Private Unpleasant First Impressions

[Jas Katis]

Cantonica/Canto Bight​

Evening/Clear Skies​

Jas was on Cantonica for a very simple reason. There was a traitor to the Empire on the planet and he had to deal with them. But he was not ready for the sight that met him. He was still getting used to the sights of planets like Dromund Kaas... this was just on another level. But he couldn't deny that it was very pretty. After getting lost a few times and calling over a city guard for directions, he managed to find his way to the right place.

The hulking Pureblood's steps were quick and firm as he marched through the streets. His golden eyes scanned the area through his helmet as he got closer to the suspect's house. He didn't care about investigating or wasting time to make sure. He had an address, a name, and several messages from this aristocrat who was bleeding information to the Empire's enemies. When he reached the doorway, he made sure the house's address was correct before using the Force to open the door. Without a word he walked through and made his way to the living room where the man was sitting in a gown with a glass of liquor in hand. The man was understandably quite shaken up and had all right to shout at the Pureblood for being in his house. Jas didn't care about that right now. He had a job to do.

He walked right up to the man and grabbed him by the neck, hurling him into a very expensive cupboard. "Be quiet. You have no right to speak after what you did." he spoke with a low growl in his voice as he crouched down in front of the man and pressed him into the wall by his neck. "N-no... please... I-I'm... innocent." he managed to croak out as Jas held him. Jas merely tilted his head as his vice-like grip held the man in place. No amount of struggling was going to make him flinch. "The fact that you are saying you are innocent despite me not saying anything is making me wonder." he commented with a bored tone. He had to admit that the sentence sounded "clunky" but one couldn't expect him to be good with a language he only learned a few years ago.

His grip tightened around the man's throat, slowly squeezing the life out of him with every passing second. The man continued to try and fight, but it was no use...

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

The stethoscope was working. She was well hidden. The owner was at home, but he did not know that she was there. But her skills were failing her.

Hidden behind a curtain that covered the safe, Millicent was trying to crack into it, using what she learned from some guy on Nar Shaddaa but it didn't seem to be working. At least she hadn't paid much for the lessons. It was hard to listening for that one special clicking sound and sometimes, she became unsure resulting in another failure. It was all taking way too much time.

Then it happened - a loud noise roared out in the house as the front door was broken down. Silencing a squeek, the thief stood still for a moment whilst trying to listen for what was happening. Hidden behind the curtain, barely making a bump thanks to her lithe form, she had to hope that nobody would come in checking on the safe. And as soon as she started hearing some kind of commotion outside, she knew that it was time to act fast. Suddenly finding herself in a bit of a rush, the girl started working quickly until the safe finally opened.

The noises from outside were growing more intense. But she had succeeded in opening the safe. A smile grew on her face as all she could see inside was a relatively large bag. It made it easier for her to stuff it inside her own backpack and with that, she threw it onto her back and made it back to the door. Pushing her ear against it, she quickly realised that it was no longer a viable exit, the owner and some other person was there. She had not heard what they had said so far but with all the commotion, she was not too interested in finding out either.

With that, the girl turned to the window. Carefully, she opened it, making sure that it wouldn't make any noise. Unfortunately, a strong wind caught it, causing the window to swing open and forcing her to use all of her strength to keep it from slamming into the wall. While that objective was a success, it also pulled her down onto the floor outside. Rolling up with grace and elegance, Millicent was soon back up on her feet with a smile. That was smooth. The window was still not secured however - and just as the thought crossed her mind, the window slammed against the wall.

"uh-oh" she had erred, it seemed. With that, she took off, starting to run in the direction of the city's outskirts.

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

As Jas held the man against the wall, he felt a shift in the Force around him. There was someone else in the building. His grip kept tightening until there was a muffled snap and the poor man went limp. Jas rose to his feet and looked around the place. His attention was caught when he heard a door or window slam against the wall in another room. He marched over and kicked the door open, leaning out of the window to see a woman running away.

Without wasting a second he jumped out and ran after her. Like a machine the warrior kept a brisk and solid pace as his long legs carried him closer to the girl. Any alleys or turns she took to try and evade him, he took as well without sacrificing much speed despite his large build. He focused the Force and reached out with his hand to wrap it around her legs to make her fall. Once he was caught up with her, he drew his lightsaber while his other hand wrapped around her neck to yank her back on her feet. With the grace of a Rancor he shoved her against a wall and held her against it by her throat. With a growling sigh he lifted her off the ground while his lightsaber hilt pressed against her gut. "Unless you wish to have your guts melted, grotthu, I suggest you tell the truth." he threatened her before lowering her down and easing up on his grip, allowing her to speak.

