"You sound like you've been here before, Zayne..." Dwain chuckled. "Care to humour why you utterly dislike Chiss?"
The ship entered the cold atmosphere. Temperature started to drop, even Dwain could feel it inside the ship. According to the scanners, there was some kind of dock up ahead. It was hard to spot, as everything appeared to be white all over. There were outlines of dark-blue frozen lakes in verious spots of the snow terrain.
"These Chiss must burrow underground, or something! I don't know how anyone could survive on the surface..."
Natalie peered through the cockpit, trying to make out well, anything.
"Feels strange... I just get the impression that we arent welcome, if these are indeed Chiss, Iv never met them."
Natalie then heard Zaynes comment
"I might stay here also, we could monitor the ship and be ready to pull you out if anything happened." She finished saying.
"It seems that I'll be tagging along with you Dwain," William said.
William felt the power of this planet along with the secrets that were contained here.
"I feel as if we should find what we're looking for, but continue to find something else. Of what, I'm not sure."
"Alright, then lets get ready. Ranis and Zeldron and tag along with us..."
Dwain walked up to William and hovered over his ear. He smiled. "Looks like Natalie and Zayne will be having some alone time..." he said cheekingly.
Dwain stepped out of the cockpit.
__________________
The Strider made a landing on a barely visible platform. As the legs sprouted from beneath the ship to touch the platform, it began to move. It was as if they had stepped onto an elevator. As the elevator climbed down even further, a set of doors closed above them. There was no escape now. Down, down, down they went...
The Elevator made a halt at a very large ice-covered hanger. It was filled with dozens of ships and maby freighters presumably of Chiss manufacturing. From out the cockpit window, Dwain could see a group of Chiss for greeting... or being hostile. It was difficult to tell. Among the crowd, was a droid easily able to outline... Dwain immediatly recognised the model; a HK series Assasination/Protocol droid...
"Looks like Natalie and Zayne will be having some alone time..." Dwain said cheekily, Natalie had to admit she wasnt exactly upset to be alone on the ship with him, but she had more pressing matters to concern over.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Natalie watched the walls outside the cockpit move up, and felt her feet turn like jelly, they were on an elevator alright, atleast they could always take off, but for all they knew, the area around the ship that they couldnt see from inside might be in jeopardy.
When the ship stopped, she looked through to the hangar like everyone else and saw the same, lines and lines of ships, freighters and equipment. She then looked to Dwain, and followed his eyes as she saw a group of people, they are had blue skin like the chiss, save one, which was a rusted looking orange... she couldnt make out where she remembered it.
She then sat down in the Co-Pilot seat and picked up the commlink.
"We'll be on the horn if you need us."
"Don't be having your alone time if there's an emergency," said William through the commlink. "We'll be screwed if you do so please... not now."
As William laid eyes upon the group of Chiss and the HK droid, we began to worry. These Chiss were smart no doubt about that, if a fight broke out the protocol droid would revert to its assination programining.
"Let's try to be curtious and polite shall we?"
"You sound like you've been here before, Zayne..." Dwain chuckled. "Care to humour why you utterly dislike Chiss?"
"I've told you before cap'n, they screwed me over. Ain't that enough?" Zayne replied, a bit angry.
"Looks like Natalie and Zayne will be having some alone time..."
"S-Sh-SHUT UP! YOU KNOW IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" He replied, embarrassed. The magic had gone against the magician.
---
Zayne sat on the pilot seat, legs crossed and feet carefully on top of the interface. He looked at his companions and then heard William's remark.
"Don't be having your alone time if there's an emergency," said William through the commlink. "We'll be screwed if you do so please... not now."
"Screw you Will," Zayne quickly snapped at him. He then looked at his supposed "enemies".
The Chiss, a bunch of arrogant and self-centered egomaniacs...Or business-stealers in Zayne's case. At that right moment, a mix of anger and fear was going through his blood, burning with rage yet cowering with fear at the same time. He didn't have to withstand that.
"I'm gonna get a snack. Want anything?" Zayne asked Natalie, getting up from his seat.
