That Escalated Quickly (Invite)

[Amnell de Portiers]

Ossus - A simple liquor store

Amnell had just barely gotten out of a scrape from a rather nasty bar .... fight? Kidnapping attempt? Fire? All of the above? What the feth did you call what happened? Hell. Let's go with that. The brunette had barely escaped with her life, and every limb intact.

A single day had passed, the young woman only managed to get a small amount of sleep and quite frankly now that the day was here, she still wanted her quiet drink. Just this time, still a bit shakey and nervous from the night before Amnell was NOT about to go to the local pub for a drink. Most likely she would never step a toe in a bar again after that night.

If only she had a small clue, that even the liquor store was not going to be safe, she might have opted to stay home.

"Alcohol is not good for your condition." Nine whistled loudly at her as she browsed the walls of alcohol looking for something to suit her tastes.

"Yeah, yeah I know it's not good for me.... Don't care. I need a drink, and I do not recall asking for your permission to do it either." She mumbled to the snarky droid, who was still quite scorched from the night before. Hell he still had a hole through his casing that she had yet to repair. But at least she managed to get him back on his feet before she headed out today.

"Won't be my fault when you get in trouble, and I'm not helping you with the hangover."

"Will you just hush?"

"No."

"You know, I hate you sometimes Nine.... Just saying."

"Good."

"Ass."

"That's the best you can come up with?"

"Do you ever want a hot oil bath again?" Nine's silence only confirmed the answer for her. "Thought so."

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Anja was by no means on the run but already the bar fight had attracted too much unwanted attention.

Where did she go?

The witch found herself walking through an alley, stopping at the entrance of a liquor store...

Really?

She sensed the familiar presence already -- what a stroke of luck this was but last time she tried to capture her with brute force it ended up setting the entire area on fire. Perhaps a more careful solution would have to be considered. Turning her head in both directions, making sure it was clear, she wandered around back until she found an auxiliary entrance. Luckily for her it wasn't locked and made her way inside.

Keeping out of sight, Anja stalked the woman from the back wall.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

Amnell sighed, finally pulling a fine bottle of whiskey from the shelf and gave it a brief once over.

"It doesn't matter which one you choose, it all is the same." The droid grumbled, tired of waiting on the brunette.

"Technically, no. But I guess for my needs it really doesn't matter." The idea was just to get drunk, beyond that she really cared very little. She shook her head, frowning. "And I thought I told you to hush."

It was then that a feeling overwhelmed her. Something was not quite right.Though she couldn't really put her finger on what it was exactly. Amnell paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder. But alas she saw no one. Still holding onto the bottle, she stepped to the side, heading down another aisle as she headed over to the vodkas to see if something there struck her fancy.

"I thought you wanted the whiskey."

"Are you going to nitpick my choices now?"

"Don't I always?" He whistled in reply.

"True, enough." She said with a heavy sigh as she looked above her, seeing if something looked appetizing to her. "Let's go, Nine. I think we're good here." Finally she gave a slight shrug and spun on her heels to head for the counter to pay and walk away with her prize.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

After stalking her victim, Anja came through from the back and unlike the mistake of last time she did not spare the witness. Reaching out with the force the Host Lord crushed the cashier's trachea in one fell swoop. Immediately afterwards she made her way at quite a fast pace towards [member="Amnell de Portiers"] and remained wary of the little droid which she had trouble with previously.

Anja wasn't particularly an impatient woman but the longer she remained on Ossus the more difficult it would be to leave and she wasn't going to do so without getting what she came for.

"Don't try anything, you're outmatched." She commanded the girl to stand down.

The witch proceeded to draw her vibroblade, ready for the chase if it may come.

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

Amnell shrieked as the cashier died in front of her. The bottle in hand, she let drop to the floor, shattering upon impact as she turned around to see just exactly who was threatening her. But the voice, she remembered. Remembered all too well. "You, again." She whispered, her voice trembling. "The hell did I ever do to you?"

She glanced, left then right debating if she could make it to the door before the woman closed on her. Her body was still sore, aching from the incident at the bar as it was. Thing was, she knew it. Knew she was completely outmatched the second she heard that voice.

It was in that moment that her trusty droid chose to act. Nine intentionally rammed into one of the shelves of liquor, trying to knock it over onto the Host Lord. His only intention to buy time for Amnell to make a run for it.