"You were in that house. That man was a traitor to the empire. Why were you in that house? If you are an ally of his, you will suffer the same fate as him." his grip tightened a bit again as he spoke with a cold, low voice. He leaned closer to her, his golden eyes glaring into her soul through the visor of his helmet. "I would highly suggest you do not lie." he spoke as his lightsaber pressed harder into her stomach.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

She didn't need to look. She could hear his footsteps behind her. But she looked anyways, and it made her all the more determined to get away - for the man who was pursuing her looked fearsome to say the least. Still, the girl knew her strengths and did her best to keep running, knowing that she was pretty good at keeping a high pace for a good amount of time. Against this one, however, it didn't seem to work and he seemed to be able to not only keep up, but also to get closer.

Switching strategies, she then took a sharp turn to enter into an alley where she'd then try to loose him, but for some reason, the one who was following her seemed to be able to keep up. And then it happened: She tripped. It happened to everyone, but the timing this time was horrible. Scrambling to get back on her feet, Millicent soon felt a vice-like grip around her neck and before she knew it, she was already back up on her feet. Her hands instinctively went up to remove whatever it was that was holding onto her neck but it soon changed its grip to hold her throat instead. It was all happening faster than she could really understand and without thinking about it, the thief's eyes were drawn to the hand, following up along its writ and further up the arm to the shoulder and then the cold empty mask.

Their eyes had met - or, at least hers had met with his visor - but nothing more happened before he shoved her into the wall, causing her to let out a high pitched whimper as her back made a painful impact with the hard surface behind her. Millicent's hands looked small as they helplessly tried to pry away his fingers from her throat but her eyes were watering and she could feel how her air was running out. The horrid situation was only amplified as he raised her up, forcing her to shift attention from trying to remove his hand to holding herself up an alleviating the pressure from her throat.

His voice did not seem as menacing as she thought he would sound. She had expected someone sounding like a gruff Wookiee, but there was something nice about this person's tone. Not that it mattered much now as all she could do was to try to nod with what limited head movements she could whilst letting out a fearful "mhm" as he feet dangled above the ground. While she had failed to see what it was that he held against her gut, it didn't take a genius to recognise that it was probably a weapon. Although, judging by their current position, she doubted that he even needed a weapon.

The hints of nicety in his voice soon faded as it turned most cold and menacing. It was hard to tell whether these news were good or bad. on the one hand, it was not his house that she had broken into, on the other, he did not seem to like the guy owning the house and she risked being associated with him. With that in mind, she knew what to do - better admit to being a thief than to risk making the masked man even angrier. She began gasping for air as she tried to speak, but let out a pained grimace as he pushed his sabre into her stomach.

"Thief" the breathy whisper finally escaped her but she already felt how her limbs were weak and how her consciousness was starting to fade. Desperately, she tried to plead for him to stop and to let her go, but each time, her breath failed her. Instead, her struggles to get loose started to cease. Surrendered, her greenish-blue eyes helplessly searched his visor, hoping that he would show mercy.

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

Not for one moment did his grip loosen. He held her against the wall until he finally got an answer from her. He blinked in surprise as his head recoiled slightly. "A thief?" he repeated, unsure of what to make of the situation. His grip finally released but he remained steadfast in front of her, preventing her from running away. "Not a good one, apparently." he commented dryly as he stared down at her.

"You do realize that theft is a crime?" he spoke as he held his lightsaber at her. "Thieves and beggars are weaklings. By all rights you should lose a hand for this. However you were not my prey. I have no quarrel with you. But I can not simply let you leave." he spoke with a cold voice as he leaned down with his helmet inches from her face. "I will give you a choice. You can try to run and I will cut you down. Or you pledge your service to me and you can live as my servant. Your choice."

There was a menacing smirk behind his helmet that likely could be heard in his voice. And he had a good suspicion of that her choice would be. "And to be honest, I might have use for a thief like you. You might be a bad thief but you still managed to get into his house without him noticing. If you promise to help me when I say, I might release you from my service." he continued, giving her some incentive. Because, in all honesty, he was not good with moving silently. Plus having someone who was good with technology would help him out quite a bit. He still wasn't sure what all of his datapad's settings and applications could do.

He took a step back and turned to leave, glancing at her over his shoulder. "So? Shall we leave?" he asked her calmly as he clipped his lightsaber to his belt.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

Her energy reserves were already running low but he did not seem to be exerting that much effort at all. Instead, he pondered on her being a thief in the same way that a person would consider what to have for lunch. When he finally released he, Millicent fell but as soon as her feet touched the ground, her knees folded, making her fall to the ground. She didn't even look up at him - instead, she was just gasping for air for the first few seconds, completely missing his comment on her being a bad thief. Still, he did not seem like someone who should be kept waiting, and so, she tried to get back up by leaning on the crate that she was next to.