Natalie suddenly snapped out of her day dream, having been sitting doing pretty much nothing for 5 minutes or so. She pretended she didnt hear Zaynes snaps at Will and the others, because she felt the same.
"No thanks" She smiled at Zayne before looking back out towards the cockpit, still trying to wonder where she had seen the droid before, suddenly it came back to her.
'The embassey! A protocol droid looked very similar to that (since HKs have a knack for blending in as protocols), we'll have to be ready if anything does happen.' She thought, watching as the crew of the strider walked patiently towards the Chiss.....
"Screw you Will," Zayne snapped through the comlink. Dwain couldn't help but laugh at his over reaction.
As the accompanying group exited the ship through the ramp, Dwain stepped onto the metal floor of the hanger. The party of Chiss glared their red eyes at the group, obviously not happy to see them. They held blaster rifles of their own design and aimed them at the crew. The HK unit was the first to step forward.
"Irrated Statement: I have been requested to act as your translation, due to the fact that not many of your kind speak the Chiss Dialect. They wish you to state your business here, or hostilities will be a resort!"
"Wait a minute... Weren't you at that award ceremony for the Ebon Hawk's crew held on Rakatan Prime?"
"Observation: I do infact recall the event, but my memory does not show any signs of your presence at the ceremony, human."
"Yeah, thats because I watched it all on a holovid. Yes... thats right; I remember you were being interviewed and you threatened the camera man because he asked if you were an obsolete model..."
"Threat: Do not attempt to aggrivate my behaviour core, meatbag! Or I will tell this Squad of Security Forces that you are utterly tired of your meat-bag status and wished to be put out of your own misery!"
"Tell them we wish them no harm..."
HK-47 looked back at the Chiss and spoke a dialect Dwain couldn't recognise...
"I rather like this droid," chuckled William. "I think we should ask him how he got here, and maybe see if we can take him along with us."
He continued to look at HK intently as it continued to translate.
"It'd be nice to talk to somebody when traveling through space."
The HK droid turned back at the group. The orange photoreceptors glew as the machine looked at Dwain.
"Translation: They remain somewhat unconvinced, human. Their orders are to confiscate your weapons and hold you in their custody, from which you will be interogated.
"Irratated Statement: During which I shall continue to serve you as your translation droid as instructed. In the mean time, you must drop your weapons."
Dwain, who was not looking for a fight, unclipped both his Lightsabers and placed them onto the floor, as well as his blaster. He encouraged the others to do the same.
Zayne looked at the Dwain putting his sabers on the floor, confused at his reaction.
"What the f-OH NO, NO YOU DIDN'T!" He said, his tone of voice higher for every word he said and getting up, "DAMNIT, I KNEW IT! They're taking us into custody. To hell with that, i'll just blast th-," Then he looked down. He had momentarily "forgot" about his mission and the fact that Dwain and Will were still there. He then irritatedly sighed.
"Come on Nat. Let's just go before they board the ship. Or even steal from it. Like they did last time," Zayne told her, the last part a whisper for himself.
William smiled pleasantly at the group of Chiss and unhooked his lightsabers from his belt and laying it on the floor. He also took out his spear and several grenades. He kept his wrist blades hidden from their view however.
"Just in case..." he thought as he continued to smile.
After that, he stood and waited for the next course of action.
"No.." Natalie said quietly as a couple of chiss approached the ship.
"Lets just hide out in one the large storage boxes in the cargo hold, if not we're in trouble" She quickly got up and grabbed her things.
"Come on lets move!" She began to rush out of the cockpit towards the cargo hold.
"Always feisty," Zayne commented as Natalie made her way to the cargo hold, "Oh well, guess there's no helping it!" He then began to run alongside her on her way to the cargo hold. The pair of Chiss entered the Strider and almost catched Zayne running, however, he made it.
After they had arrived on the cargo hold, Zayne looked for containers that could carry them with no problem.
"There!" He told Natalie, pointing to a corner of the ship, one container that could surely carry them.
The next thing Dwain knew was that the group was brought into some kind of circular conference room. It was dimly litted, and the only source of light was a hologram projector platform sitting in the center of the room.