Taking that brief window of opportunity the brunette bolted for the door with all the strength she had. Which admittedly was not much these days, but hell if she was just going to stand there and let someone take her without at least attempting resistance. And perhaps this was a foolish notion on her part, but the girl had to try.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Despite her prowess; Anja hadn't yet mastered the art of telekinesis. So when the girl finished trembling and the droid acted; luckily a shelf was hardly an obstacle, even barely an annoyance. The witch reacted almost entirely on instinct when she unleashed a rather brute push and sent the debris back towards the poor droid itself. Only a few seconds had passed and whilst this did give her victim a chance to start running it wouldn't be enough unless a sudden miracle were to occur.

Quickly turning her attention, Anja reached out with the force in an attempt to grip onto the girl. Again; she was no master of telekinetic abilities and if one were physically strong enough they could swiftly escape her grasp under what was little more than adding weight and pressure upon the body through the force. As far as powers went, it was similar to what she had done to the cashier. Except rather than focusing on a very specific area she attempted to hold down the entire body which she hadn't the power to crush in its entirety, not without prepared focus.

"Running isn't going to get you anywhere... Stop resisting, I am not here to kill you." The woman spoke in a soft yet commanding voice. She attempted to use her races natural ability to subtly influence the will of others. On a weak minded person she could even control them but it wasn't likely to be so in this case. She seemed strong-willed enough to be able to escape despite her condition.

Hopefully the incident in the bar had inspired some wisdom and that she would submit. And so far it seemed her little droid was preoccupied with another mess it essentially created, at least fire wasn't involved.

With no law enforcement to speak of nor bystanders it was unlikely that divine intervention would play its role again.

They were alone.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

In the brief seconds that passed, Amnell had not managed more than to get a few steps away from the strange woman. Feeling the sudden pressure, and weight pulling down on her, she found herself unable to really advance. Stuck was the word, or perhaps trapped. With that pressure came pain as her degraded nervous system greatly protested the sensations upon her skin, drawing a sharp hiss of pain from Amnell.

"Prove it." Amnell growled, more than a bit frustrated with the situation and her inability to fight her way out of a wet paper bag on the best of days. Today, certainly couldn't even remotely count as a good day.

"Put the blade away, and ..." Closing her eyes she drew in a deep breath, trying to mask some of the agony she felt in that moment. "Let go of me." She demanded. Though, Amnell knew too well she wasn't in a position to force anything upon Anja. And Nine, well Nine was still rustling around trying to get out from underneath the shelf he'd managed to get trapped under! "Useless droid." She mumbled beneath her breath.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Unlike the captive, Anja was a bit more experienced to get trapped so easily. That's not saying she was untouchable but it was going to take more than a predictable droid and crippled woman to get the better of her. Maybe there was a chance for them with careful planning, proper equipment, and tactical positioning but this was not the case. In fact what "strategy" they did employ was your typical distraction before running routine. It's not to say Anja has familiarized herself but it wasn't that difficult for the Umbaran's mind to quickly figure out what was going on and act.

No, rather what it came down to was she being more powerful, better equipped, and in this situation; smarter. The witch didn't have to listen to the girls plea. It was somewhat surprisingly, actually, that she'd try to gamble her way out of the situation despite not having anything to bet save for her life.

"I have nothing to prove. So why should I let you go?" She asked. Her voice didn't have a single hint of cruelty, nor was it mocking. It was plain but in such a way that it seemed almost purposefully plain; uncaring.

The force would allow itself to squeeze a bit harder around the victim.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

It was getting harder and harder for Amnell to breathe as panic welled up inside her. Each breath, and expansion of her lungs caused searing pain to roll through her body. Feeling the pressure increase on her body, her knees finally gave way as agonizing waves of pain rolled through her legs from her nerves misfiring in the worst possible way. "Please ... stop. Please! Please, it hurts!" She cried out, pain radiating through her aura and into the room, "Please! I can't run. All I had in me was those few steps. Please let go. I can't leave. I can't escape you, and I know it. Please, just relax your grip. It hurts so much." Tears were starting to roll down her cheeks as the pain grew within her body. "Please, I'm not well. Please....." She whimpered softly.

"What. Do. You. Want. From. Me." She panted, as she finally sat still upon the ground, no longer twisting and squirming in the least. The brunette was just trying to hold as she still as she could, to not cause herself any more pain than she was already in.