For a moment, she wondered if anyone would even be able to see her behind his massive form but the thought was quickly dismissed as he asked his first question. Millicent's eyes went up to meet his visor for a brief moment before falling down again. The girl nodded. He continued calling her weak and once more, she nodded. And then he said that she should loose a hand. Fear immediately struck her as she gasped whilst looking up at him, completely terrified with a slight shiver to her gaze. The thief didn't say anything, however - he was not yet finished.

It was not long before he leaned in close, bringing his cold hard mask closer to her face. Millicent's day was not at all going like she had expected. Getting caught had happened to her a few times - but this was different. There was no running from this guy and talking her way out didn't seem realistic either. Her mind reflected over what services he was asking for - Canto Bight had a foul reputation, but something told her that this was not what he was after. The man was probably the most intimidating person she had ever met - but he was no lowlife scum. At least that was what she hoped when she finally nodded once more, "I will be..." her small voice trailed off as she took a small gulp as she tried to hold her head up high, perhaps for the last time "...your servant"

The offer he had made was comforting - but then, who knew whether he was speaking the truth or not? At least she could hope that he would stay true to his word. When he turned to leave, Millicent didn't move. She simply couldn't fathom what had just happened and following the person whom had just dangled her like a plushy toy was simply beyond what she could imagine herself doing. But then he turned to look at her. Almost as if by instinct, she quickly scurried to catch up with him.

After they had walked a few metres, a beeping sound started coming from her backpack. It from the lockbox she had stolen from within the safe. Millicent looked up at the masked figure with guilty eyes - if he looked at her the wrong way, she'd immediately blurt out a panicked "I didn't do anything! I promise! I don't know what it is, I took it from that guy! Ask him how it works, I just picked it up and ran!"

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

To his satisfaction she agreed to his terms and quickly caught up with him. He led the way through the streets and back to his ship, although he seemed to look lost a few times. Not that he said anything. He wasn't going to ask for help already, especially with something as trivial as directions. After all, he knew how to survive the harsh deserts of Athiss and Korriban, this shouldn't be that difficult. The few extra turns did give him some insight in the life of Canto Bight, however. "This place is pathetic. An entire city dedicated to wasting resources when they could use it for more important needs. This is not good for survival." he commented as he glanced around them.

Along the way a sudden beeping noise from her backpack caught his attention. His head turned to look at her and she hurriedly gave an explanation. "I broke his neck. Asking him is going to be rather difficult." he quipped with a practically bored tone of voice. "Well then, what is that noise?" he asked as he stopped and turned to look at her with curiosity. "Abd also, how familiar are you with technology? I have a problem with my datapad you can help me with. But first see what is making that incessant noise. I am not letting that on my ship." he spoke as mild annoyance brewed in his voice.

Once she had her bag open, he started to lean a bit closer to get a look at the device she stole from the man.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

It was insane how she was sometimes taking a few extra fast steps to keep up with him when she wanted nothing more than to get away from him. Her promise to be his servant didn't mean much to her - Millicent had no qualms about lying to survive. But his threat to kill her or chop her hand off was still very real and so, she made sure to keep up. Her head snapped up as he spoke - her eyes quickly scanned for other people or some kind of comms equipment, but there was nothing. Without thinking about it, she let a short "A-are you.. talking to m-me?" slip out with a slight shiver to her tone. She immediately regretted asking and then quickly nodded with a small "Yes" before adding "The people who come here have so many credits. They make others work for their survival"

Millicent's eyes once again went wide as he revealed that he had killed the owner of the house. Her gaze quickly snapped down to the hand with which he had held her, making her truly realise how close it had been to her getting killed and how easily he could have done it.

"I'm not sure. I think it's a call or a message" she said, looking up at him, not knowing if he wanted her to move, do something or wait for him to do something. "I-I'm decent" she continued and nodded eagerly as soon as he spoke of how she might be able to help him. If she could help him, it meant that she would be able to survive - hopefully until an opening would present itself. With that, she took off her backpack, put it on the ground and brought out the lockbox.

"This thing, it looks like it comes from the core. It's one of those boxes that destroys its contents if it's tampered with" she said, focusing on the item she held. "I can probably..." she continued before loosing the track and starting to tamper with the lockbox. It was scary - how he leaned in as she worked on it. But this was her element. Millicent knew what she was doing and was fully focused on it. Before long, the hatches made a click noise as the lid opened. A satisfied smile flashed by, just for a moment, before she looked up at her captor in a search for approval.

He thoughts were clear "Look, I'm useful!" but she wouldn't say it out loud, instead, she looked down at the contents - an advanced comms unit "It has a message" she said before handing the device to him. If he gave it back for her to handle, she would open the message up and read it out loud for him to hear "The cell will meet at Docking bay B27 where the new agent will arrive."

