Private To Protect the Ones we Love

[Elise]

Stop fighting, or the padawan in his arms would die. The bounty hunter's terms were simple. Elise had taken it a step further and gave Cassus Akovin a counter offer that was hard to refuse.

Take her, collect her bounty, and leave the padawans unharmed behind. Not even the combined bounty of all the jedis in the distance could match the amount placed on her head. Never mind the threat of death if Cassus even tried. He had accepted her terms, as she hoped he would. Padawan Ura Iolar and padawan Amani Serys were left untouched on the destroyed city's edge. Elise's final instructions entered their minds as she was escorted, unarmed and restrained, onto the bounty hunter's ship.

Return home. Find Caedyn Arenais , tell him of what's occurred . Do not follow.

There had been more force in her voice in her final words than she had ever given them before, a sense of severity to her usual soft touch. The doors separating them closed, leaving her to the dim darkness of the hunter's ship. The smell of the burnt village still filtered through the air, her nostrils flaring as a sudden dart embedded into her skin.

And the world went black.



Cassus Akovin

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus Akovin, son of Triam Akovin, had captured a Jedi Master at an age no older than a decade and a half. The reward was 10 million units, but it was split four ways with the other Bounty Hunters Siv Dragr , Vallaro Kindall , and Zivos on Onderon. They had set up an ambush perfectly, drawing out the Jedi Master and a handful of Padawans to a burning village, preying upon their compassion and zealous desire to dole out justice to the wicked. Then, the squad of Bounty Hunters sprung upon the padawans and bartered their lives for the Jedi Master.

Jedi Master.

The thought cycled through his mind, again and again, it equal parts disbelief, exhilaration, hope, and absolute gut-wrenching disgust. Cassus, like his mother, held a considerable hatred for the Sith Empire for destroying the republic she came from, along with all of the usual reasons one hated the Sith for. Triam had even gone through her life in the service to Jedi Orders small and large, particularly the young ones.

Yet here, her only son, old enough to be a warrior only in a culture to which only his name belonged to, piloted a ship carrying a master of the light into an empire of evil. Cassus felt shame for what he was taking part in but felt he had no choice. The reward too large to ignore even after divided up amongst the other Hunters, who already scattered across the galaxy to find more marks. He felt as though his mother would die if he did not take this Jedi and deliver it to her enemies.

He stood in front of a holoprojector, just starring at it. He contemplated for almost an hour or more on whether or not he should call home, to where Crol H'hurut tended to his dying mother. Crol had never been in such a role, but after years of service to his mother, he seemed to care not only for her health but for Cassus as well, almost as if though he had become part of his family. He called him "Uncle" but was almost a father to him, and the only real male figure he had to look up to growing up. Yet Cassus couldn't help but feel as if the old Zeltron didn't quite do enough to stop the boy from gallivanting across the galaxy and hunting dangerous rewards. Yet if Crol left Triam's side... then it was only a matter of time before she died.

Pushing away his confused feelings of abandonment and shame, Cassus left the holoprojector room and made his way down to the ray shield room where he kept his prisoner. A door would open just out of view of the Jedi Master until the familiar garb of the Bounty Hunter who took her on board this ship, came into view. As one connected to the force, it would not be difficult to reach out and feel the youth behind the mask, and the sense of turmoil within him.

"Are you comfortable?" The digitally altered speech buzzed deeply, masking the annoying boyishness of his voice. The question was posed almost disingenuously as if he hoped for the opposite to be true... but there was a kernel of concern deep in his mind.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise opened her eyes, her face serene as she pulled from her meditative state. If she was worried for herself, she did not show it. Dealing with a lone bounty hunter was a refreshing change to her usual MO. Life on the Silver Assembly was demanding and tedious, often times pulling her away from the field work she so enjoyed to do. Today's work with the padawans had been an attempt to bring herself back to her roots.

She'd handle an angsty child over a politician any day. One might even think by the light in her eyes that she was enjoying herself.

She gave him a soft smile, watching him from behind the ray shield. "A cold floor is the least of my problems, young one." Her observations were not withheld, the master unabashed in her moves to read him.

"May I have water?" She asked, an innocent lilt to her tone. Sitting cross-legged inside the shield ray, there was very little she could do. A brush of soot smeared across her nose, a reminder of the burning world they had come from.

Water seemed like a reasonable request. The idea pressed unbidden against him mind, attempting to pass as his own.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Water seems like a reasonable request. The thought crossed his mind. His arm raised up to his mask, and he spoke.