Nine by this point had managed to get out from underneath the pile of bottles and the shelf. "Nine, don't! Don't. You'll get me hurt worse." The little droid whistled and whined as it froze in place, a fusioncutter in it's grip.

"Please, you should know by now I'm not a threat to you. I can't even turn and run. You know that much. You saw what happened at the bar, when I fell. You know I'm weaker than I should be. So at least put the blade away. You can easily overpower me without that. Please, at least show me you have no intentions of harming me further and I won't resist you any longer. Just give me that much....." She very much hoped that the argument would work. To at least confirm she was not in any true danger. Not that it would do her any good. It wasn't like she had any real escape options at this point.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

The goal was to capture the woman alive. Compliance was not something The Host Lord did often and she wasn't really doing it now but killing her victim was not in her interests. So as the girls squirms turned to hopelessness the witch finally let up, releasing her and sheathed the blade. However; before she could react Anja over to her and attempted to push her onto her back with a light kick of the foot. Clearly there was still danger but at the very least she wasn't crushing her.

"You're going to come with me. We're going to leave this world." She spoke softly as if talking to a child, explaining things that were too difficult to comprehend. Despite not looking in that general direction she was still wary of the little droid. Not that she felt threatened by all means but the pesky machine had attempted to outsmart her twice now and she wasn't about to allow it a third try.

Assuming the girl would end up on her back the woman's boot would be pressed snugly against her chest.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

Amnell breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure let up. Though her joy at that small bit of progress was short lived. A sharp cry escaped her lips as the woman's boot made contact with her chest, forcing her onto her back. For anyone else, such a hit would have hardly phased them but Amnell's nerves were already overloaded to an extreme. A slight touch could feel like the worst of slaps.

She had just started to attempt to shift off her back, when Anja's boot planted itself squarely against her chest, pinning her to the ground. There wasn't a point to trying to struggle any further, and with the woman's boot on her chest, now applying pressure Amnell just slowly laid back against the floor, and lifted her hands in a sign of surrender.

Her gaze shifted, looking up to the the Host Lord curiously as she tried to wrap her mind around the recent events surround her and this particular being. The young woman made no attempt to lessen the pressure or push Anja off. Amnell found herself just laying there, entirely confused. "That ... explains what you will do with me, but not what you want from me." The brunette had to point that part out. "You wanted me for a reason. Over anyone else you could have grabbed, you chose me. Why? I just want to understand, why you are taking me and what you want from me." She said quietly.

Closing her eyes, the girl hissed as a wave of pain rolled through her body, forcing her to tremble slightly as her body worked to adjust. "I'm not going to fight against you. I can't in the state I'm in." Trying to reiterate her position as compliant and not a threat in the least. "If you're going to leave with me, you're going to have to let me up off the ground."

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

There was no point in inflicting unnecessary pain. As an Umbaran she could already tell if an organic was lying based off of body heat signatures and it was quite clear she had surrendered herself, for now. That didn't mean she wouldn't attempt to run given the opportunity.

"You're not in a position to ask questions. I have told you all that I have decided to tell you, I have no intention to kill you--but I will harm you given the need." She retorted. It was perfectly understandable that the woman had plenty of questions but Anja had no intention of answering them. So she made sure she understood this as fact. No matter; there was no longer a need to continue placing a foot down and so the boot was removed, once again on the floor below and just behind the girl's neck.

Anja waited for her to get up.

"Bring your droid, too. I don't want it wandering off." It would be an oversight to allow the rust bucket an opportunity to find help.

At last it was truly just them.

No intervention.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

Amnell had to concede the woman was right. She was hardly in any position in which she could ask or demand answers. Information clearly would only be given to her if she needed to know. "So be it."

With the boot lifted from her chest, the young woman breathed a sigh of relief. It took her a moment, before she could bring herself to start moving. Between the pain and agony she was always in, and the recent more stressful events, her body didn't want to respond as well as it usually would. She winced heavily as she shifted to her knees. Reaching over to a nearby shelf she used it to help pull her frail body from the ground. Though she made sure to keep her hands visible and move slowly, so Anja would not get the wrong idea and think she was attempting to reach for a liquor bottle to use as a weapon!

Fearfully she glanced back to Nine. For she had hoped that the woman kidnapping her would forget about the little droid and somehow he'd be able to get her help. It seemed that such luck would not be hers tonight. "Come Nine. Put the fusioncutter away, and let's go. Don't do anything stupid that will get us both hurt." A whistle of annoyed disappointment rang out through the liquor store as he put the tool away and wheeled slowly to Amnell's side.