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

She got to work on figuring out what made the noise. The culprit was an odd lockbox that she seemed to recognize. Perhaps she wasn't too useless. He watched with interest as she tinkered and fiddled with the lockbox until it finally popped open. He noticed the smile she gave and she indeed deserved it. "Good work." he said with a hint of a smile in his voice before peering into the box.

He took the device and luckily managed to open the messages, blinking in surprise. "We need to go there." he spoke as he handed her the commlink to see. "Let us find this docking bay." he stated as he turned and motioned for her to follow as he walked towards the landing zones. "My name is Jasos Katis, however you may call me Jas. And what is your name?" he asked her as he walked with a brisk pace. "And how good are you with picking locks? If that docking bay is locked, I shall need your help." he continued as he glanced at her. He approached a dock worker and asked for directions before setting off again, making sure his new slave was by his side.

When they finally reached the docking bay, the doors were sealed shut. With a low growl Jas glanced around then back to her. "Get to work. I shall keep watch." he ordered her with a soft voice as he followed her to a point where she could do her work. True to his word, he kept watch for anyone that might get suspicious while he let her work. However he also kept an eye on her. He wasn't going to let her slip away now. Once they were done, he'd lead the way inside and hide behind some crates to get a view of the area. "There are several armed men moving around. They seem to be waiting for the new arrival. Hopefully they come quickly. Though these numbers will be a problem. I doubt I can take so many on at once if they are at range." he assessed with a whisper.

He glanced down and armed his lanvarok before looking around again. "What experience do you have with combat?" he asked her as he glanced at her.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

It was weird, for when he showed approval of her work, the thief displayed a happy smile and a deep nod that seemed almost like a bow. Internally, she wondered why she was so happy - it was not like she was there voluntarily. In the end, Millicent concluded that, it had to be relief which caused her to be so glad. The fact that she was somewhat useful meant that the chances of her captor letting her live was increasing.

Feeling a little brave, the girl leaned in a little closer to him as he opened up the message, catching a glance of what it said too. The whole deal sounded rather dangerous, so when the Pureblood spoke of them going there, she froze. Her mouth remained shut as she slowly looked up at him with big eyes that shimmered in a nuance of green and blue. It became obvious to her that he wasn't looking for her approval, they were going to go to the docking bay whether she wanted to or not, and with that, she produced a tiny nod.

Upon being handed the comlink, she was fast to put it back into the bag before jogging a few steps to catch up. And it seemed like she would have to continue jogging, at least from time to time, for he was keeping a brisk pace and his legs were much longer than hers "I'm... I'm Millicent" she said, deciding to give him her real name. Something told her that, if she lied, chances were that he'd probably find out sooner or later anyways. Taking a few extra quick steps to keep up she looked up at him as he walked "I'm decent. Uhm, I've got a few security tunnlers too" she said, bringing one out from behind her back to show him.

So far, Millicent had not made any attempts at running - it was far too risky. When he commanded her to get to work, she moved up to the control panel by the door and started to work on getting it open. It felt weird to have someone watch over her - usually, she was working on her own and had to stay hidden - now, they were doing it in the open and if anything people would fear them and not the other way around. Once opened, she followed him inside and simply stood behind him. There was really no need for her to cover and hide since his impressive build was more than large enough for her to disappear behind.

Millicent was used to scouting areas out and curiously peeked out from behind him to see the area. For a moment, she wondered what he was thinking - he had admitted that it might be a tough fight for him so if she decided to make their presence known, he would be in trouble. But then, it also seemed likely that he wouldn't have much trouble quickly killing her off if she did. Leaning back, she looked up at his jawline, studying his red skin and alien features. In a way, he had a rather striking appearance - it was only when he completed his question that she realised that she was staring.

"Ahm, uhm, I, uh" the girl trailed off as her gaze fell. Her thin arms crossed in front of her chest as she let our a sorry shrug "I don't have any" she admitted before scrambling to save the situation "B-but I can be useful! I can screw with the fork truck! They'd have to check it out if they have cargo that needs moving and that would bring them in close, right?" she said, hoping that he would approve. If so, she would head over the the vehicle to see what could be done. If all went right, she would look for an opportunity to escape while Jas was distracted.

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

Jas listened to her thoughts as he looked at the men wandering around the landing pad. He blinked in surprise and looked down at her with confusion. "Why would they use the fork truck if they are only delivering one man?" he asked her with curiosity. To him, her enthusiastic idea simply didn't make sense. It did, however, give him another idea. "We can still use it, though. If you were to send it driving towards their group, it could cause a moment of chaos between them. An excellent time to strike. However after that I'd suggest you fall back. You are a lot more defenceless than I am. Stay hidden then I will fight them." he instructed her with a hushed voice.