Dwain was appointed to a seat, as well as the others. As they waited, six Chiss council men and women entered the room and sat in their seats opposite of the crew. HK-47 was standing in between the two parties, acting as he is instructed to do.
One of the Chiss Counil men spoke a sentence in their dialect, while the droid comprehend what he was saying. The droids head moved to look at the Dwain.
"Translation: The High Council of the Csilla query your purpose as to why you have landed in their settlement."
"Tell them we are in search of a ancient lost empire known as "The True Sith"" Dwain answered.
"Translation: They have indeed heard of such a title called "Sith" but there is no known record of an encounter. There was however strange distress signals coming from one of the moons orbiting Csilla, but they had not had a chance to investigat the matter."
This definatly drew Dwain's attention. So the computer was correct afterall of the possibility that part of the Sith were established on one of the three moons.
"Recitation: There was a last encounter of humans before you arrived. Like you, she and her companions were given the same treatment. They too were investigating the whereabouts of these True Sith. And as part of the result, I have been left behind to serve as a Translation droid."
The Exile? It took Dwain a moment to comprehend exactly what the machine was saying. It had to be the Exile, because she was the ony current owner of the droid.
And if that was the case...
"Okay... so why were you left behind?"
"Statement: I am not authorised to answer any of your questions as of now, meatbag! You're being interogated, and you must address answers to the Council!"
Somewhat reluctantly, Natalie climbed into the fairly large container, it was only tall enough to crouch in, however it was wide and long enough to have plenty of space to move around and get comfortable.
She glanced out at the door facing the rest of the ship, and she heard the echoes of the Chiss speaking to one another, hopefully they thought the whole crew left.
"Hurry up" Natalie whispered, feeling a little tense by the current situation, both outside and in the ship.
"Translation: The Chiss Council seemed to have found a use for you humans. They request you too acetate the fate of the humans sent to investigate the moon orbiting."
"Statement: Until then, you're appointed to be held "quarantened" as to prepare yourself."
"Er... Quarantened?" Dwain questioned the vocabulary of the droid. "It almost sounds like your holding us prisoner to do your dirty work!"
"Statement: I assume meatbag, by "you" you are refering to "them". I'm just a HK Assassin droid with a sub protocol for translation."
"I thought Assassin Droids weren't meant to reveal their primary function to strangers?"
"Irratated Explanation: Over the past few months, I have sustained critical damage, resulting my restraining bolt to be permanatly deactivated. Are you satisfied Meatbag?
"Statement: You are free to explore the underground city, but bare in mind to not break any common laws, nor return to your ship. Not that it matters, as of now the Hanger doors are sealed shut without proper authorisation. You will be reserved for appartment M-9."
(Gonna post because no one else has in some time either than Phantom)
Natalie sat there for what seemed like hours, although it had probably only been minutes, she heard muffled voices coming from right outside the container.
She sighed and laid back, she may have not had room to stand up but there was definetly enough to lay down.
She felt nerved by the whole situation, where were the rest of the crew? And what would happen if they were discovered?
She also felt awekward by Zaynes company, in more ways than one, but atleast he was capable in combat if they were found...
Zayne heard the incoming invaders, their voice somewhat muffled because of the container.
"You search the left while i search the right half of the room, okay?" Said one of the Chiss in his native language. They started with the smaller containers, inspecting everything as they looked. Nothing suspicious 'till then. Eventually, they had searched every container until they reached the giant container that was hiding Zayne and Natalie.
"Well, guess this is it..." He whispered.
"No, let it go," Said one of the Chiss.
"Why? Boss said to look through everything," Replied the other.
"We haven't found anything in all of those, we sure as hell probably won't find anything in that as well and we still get paid. C'mon, let's go."
"Well, guess you're right."
The two Chiss then left the cargo hold. Zayne slowly and quietly lifted the lid of the container.
"Looks like coast is clear. Wanna try impersonate them?"