"Lead the way, then." She said softly, sounded every bit defeated.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

Going through the front entrance would seem like a bad idea but it was quite inconspicuous compared to wandering out from behind an alley.

"You will be silent, you will not alarm anyone. If you do, the death of that attendant won't be the only one on your hands." She was speaking about the store's clerk who was slaughtered by Anja earlier. It was a typical intimidating threat but it was more than that, she had already proved her capability of killing indiscriminately.

With that she walked out of the store, glancing back for the girl to follow. Outside she would lead them down the main road and for the world of Ossus it was unusually empty or at least people were busier than usual. This was not unlikely seeing as the entire Republic had been at war with the Sith from some time and even her Primeval were nearing their borders out here along The Republic's most remote world. It was kind of strange that a faction whose comfort was the core that they'd worry about retaining territory so far out, maintaining footholds where one needn't be.

But it wasn't something she criticized. She didn't even care, it wasn't her Republic.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

Amnell ran a hand nervously through her hair as she looked to Anja. Her eyes widened at the threat. The Host Lord had already proven to the young woman that she would not hesitate to kill. The poor clerk had done nothing but showed up to work that day, and all Amnell had wanted was to purchase a simple drink. Such simple desires, and now he was dead because of it. Her choices had ultimately led to his death. Blood on her hands, even if she hadn't been the one to spill it. A thought that turned her stomach.

Without a word, she followed her kidnapper out into the streets. The young woman limped along slowly. Certainly not something she was intentionally doing, it was just the nature of her life. Too much stress, and the medications she took daily to keep the pain at bay would fail, forcing her to move much more slowly and painfully through normal activities.

Nine was right on her heels, whistling and beeping his protests at her as they went. For the most part, something that Amnell tried to ignore. After all very few people understood binary.

Her eyes darted from side to side, scanning the streets. A part of her wanting to find a way out, some possible means of escape or alerting the authorities. However, she knew this to be foolish. She'd already expended what little energy and strength she had just trying to get a few steps away from her kidnapper in the shop. Out here on the streets, it just became that much more unlikely. Anja might as well have bound her hands, and thrown her over her shoulder and carried her down the street. That was what it was like for Amnell, despite having both her hands and feet free, she still was no more capable of escape than if she had been tied up. Wincing as she took a deep breath, she rushed along trying to keep pace with Anja.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

The obedience was a relief. Anja herself did not understand binary but that was not an obvious fact and even if it was she would doubt its sway on the situation; assuming the scenario ever went through her head. No; she too ignored the beeps and whistles and even without looking at the girl it was like the witch had a pair of eyes in the back of her head. Some way of watching.

The trio continued their uneventful walk for a few minutes until the path they took lead into an open area. At first glance there was nothing around them except run down homes and a few scraps of metal piled without any organizational function. But then in the distance a small craft descended from the sky, cutting through the clouds before slowing to a crawl just a few dozen meters above them. Despite its nature the engines didn't roar, they hummed, and the starship touched down softly lowering a landing ramp. Out of the ship came two guards dressed in full body armour and carrying assault rifles.

"We've secured the sight and are jamming their arrays but we only have a few minutes before we're detected." One of the soldiers announced the details. The other quickly rushed out to grab the girl, gesturing to the droid to come with as well. Anja would be the last to head on board.

Once they were inside the cramped shuttle would take off.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

Amnell couldn't help but feel the further that they walked along, the more trapped she was. Her heart was already racing within her chest, and protesting greatly at her. As they came into the clearing, at first there was nothing of note. Just a junky area of town. One she'd not ever recalled visiting before. Seeing the ship, Amnell could only watch as it descended and its ramp opened. Seeing the soldiers, the girl's instincts kicked in, and she turned to run.

It was a last and final desperate attempt to get away. But she didn't even manage to really turn around before the man grabbed her and pulled her within the ship. It was a futile effort, even she knew it before she'd tried it. Still, the stubborn part of her wouldn't let herself just be willingly taken without one final effort to escape. Though in theory she had many better chances when they were still in the city, with other people about. Not with this woman's guards around and not another soul in sight. She'd picked a bad time that was for sure.

"Well, that was dumb of you." Nine whistled at her as he headed up the ramp and into the ship, without any hint or indication of resistance. It seemed even the droid knew the odds were stacked against her.