He glanced at the small group one last time then sat back and removed his helmet. He scratched his head then looked down at her with a faint smile. "Force willing, this will go smoothly. Because I really need help with my datapad." he commented. His attention was drawn overhead when a shuttle came droning into the landing zone. It was unassuming and looked quite common. Perfect for an infiltration.

He slipped his helmet on and peered over their cover to see what was going on. To his surprise, the agent sent was a Jedi. A padawan or unassuming knight, by the look of it. But the fact remained that it was a Jedi. He focused hard on concealing his presence in the force before looking to Millicent. "Go now. I shall wait for your move." He whispered to her.

With that set, he patiently waited for her to distract and confuse their opponents. They were 8 or so, excluding the Jedi. He calmed himself and focused on them. The mere thought of thinking himself weaker than mere humans made him sick. A disgusted feeling that helped him focus. The moment the fork truck launched towards them, he leapt over the crates and ignited his lightsaber. The blade cleaved through two of them before they could move, but that was about the extent of what he could accomplish before the rest targeted him.

Jas took a defensive stance and deflected bolts as they fired at him. His gaze was focused on the Jedi who ignited his blade as well. He managed to kill another with his own bolt before the Jedi charged at him with a flurry of aggressive and sweeping moves. With a low growl the Pureblood stood his ground and defended, but it was clear that he had his work cut out for him. The smaller and more nimble Jedi was throwing everything at him...

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

He made a good point. Her eyes went wide for a moment as her brain tried to figure out what it had been doing "I, uh, y'know, uhm, maybe he's got a lot of luggage?" she said, knowing how silly it sounded as she uttered the words. Trying to summon a smile, she let out a low "Sorry" as she sent him an apologetic look. For a moment, she thought that the only thing keeping her alive was that he couldn't kill her without revealing their location.

Her face seemed to brighten up as he came up with an alternate suggestion for what she could do. After having made a bad proposal, she was now eager to prove herself, even if it was more risky than what she had. Nodding, she let out a small "okay" Upon seeing his helmet removed, Millicent's eyes were immediately drawn to his red skin and striking features before she quickly diverted her gaze. Still, she couldn't help but let out a low, barely audible giggle as he mentioned needing help with the datapad, proving that it was rather easy to lure out the happy enthusiast that she really was - despite the fear.

Their moment of peace disappeared fast, however - for as soon as he took the helmet back on, they were back to the former roles. Upon being told to go, she timidly made her departure, scurrying about behind crates and thick fuel pipes criss-crossing the floor until she found herself by the fork truck. Getting it started was not hard - the thief had done it numerous times before. But she had not thought it all through properly for the ignition alerted the operatives and the Jedi to her presence. Still, they couldn't see quite what the "threat" was as she was quick to hide behind the control panel.

Doing as the Sith had instructed, she set the vehicle on full speed and rammed towards the main group of enemies, making sure to use the vehicle as cover - knowing that she'd have to see it through or risk failing her captor. The entire squad opened fire on the incoming vehicle, causing it to quickly start to fall apart. But first, it rammed into three of them, knocking or killing two of them whilst landing on the third's legs, pinning him to the ground. The girl waited until Jas rushed into action.

Soon, chaos would erupt as the operatives and Jedi would find themselves dealing with a much greater thread than a girl with a forklift. Seeing her opportunity, Millicent left the vehicle to make a run for it - but then she stopped. The man she had landed on was crying out in pain and she didn't want to let it continue. After making sure that he had dropped his gun, she rushed forth and searched him until she found a medpac where a dose of anesthetic painkillers laid. Applying just a little bit too much, she hoped that it would knock him unconscious and alleviate his pain. Meanwhile, a fourth operative had broken away from the main fight to check on his colleagues, something which she had failed to notice so far.

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

Jas was oblivious to the carnage Millicent was wreaking while he fought the Jedi. If he had to guess, the man was barely out of his padawab stage, but he was good. His movements were quick and relentless. Jas coupd only defend and counter every now and then. Luckily the Jedi wasn't flawless. After blocking a blow, he tried to call upon the Force with his hand. Jas didn't give him time to show what he was planning. His armoured fist collided and sent the Jedi stumbling back, dazed with a bloody face.

This was Jas' chance. His chance to end it. But in the corner of his eye he noticed the last soldier taking aim at his slave. He reached out with his hand and used the Force to pull the soldier towards him, causing the man to miss his mark just in time. The Puteblood tore through him with his lightsaber when he came in range, but didn't get to do much more before he felt a searing pain across his free arm and his side.