"Mr. Follow, get me a glass of water, please." There was a pause for a moment, like a sudden dawning realization, "I'm thirsty." His arm fell, and the boy leaned his back against the wall across from the ray shielded chamber his Jedi prisoner was encased within.

"It gives me no joy treating you this way Jedi, but I'm short on amenities, and you're a wanted woman... a very wanted woman I might add." After that the boy would be silent for a bit, waiting for the combat droid to dutifully use its dexterously lethal hands to carry a glass of liquid all the way from wherever it was to the bowels of his ship.

Eventually, the old TA5 Lightsaber Droid commissioned by the first CIS after the Darkness would arrive once again out of view of the Jedi before settling almost eerily quite beside the smaller figure of Cassus Akovin. The boy would gesture to the floor, where the droid would place the glass carefully beside him with spilling a drop. With another gesture, the droid was dismissed once again out of view. Slowly, his knees would un-straighten and his back would slide down until he too was sitting on the floor almost at eye level with his prisoner, sitting beside a full glass of water.

"I'm breaking a lot of rules by taking you in." He said without elaborating further.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise's expressions remained impassive, her intrigue and curiosity kept internal as the boy expressed himself. Her concern for herself fell to the wayside as the glass was delivered, the Master confident that she could force her way out this situation if she needed. Though she preferred not to. Patience her master's voice reminded her, the old whisper drifting through her mind.

She sat a little straighter, her hands folding into her lap.

"I've broken rules in the past. ... Some with better results than others," she related, licking her lip. The taste of ash soured on her tongue, and for a moment she really did want that water. She took a deep breath in, then out, looking back up to him.

"I've seen the bounty, I know the claim amount. ... With credits like that, you can do anything."

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"One can hope, but I have my doubts. Anything that comes out of the Empire has a tendency of ruining lives." The face of his mask looks to one side in thought, perhaps feeling he is letting too much emotion show. Looking away from the Jedi daintily dusted in ash, in a cage guarded by fire.

"Or so I'm told." He deflects clumsily. His arm raised to his face again and looks to his wrist, where a readout seems displayed. After an analysis of the ship's last sensor readings, it appears a ship was preparing to jump to hyperspace just before he left the system, in the same direction he was. It had a similar signature to the one belonging to Zivos.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise raised a brow, deciding in that moment to let a silence descend upon them.

More often than not, silence left a guilty individual uncomfortable. If Elise had to be honest, it was a trait she didn't expect to see in any bounty hunter. But the youthful nature of the one sitting before her rang clear through the air, and she couldn't help but to feel pity for the confliction she felt rolling inside of him.

She had questions, but she knew vocalizing them would make him lock up, shut down, and say nothing. It was him who had approached her, and so she gave him a chance to direct the conversation himself, resisting the urge to ease his turmoil with soft words or an easy smile. Instead, she sat still in place.

Her brow stayed raised as she observed him.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

There was silence, and Cassus sat looking away from the Jedi. His curiosity piqued, however, expecting a response and receiving none. He looked back on her, face neutral.

"What, no confirmation? No lecture on the vices of dictatorship or Imperial atrocities?" He sat up some more and gestured with his hand.

"Are some souls beyond saving with your Jedi preaching?" Cassus said accusingly.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise gave him a sad smile, a bit of amusement found in his words. Yes, there certainly were some jedi like that out there. But not her. She believed in actions. Besides. He already seemed to know what she might say.

"Do you want to be saved?" She followed up, a calm against his accusations. Her head tilted slightly as she leaned forward, engaged and not dismissive to his presence.

"I believe that in order for me to do anything for the universe, it first has to be willing to accept change." That was definitely not a nudge. Certainly not. "Lectures are rarely received well, and one from me wouldn't reach you anyways in your current state. Am I right?"

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus sat silently in thought.

"I can't afford to change the path I've fallen on. I have too much-" He paused, "Losing the reward for turning you in, I would be losing more than all the credits I have made. I can't be saved until my task is done, or if I've-" He paused again, longer this time. Looking away, he finished his thought.

"Or if I've failed." A sudden rage took over the tumultuous emotions within him, banishing his wallowing and self-pity. He looked harshly on the Jedi now.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Ah. Well there it was. He was protecting someone. Why else would a guilt ridden child be turning her to the people he clearly had a disdain for. She would be curious, if she wasn't already concerned. She followed his frustrated gaze, trying to catch his eyes before she said, "Often we feel like the only solution is to weather our troubles alone."