Natalie looked at Zayne blankly
"No offense.. but we dont have blue skin, red eyes, and we dont even understand their language, if a Chiss said 'hands up' in a calm tone for all we know he could be saying 'greetings'."
Natalie looked at the floor, and then felt guilty for snapping.
"Sorry.. but I just dont think its a good idea, unless their soldiers use armour that is top to bottom, the chances are slim." Natalie said, having heard the Chiss, but never actually seeing one up close.
"You seem to have forgotten i have been in here. I know a little of their language. And it's okay, you're forgiven but still, i don't see how we getting out of here without any plan," Zayne told her, trying to think clear.
"Well, we could always pose as beggars or something. You wouldn't believe how many times i've been robbed of credits by them. Filthy savages..."
"Beggers.. hmm, maybe one of us be an old blind begger down on *his* luck while the other be the blind man's guide?" She said thoughtfully, feeling at risk by the whole idea but at the same time hoping for a way to get out of the crowded up-close box....
Dwain and the group was led across a metal walk way which was set above a small underground complex, which was no doubt the Chiss's habitation. The Chiss escorted the group to an apartment complex, and into the allocated room. Strange pot plants lined up against the white durasteel wall, as well a row of beds and one computer terminal.
As the doors closed behind them, Dwain turned to look at the others.
"We could have a problem. Natalie and Zayne are still aboard the ship..."
"Good idea Nat," Zayne congratulated her, "So...who does which part?" He asked her, arms crossed and leaning against the container.
"Also, any idea on where are we getting beggar clothing?"
William turned to Dwain and answered calmly. "Relax, Natalie and Zayne can take care of themselves."
William continued his observation of the wall, "I just hope the two won't try to fight back."
"Umm... you can be the blind man" She said cheekily with a slight smirk.
"Also, any idea on where are we getting beggar clothing?" Zayne asked, Natalie had to admit she had no idea, she then glanced to the cargo hold door that had automatically shut, however it didnt lock.
"Well... with a bit of luck we will have plenty of time to.... dirty some clothes or find something lying around here..."
"Relax, Natalie and Zayne can take care of themselves."
Dwain hung his head down. "I hope your right..."
Suddenly the door of the apartment slid open, and the HK droid stepped wirte in. The photoreceptors glew orange when it stared at them.
"Request: If you are to head to the moon, you are to take me with you."
"That sounded more of a command, droid!" Dwain commented.
"Statement: And even so, my dutie here is complete. I must now yet return to my current owner, but to do that I must temporarily form an alliance with you... straight after the Chiss complete their registration of your ship!"
Suddenly, a little something popped up on Zayne's mind.
"Hum, Nat? How do we know if when we get out, they won't be out there ready for anything, guns held and aimed high?" He asked, sort of shocked and feeling stupid for not having thought of that before. And then another something popped up, "Wait, doesn't this ship have like, you know, secret compartments for, well, escaping or such?"
Natalie quickly got out of the box and entered into the cargo hold, ignoring the protests of Zayne and she quickly looked around, the cargo door was shut and the rest of the ship seemed quiet, not even the humm of the engines were on.
"How am I suppose to know? This isnt my ship." She replied, prefering to walk out and be a greeter than sneak around.
((*cracks knuckles* we all need a break every once in a while))
Dwain stared at the HK droid. "Great... How long will registration take exactly?"
"Speculation: Oh, it shall take no more than a few minutes. In the meantime, I suggest we start heading down towards your ship. But if there is anything else thats needed to be done here, I suggest you do it."
"Hang on. There are like... what? Three moons on this Ice Rock, yeah? Just which one are we supposed to get to?"
"Answer: Oh, I shall transfer the coordinates to your ship once we reach there."
The droid walked towards the door of the apartment. Then stopped, and turned its head to the others.
"Aggrivation: We're leaving this instant, meatbags!"
"Well, we've got do to something! Who knows what's happening to poor Dwain and poor Will and poor Ranis, well, not exactly poor but still! We've got to be heroes!" He shouted with a stupid conviction that would convince no one. He looked at Natalie, who didn't look impressed. Zayne scratched the top of his head,
"Ah, screw it then, let's just wait until they come back, shouldn't be long."