He stumbled back and was sent flying by the Jedi who was back on his feet. With a grunt Jas forced himself to sit up, clutching his arm. The Jedi had gotten a good slice in. His arm was pretty much useless and the cut along his side wasn't very good either.

Jas ignited his lightsaber and attempted to stand up again, but another Force push knocked him back down. "Karking sith." the Jedi hissed as he approached Jas. The Pureblood sat up again. From behind the Jedi, he could see Millicent... but he highly doubted that she would help him. This was her chance to get away.

He scooted back with a growl and raised his lightsaber, ready to defend himself to the bitter end as the Jedi got ready to finish the job.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

Suddenly, she heard the scratch of boots being dragged backwards coming from behind and upon turning around, she saw the soldier being pulled back, just managing to fire off his rifle before it was aimed completely wrong. Millicent let out a high pitched eek as she threw herself to the other side of the now unconscious operative under the forklift. The shot missed anyways but her instinct still had her get on the move fast. Her eyes quickly tracked her attacker to Jas as he disposed of them before being attacked himself.

The thought of her captor sacrificing himself to keep herself passed her mind but she did her best to push it aside. This was her chance to get away. He was injured and faced someone who could fight him on more equal terms - except that the Jedi had a bunch of support whilst the Sith just had her. Still, it didn't take much to realise that, if she wanted to run all the way to the exit, chances were that the fight would end and that whoever won would catch up to her. And so, she thought of an alternative solution: The ship.

Taking the chance as the two force users were busy, Millicent rushed onto the ramp and into the cockpit of the vessel. Hijacking a ship was, however, a very different affair from hijacking a forklift - but at least she got the power on and some basic controls. As the fight between Jas and his foe seemed to tip more to the Jedi's favour, the ship systems slowly turned on, making noise and turning on the headlights behind him. Hoping that they'd be too busy with each other, the girl continued trying to enable the flight options by overriding the security lock.

Soon, as she peered up from the panel and looked out the window, she saw how Jas was on the verge of being defeated - or at least so it looked from her perspective. Manually accessing the weapons systems from the co-pilot's seat, she turned one of the turrets towards the two. Still, she didn't want to kill anyone - she had never done so in her entire life. And her aim wasn't very good to begin with, so she may not have succeeded even if she tried. Regardless of the cause, the blast that eventually fired failed to hit anyone - but the shockwave that it produced was enough to knock the Jedi back, hopefully giving the Sith a chance to recover. "We're even now" she mumbled, looking down at the large Pureblood below.

Then, she slipped back down under the control panel and frantically started working on unlocking the flight mechanics again. This was her chance to escape - she just had to gain access before the fight was over.

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

The Jedi was about to deliver his final blow, when cannon bolts suddenly impacted around them, sending him to the ground. Jas covered his eyes until the shooting was over. When he opened them, he saw the Jedi lying on the ground a few feet away from him.

The Jedi pushed himself up onto one knee, staring at the ship in confusion. "What the-" he fell quiet with a grunt as a crimson blade slammed right through his chest. Jas stood up with a grunt and pulled back his blade, giving one last slice to relieve the Jedi of his head.

His attention was then turned to the ship. He knew Millicent was on there. She had helped him in his time of need. A thought that disgusted him. The fact that his life was saved by a human. On top of that, she belonged to him by right. She was his slave. And now his slave was trying to escape. Without wasting a moment, he ran with heavy breaths towards the ship and leapt onto the boarding ramp.

After stumbling around a bit, he found the cockpit and ignited his lightsaber. With a roar he slashed the console and window to make sure she wasn't escaping. "You ran away." he growled, holding his blade dangerously close to her throat. "You ran away, without permission. I should have you flogged fed to Tuk'atas for that." he threatened her as he removed his helmet and brought his face closer to hers.

With a snarl and enraged eyes, he glared at her with his face inches from hers. His free hand wrapped around her throat and forced her into the seat's backrest. "You are lucky I am not in a mood for this right now. You belong to me. By right, you are my property. If you defy me, run away, or go against my word again, you will be punished. Do you understand?" he warned her with a cold voice before he hurled her into the opposite wall with a violent growl.

His blade extinguished and immediately came up to clutch at his injured arm as he winced. "Now come on." he ordered her as he led the way out, his hilt ready to ignite in case she tried anything. On the way out, he toom the Jedi's lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. When they arrived on his shuttle, he quickly got hia droid to fly them away then went looking for a medkit.

