the seemingly endless corridors of the old supermarket. It was dark and the only way that he was still able to guide himself was with the small pocket flashlight he'd drawn from his belt when he'd entered. The place was a dump. Old posters and newspapers showing ads for bands and articles from yesteryear were strewn about the floor and old cans of rotting food were spilled about randomly on the shelves. The place had obviously been looted more than once.

He could hear them entering the building far behind him, but he was confident that the structure's darkness would conceal him for now. It was obvious that they would be able to see just fine, what with their fancy helmets and all, but he could at least get some more distance between himself and a prison cell while they fumbled about the corridors looking for him. Hope aside, there was something he couldn't ignore. It had been a troubling thought in his mind for the entire chase, but now it seemed as though the phantom menace would finally be upon him.

The speeders with their sirens blaring sounded as if they were finally arriving out in the market where he'd just fired.

If he were any other sort of fool then he'd surely decide to hole up in some hole in the wall of the supermarket, hoping that the officers would eventually give up their search and fly back to their miserable little headquarters some miles away. He wasn't that stupid. After firing at an officer he was sure they'd tear the building apart looking for him, and perhaps that was why he was so calm. Taking no time to weave throughout the corridors, Rajo had made his way all the way to the back of the structure. It wasn't designed like the rest, and in another age the wooden doors that simply read Employees Only would have stopped any would be trespassers in their tracks. Luckily they'd been kicked in long ago.

He was in what had once obviously been a packing area now. Outside he could hear the ominous opening and closing of speeder doors which only hastened his pace towards the area he was looking for. There, set rather plainly in the middle of a section that had obviously once been relegated to the unpacking of frozen foods was an old metal grate. Where did it lead? Of course that didn't matter to him; all that mattered was that it was there. Without a second thought he brought his hands to the metal rungs and began to pull like mad. It was simply disgusting, the feeling of old grease and chunks of what he could only hope weren't feces against his hand almost made him want to reach for the blaster, but he kept pulling until it gave way with a low groaning sound.

With some effort, he managed to pull it out of position and with a horrible scraping sound it fell down into the depths of the sewer. Heaving after the exercise, Rajo couldn't help but smile at the fathomless confines of the stinking pit.

"Kriff..." he'd say between breaths, "'Gotta get back on the weights..."

The sound of boots made him look back towards the entrance of the packing area. He could see light beams cutting through the suffocating darkness and reflecting off the back wall. Well. They were too late to catch him here. With little clue of what awaited him below, he tucked his arms in and dropped down into the depths of the sewage line, leaving nothing but an open hole in the floor to mark his escape.

[member="Jessica Bowers"]

 

[Jessica Bowers]

The red and blue flashes from another police airspeeder filled the alley that they had entered the square from, just as Mathis threw himself to a knee beside her and dug up a medpac from a pouch.

''I'll do it! Keep an eye on the windows!'' she uttered through the now rasping vocalizer in the helmet, which took a beating in the fall to the ground. She pulled the glove off and rolled up the sleeve of her coverall.

The guy was fast and cunning for the average street thug, all his actions proved that he was not a rookie. But, even old time crooks made mistakes sooner or later. They had got a good enough look of him to make a holo-model of it back at the station. Her guess was that he was going among the tops of the wanted lists.

The wound had grazed the arm and made some burn marks with fabric from the sleeve in it. She took up a syringe and pulled off the cap with the mouth before dispensing the gel-like healing substance on the wound. A held back grunt left her and she bit her jaws together when the substance started to work on the wound.

The two officers in the just stopped airspeeder jogged forward to them but Jessica shaked her head.

''What the hell took you?! He's long gone by now! Went inside the building... We'll get him some other time...'' she said between breaths.

A frustrating defeat, yet a defeat and a crook that would be handled some other time. Attempting the life of an officer would maybe be a new ''star'' to add to his record, and would he know it with all that came with it.

[member="Rajo Sobek"]