Look at her, in this ship.

...Ironic. Her lips quirked in subtle amusement,

"You're not alone right now. But of course, that's why you came to talk to me. Why you brought that." She gestured to the water, then looked back to him. "So tell me, Young One. what kind of trouble are you in?"

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"Hmm?" The boy looked to the glass furiously, not forgetting the water but all the same, time forgetting why it was there. Had he not gotten that for himself? All at once he felt the urge to smash it, and scatter the liquid against the ray shield between them. He was not weak-minded, but that thought was not his own, he began to realize. Grasping the glass now, he stood up above her.

"..." He spoke with silence. The words forming yet caught in his throat. His eyes followed the ripples in the water, briefly reflecting his mask in the dim light.

"My-" He started, and then halted. Why was he talking to her at all? It would be too easy to simply transport this woman - no, this asset - and deliver it, as per the Bounty Code. Guild Hunters shall respect the terms of the Contract. Yet his heart got in the way, it ached in shame. His hand clenched tightly over the reflecting pool in his hand. He had to push away the ache, and replace it with pain.

"My mother is dying, and we don't know why. Her fortune dried up while she's been sick, and every mark I've turned in has been to keep her alive. This has been the only thing I've known how to do, the only thing I've wanted to do since I was six. Yet instead of being my own hero, I've been working for criminals like Darkwire, and now I'm willing to take money form Sith." His hand was shaking.

Elise

 

[Elise]

A calm spread around the area, centered around Elise.

She took a deep breath in, letting his pain wash over and through her. "Protecting others is... the most honorable cause in the galaxy," she told him, simple understanding in her tone. The desire to protect his mother did not make him a monster. As multifaceted as motivations were, she felt there was nothing more simple and expected than for someone to protect the ones they loved.

It was what came after the motivation that was the problem.

"It's also the most corrupting." She gave him a tight smile, not judging. Simply calling out facts. She let her words sit for a moment. No doubt the boy would need the chance to process. He was as volatile as a volcano. Her chest ached for him. She let her gaze fall to the object in his hand.

"May I have the water?"

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus threw the glass of water at the Ray shield, the glass shattering across the ground, the water evaporating instantly as it splashed against the energy of the ray shield.

"No." Is all Cassus said before walking away.

Or at least, that is what played out within his mind as he faced acknowledgment, validation, and wisdom. His boiling blood seemed to cool with her every word and then freeze on the word corrupting. He would need to lower the shield to give her the water, lower his guard to offer kindness.

"I don't have padawans to guarantee your cooperation... how can I trust you not to escape the moment I let the shield down?" He asked Elise.

 

[Elise]

She gave him a sad smile. "The same way I have to trust your men have not turned around and taken my padawans once you had me aboard. We are only worth our honor. Jedi-- and bounty hunters, there is very little we can achieve in this Galaxy without it." She let a deep breath out, the only sign of the stress she forced herself to release from her body.

She took another breath in, her eyes closing for a moment. She could not flee this ship like she had originally planned. Being faced with the boy in front of her... another time, another place. If she had encountered him sooner, maybe she could have spared him the pain she felt in his chest. But she understood how deep he must be in it-- how complicated and impossible it could seem to extract his dying mom from the consequences of his actions. Elise was in no position to help him out of it, as she felt the force urge her to do. He was just a child.

She tried to force herself to relax-- to relinquish herself to the reality that she would have to allow herself to be turned over. She would not sacrifice the life of his mother so she could spared. A flash of fear, primal in nature, gripped at her chest. When she opened her eyes, they strained with stress.


"I will not harm you child. You... or your task."

Task. What a pretty way to put it. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Watching the Jedi curl up, in what could only be described as fear, did something to Cassus.

Up until this moment, it had felt as if he were the only one who could feel fear between the two of them. The implacable nature of the Jedi only served to alienate herself from his own human concerns, making her merely just a part of the wall behind her for him to yell and vent at if he so desired, while alone on this ship headed to Metalorn.

Already standing up, it took almost no time at all to take a step and deactivate the ray shield.

"I believe you." The boy said simply, before stepping forward and placing the water before her. He stepped back, and for a moment considered turning the ray shield back on, but then stopped himself.

"If you need anything else, feel free to find me again. We should be arriving at Metalorn in the next day or two, depending on conditions. My droid will be instructed not to hurt you." Then, hesitantly the boy left the Jedi to her glass of water.