"Do you know how to treat wounds?" he asked her with a neutral voice as he held onto the cut in his side. In his hand was the medkit, but the injuries he had were simply too awkward to do do alone.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

She could hear the heavy footsteps against the ramp and then the floorplates of the ship. It had to be the Sith but she didn't want to believe it. Frantically, Millicent continued trying to get the ship to work when suddenly, everything seemed to explode. The girl only saw a glimpse of his crimson blade as pieces of hot metal peppered their surroundings. And before she could react, it hovered by her throat, causing her to try to pull back. Her only response to him was silence - it was neither defiant nor complete. Instead, it was filled with fear and disturbed by small whimpers as his face hovered in close.

Her teary blue-green eyes shivered as they met his when he suddenly let out a snarl and pushed her back into the seat with a firm hand against her throat. She remembered how he had mustered the strength to hoist her up by the throat like this before and did not wish to repeat the incident. But even when injured, his strength did not seem to falter. Then, he started speaking of her as a possession, a thing, not even human and her mouth started to go off "I'm a pers-" but her voice quickly died down as she remembered where she was, with his hand pressing down against her throat and the beginning of "If you defy me"

And then he tossed her away like a used toy. Some of the panel buttons she was thrown into broke as well as the outer plate and she was sure that she didn't have it much better - cuts and bruises were almost guaranteed. Seemingly without any energy reserves left, the girl fell down onto the floor and only mustered weak movements to get back up as she let out a fearful "I understand" A brief pause ensued as she looked at his enraged eyes and soon, a meek "Thank you" followed. From his perspective, he had probably shown mercy. Regardless of the pain, the thief got back up on her feet and did her best to keep up with him as he marched back to the ship.

* * *​

Just before stepping onto the ramp, Millicent's pace slowed a little as she glanced behind her. She was not so foolish as to make another escape attempt, at least not now. Instead, she followed him aboard and kept relatively close until he spoke to her. "Yes" she replied, trying to mask a shiver in her voice.

With a timid hand, she took the medkit if he would give it too her. After inspecting the wound for a bit, she finally spoke "I think you'll need to take off the outer robe..." her voice stayed but it was clear that she was not quite done with the sentence. Weighing her words, Millicent tried to figure out what to call him - 'Jas' seemed way too informal considering their position - it almost sounded as if they were friends. "... my Lord" she said, just going by what seemed the least wrong.

Regardless of whether he complied or not, she would proceed to try to treat his wounds, making heavy use of her delicate touch to minimize any pain produced as she applied the kolto - it was very different from what most medical droids or even field medics would offer. She grew silent as she worked, concentrated on doing her task well - in a way, it almost felt therapeutic as the two were in the presence of each other - letting her grow a little bit more used to it as the immediate fear of a sudden death started to slip away.

Her hands looked small as she worked on his large arm. In fact, she looked pretty small as she worked on it, making it better bit by bit, without causing any pain as she applied the kolto. For a moment, another wave of fear washed over her as she remembered how easily he had picked her up and tossed her away with just one of those arms but then, she decided to be brave. Her voice cut through the silence as she paused for a moment to look up at him "Who were those guys anyways?" she asked - and if he did not seem to be annoyed by the question, she would then continue to ask "Why did you capture me?" There were so many others whom could've been captured - they could've been more useful to him in a fight - yet there she was, alive, while the others laid dead.

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

It came as no surprise that she was terrified of him. He pretty much expected it and preferred it. It made her less likely to try and turn on him. But at the same time, having someone who was constantly petrified around him made for boring company. When she confirmed that she had medical knowledge, he handed her the medkit and patiently waited for her to assess the wounds. "Of course... and do not call me 'lord', I am far from a lord. Just... call me 'sir' or 'master'." he explained with a significantly calmer and more relaxing tone than before. He dropped his coat and removed his ruined shirt as well to give her full access of the injuries. "Luckily they are already cauterized. Bloody Jedi." he commented as he stared at a corner in the living quarters. There were soft grumbles or sighs as she hit some sensitive spots, but otherwise there was no reaction from him.

His golden gaze turned towards her as she found the courage to ask a few questions. "They were a traitorous cell, clearly. According to what I know, they wanted to establish a rebel cell in the area to undermine sith rule. That Jedi was an unexpected arrival, but he was likely the leader of the operation." he explained calmly to her.

"As for you..." he started, turning slightly to face her. "I needed someone to aid me in certain things. I do not know how modern technology works and I am not good at being quiet or stealthy. As a thief, I suspect you are much better at both of these than me. Plus you seem to be pleasant company... for a human. If you could stop fearing for your life and calm down a little, you could be of much more use to me. If you do not give me reason to hurt you, I shall not." he continued as he looked away again.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

Millicent continued carefully working on his wounds as he answered her calmly. She was still unsure of where he had set her borders and experimentation on how far she was allowed to go would have to be conducted extremely carefully, if at all. Jas spoke of how the rebels wanted to undermine Sith rule and she could kind of see why, for she was not particularly fond of her experiences with it so far. "Do you like, uhm, Sith rule?" she asked, her voice small and her body ready to dodge if he snapped at her with more than just words.