"Oh shut it." She snapped. More than a touch frustrated at her own physical weaknesses.

Settled into the shuttle, she took a seat nearby. Her eyes locked on Anja with so many questions running through her mind. Finally she spoke, "Where are we heading? And .... your name. I don't even know your name." She said softly. The girl wanted some answers, to really know what this was all about. And why of the trillions of people in the galaxy this woman had chosen her, specifically her.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

The ship swiftly escaped the planet's atmosphere and just in time too. Their jamming capabilities were only good for a short amount of time no thanks to the lack of development amongst their electronic warfare department. In all honestly there wasn't even a department... By all means what The Primeval truly lacked was organizational structure but perhaps that was a discussion for another time. More importantly the shuttle jumped to hyperspace and was en route to an undisclosed location.

Anja heard the woman's questions but did not listen. It was in the truest sense of the idiom, the silence treatment. She didn't even acknowledge that she was talking by body language or gesture. Somewhat uncomfortably the guards maintained themselves with their helmets on, their faces hidden behind the black visors that made them nothing more than a single entity like ants. Except these ants were clad in duarasteel and armed to the teeth. Exiting hyperspace the shuttle jumped outside the gravity well of the planet Korriban. The red homeworld to the Sith was sinister enough, more worrisome is the hundred ship warfleet stationed over the world was clearly in view outside the port windows.

"We'll be docking shortly." The news came from the cockpit's intercom device.

The small shuttle touched down on the red world and into a makeshift starport overlooking the Sith Academy ruins. The landing ramp dropped again, but this time they were worlds away from Ossus and a friendly face.

"We're here." Anja spoke for the first time since they left.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]

 

[Amnell de Portiers]

She jumped slightly as the ship jumped to hyperspace, unnerved by not knowing where they were heading or why. Further more the silence was infuriating. "Can't you just talk to me? Tell me what the feth is going on?!" Definitely getting upset more and more by the moment as time went on. Amnell hated being ignored. Further frustrating her that even Nine had grown quiet. No one was talking to her, or telling her anything and well that certainly didn't help to settle any of the anxieties that the young woman held.

When Anja spoke, Amnell only glared coldly at the woman. "And where is here?" She demanded, growing more testy by the moment. Nothing was making a whole lot of sense as she rose slowly from her seat to peer out the viewport. Anything to try and get a small clue of where they had taken her, or what exactly they wanted her for. A wave of dark and sinister power soon hit her primitive force senses. She was certainly untrained, but even then some things like this place ... and the darkness that encompassed the red world could not be missed.

"For the stars' sake would you please just tell me something about what is going on?" Amnell loathed being left in the dark. And while she arguably had little room to actually demand anything from her captors, she couldn't help but press the issue of needing and wanting more knowledge to put her situation into perspective.

[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Boethiah]

The crimson wastes of Korriban were vast valleys, winding canyons, and hidden tombs amongst the many ruins that dotted its surface. But where they landed in particular was almost unmistakable. Approaching the Host Lord were several squadrons of soldiers but rather clad in black their armour was coloured to match the wastes, only tan cloth draped over their metallic armour. The winds blew enough that banners waved around them and although The Republic was defeated here nearly two years ago the signs of battle remained.

Overhead fighters flew by, their engines roared loudly and boomed when they broke the sound barrier; doing maneuvers that almost defied physics. Tank convoys, APCs, and troops marched in lines within the valley below like little coloured dots making it almost impossible to tell they were people. Perhaps more alarming was the massive pyramid-shaped academy with freshly built scaffolding around its exterior and the excavation sites scattered around the statues and tomb entrance ways throughout the Valley of the Dark Lords. The clash of steel rang loudly, the beaming light of blasters could be seen from the corner of the eye as far shots missed their intended targets. It was clear as day that an army was training here but for what? Why here; that was the question.

Finally after a few brief moments of silence, Anja turned around and faced the young woman.

"Normally I would've left you to someone else... I couldn't help but wonder what The Republic was like." She was hardly being clear with what she said. There was no telling who the woman was but by the looks of things she was clearly not of The Republic and around them were not banners known to be Sith or of any creed or nation. It was all foreign.

She continued, "You're an engineer, correct? You make droids." The Host Lord aimed to clarify that point.

If she said no there was no reason for her to live.

[member="Amnell de Portiers"]