***​

Cassus was in his mother's workshop collecting his thoughts and feelings. Though he wasn't much of a tinkerer like she was, he started welding things together to feel close to her and keep himself distracted. Leaving the Jedi uncaged was a risk, but he did not take her as one for treachery. It was within her capability to leave, but he knew she had something to protect just as badly as he did. Bringing any additional unnecessary unkindness on her before willingly letting herself be taken by the Sith, would only serve to corrupt his heart further, just as she said.

He wished there was only something he could do to change all of this...

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise hadn't expected to be granted both water and her freedom from the ray shield. She was left to her shock, nothing about the turn of events simple. He gathered thoughts in the workstation. She stayed in place and meditated. She hoped it would help her reach a better conclusion on how to handle the events, but her future had quickly grown muddled with the darkside and her resolve remained unshaken. She would not place this child in further harm to secure her own safety. Her trade for the padawans would make her hypocrite if she did so. Why them and not him?

Hope was not lost yet. She trusted the force would see her out when the opportunity was right.

The hours passed. She respected his space, until one need rose above all... and she finally rose her stiff body from the ground and sought him out.

The door swished opened. She watched him for a moment, her expression reserved. She was still very much a stranger, and a prisoner on his ship. "The padawans," she finally uttered. "They reentered Silver Jedi space unharmed?" She sought confirmation for what she could no longer sense.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus held in his hand bits of a cybernetic his mother often favored, a Gatebreaker Node from Borg. It gave the person equipped with it the freedom of movement to break through any barrier. It was this same freedom of movement that had always been her greatest wish, throughout all of her life. Though he hadn't been much of a poet, her life set before him read like poetry. In his mind, he found the rhythms as he broke apart which most resembled her life decisions.

As a girl,
Unchecked from an uncaring mother,
She pursued unhealthily addictions and thrills.

As a soldier,
Unchecked from the death of her father,
She pursued soldiery authority and drills.

As a mercenary,
Unchecked from her own lingering grief,
She pursued an escape through combat and glory.

As a mother,
Unchecked from her disbelief,
She pursued safety for her son's story.​

Eventually, his thoughts would be interrupted by the entrance of a Jedi with enough emotion to worry for those she left behind. He set the small capsule of electronics to the table, exiting his revery.

"We agreed to your bargain," The boy said simply, "If they have broken it, they have not told me. I'm sorry that I can bring no further clarity." If they did go back to collect the padawans, a part of Cassus was glad he was selected to transport the Master away. He wasn't sure how many innocent lives he could personally destroy in a day, though recalled he was ready to capture all of them if the opportunity presented itself.

"Have you second thoughts about escaping?"

Elise

 

[Elise]

Was he lying to her? She didn’t think so. A bit of tension uncoiled in her chest, her breaths coming easier.

Was she having second thoughts about escaping? Of course. She was human, the instinct to stay away from harm was as present in a jedi as it was any other. Her fears did not matter though. Not when she chose to work around them.

“I gave you my word, I will keep it too. Are we almost there then?” The question came out sharper than she would have liked, some of her tension creeping up unchecked into her tone. Her eyes jumped up to scan the room, the woman searching for any information that she could use to her advantage once she was officially out of the child’s hands.

Her heart beat fast while she forced her breaths to remain slow.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"Yes, we're close. Only a few more hours." The boy Bounty Hunter said almost sullenly.

"I've been thinking what you've said Jedi, about our honor. For what it's worth, I am no friend of the Empire. Though I must bow to their currency for my own reasons." Cassus inspected the scraps of what he had taken apart, pieces of metallic shell, components and wires...

"I would celebrate seeing you again, free and victorious. It would be no stain on my honor if you should find yourself free after my business with them concludes." His hands grabbed one of the more prominent pieces of the device, and judged its size in front of him. Standing up, he turned to the Jedi, and held the component aloft, lining it up with her throat.

"If I've proven myself a Hunter of honor, then I have a proposition for you." He dropped the component into his palm, holding it in front of him.

***
Metalorn, The Yun-Ne'Shel shipwomb
***
​

"We've arrived, how is the implant treating you Jedi?" He would ask Elise, who was now appropriately in the bindings of a captive. The implant of course, being a small capsule with the core components of a cybernetic field disruptor poised to activate at a specific metabolic point, disguised to appear as a hard lump of food to outside scans, at least for the next few hours. He hoped it would be helpful to her in the trials to come, but he knew, even such a device would only help her marginally, the rest would be up to her...