Ceasing her work, she looked up as he turned to face her. It showed respect and it was hard to try to work delicately with someone whom moved or who could cause her tremendous stress by just looking at her with an angered eye. At first, he spoke of her like a tool to be used, but then he mentioned that she was good company and a careful smile immediately started growing on her lips "Than-" she said but trailed off as he continued, letting her know of his view on humans. While it was hard to swallow, she supposed that he thought that his comment was nice and reluctantly finished "Thank you" with a small voice.

It was hard not to fear for her life when she was with him - but she had survived so far, right? And he had just told her how to be more useful, so that was a start. Still, it was a hard one as she was not the master over her own fear. "I- I make good salads too" she joked, producing a nervous yet soft smile. As she wrapped up the treatment of his wound, her eyes sought out his again "And, thanks for the save back there." she was clearly referring to how he had put himself in harm's way to keep her safe. Soon, her gaze fell as she struggled to ask "Do.. do..." but in the end, she couldn't get it out - asking for freedom now might be a bit too bold. Instead, she asked something simple "Where are we going... uhm.. sir?"

Jas Katis

 

[Jas Katis]

Jas raised an eyebrow at her question, rather intrigued by it. "It is not a matter of liking or hating it. It is a matter of duty. On my home planet, if you do not fight or scheme your way to the top, you die. In the empire, you are rewarded for doing your duty. However I do have my grievances but that is none of your concern. Right now, your concerns should be what I command." he explained with a calm voice.

His mood lifted quite a bit at her little joke as an amused chuckle escaped him. "Luckily I enjoy a nice salad every now and then." he quipped as his golden eyes drifted down to look at her. She continued, but it seemed she was hesitant to say what was on her mind. "Do not be afraid to talk. Unless I say otherwise or what you want to say is clearly moronic, feel free to converse. Having someone to talk to, even a simple human, is an improvement over traveling alone. That droid of mine is utterly useless with talking." he explained to her.

She finally asked where they were going next as she finished with his wounds. He checked the areas and stretched a little before picking up his shirt. "Our next destination..." he started as he carefully slipped his shirt back on along with his robes. "... I am unsure of. I shall have to see what my superiors say but until then, we keep moving about. Sitting in one place is not good." he explained to her as he led the way to the cockpit.

As he sat in one of the passenger seats, he gestured for her to do the same. "Do you know of any rebel cells or traitors to the empire in sith space?" he asked her with a serious tone as he looked at her.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

Unpleasant First Impressions

Her gaze had fallen in defeat when he switched. When he told her that where her priorities should be. Perhaps there was some truth to it - survival hinged on it, rather than what kind of rule that was the best, after all. But then it shifted when he approved of her joke. It was nice to hear his chuckle and his suddenly warm golden eyes. Millicent thought she enjoyed it because it meant that her chances of surviving went up but deep inside, it felt like there might be something more to it than that. It was not something she pondered on, for she had much more important things to keep her mind occupied with.

Producing a meek smile, she looked up at him. She was a thief, someone who had not paid attention at school and rarely followed once things got too complicated. Her words came, delivered by an almost embarrassed tone "If I say something moronic, it's not, you know, intentional." She simply didn't always know what was good and what wasn't and with someone so alien as Jas, it was even harder to figure out. Would he mind if he asked for freedom? Would he mind if he preferred bantha steak over gizka legs? It was hard to tell. At least for Millicent.

A glimmer of hope seemed to appear as her eyes brightened and she let out an enthusiastic "Me too!" For a moment, she had forgotten where she was and was simply happy over having found something in common with someone. For this brief moment, it wasn't even important that he was Sith or had captured her, it was just nice to be the same as someone. But she soon remembered and her mood immediately seemed to dampen. Even though she tried to hide it, it was noticeable "If you stay too long in one place, you might get caught" she said, at least providing some sort of explanation before handing the reigns back to the Sith.

With a nod, she sat down, obeying his command. "No" she said honestly, shaking her head. It was not really something she tended to look for. But then she remembered: Telos. She had been trying to hide a speeder bike she had managed to steal and had been taken in by a family affiliated with a local independence movement. They had been kind to her - offered a sanctuary from Imperial law enforcement, offered food and water. They had been nice to her and she didn't want to see them hurt - and she had already seen first hand what Jas did to 'traitorous cells.' Hoping to avoid having to speak more on the matter now that she remembered it, she quickly stood up from the chair "Would you like for me to get you something to eat?" her voice was kind and pleasant, perhaps unexpectedly so, considering how much fear she had shown before.

Jas Katis