Natalie looked at zayne with a not-so-happy look, and sat back down close to him.
"Now what.." She asked, feeling a little tense.
"What, didn't i say anything about it? Last time i came here, they just checked out the ship, took the cargo, didn't pay and let us off shortly after. Then again, where did i land last time?" Zayne told her, oblivious that that piece of information WAS vital and would have made them not speculate on what to do, "I'm pretty sure i've told you guys..."
Natalie looked at him with a concerned look.
"What? Were did you land last time?" She asked, looking at him closley.
The crew followed the droid through the city streets. Walking through those curvy tunnels and corridors was like an entire civilisation living insisde of a bunker. Though from looking out a window, Dwain could see that the entire complex was built around an ice cavern.
HK-47 led them to the hanger where there ship was standing. Two Chiss guards had just walked out of it, obviously finishing an expection. He wondered if they had encountered the stranded Zayne and Natalie.
He walked up the ramp, feeling the satisfying warmth of the ship touching his skin.
Zayne continued his stream of thoughts, furiously trying to remember where he landed. Then it him. At that time, everyone on the ship was drunk. Madly blushing, he covered up, "Um, they probably just gave the wrong coordinates," He told Natalie as then he heard a sound from outside, "Hey, hear that?"
Natalie slowly turned from looking to Zayne toward the sound, it was the clanking of people moving up the ramp, and by the sounds of things, there was quite a few of them.
"It could be more chiss, get your sights on that door." She quickly raised her rifle and leaned it on the side of the crate, focused on the door to the rest of the ship....
As Dwain entered the ship he saw the glint of a rifle aiming at him from behind a crate. He smiled.
"Hey, what did I do wrong? Something I said?" he grinned as he recongnised it was Natalie and Zayne. He introduced the droid.
"Eh, we have a new temporary passenger on board. HK-47... he's an assassin droid once owned by Revan."
As the door opened, Zayne prepared to pull his trigger, ready to kil-
"Hey, what did I do wrong? Something I said?" He recognized that voice. It was...
"Boss?" Zayne blurted out in confusion. He looked behind him. There were Will and Ranis. But at his side there was a, droid?
"Eh, we have a new temporary passenger on board. HK-47... he's an assassin droid once owned by Revan."
"Oh, but that's quite wonderful! An assassin droid! Great, just what we needed, someone who won't shut up about killing" He remarked sarcastically, "Still, let's get the hell out of this rock now, shall we?"
Natalie looked at the droid with mild fear, and her sights began to shake, obviously there had been a history between them, or atleast a droid of that type.
"Keep that thing away from me." She blurted to Dwain, before standing up.
"What happened? You had me--.... us worried sick!" She demanded, feeling a little annoyed about being stuck in the cargo hold for a few hours.
"Keep that thing away from me."
HK-47 glared down upon Natalie through the growing photorecepters.
"Retaliation: Like I would want to be anywhere near enough proximaty to hear the constant sloshing of your meatbag anatomy... meatbag!"
"What happened? You had me--.... us worried sick!"
"Missed us already? Dwain grinned. "We spoke to the high council, and they said they found some strange signals from one of their orbiting moons. They havent had the time to investigate, but they came into contact with the Jedi Exile, who is now on moon itself."
Dwain pointed at the HK unit. "This droid has the coordinates for the moon, and was only here temporarily. Thats why he's coming with us so he can reunite with his former master..."
"The Jedi Exile eh?" Zayne said, holding his chin with his hand, "Well, get ready, i'm anxious enough to leave this planet."
Making his way to the cockpit, he looked behind: "Get onto your seats ladies and gentlemen. And droid."
Natalie pushed past the droid and headed to the seating area in the center of the ship, she had a bad experience with an HK droid and didnt want to repeat it.
"Alright im ready, anything else that needs to be done?" She said on her headset, feeling a little useless on the ship.
Alright im ready, anything else that needs to be done?"
"Just stand there and look pretty!" said Dwain through the headset, as he accompanied Zayne into the cockpit.
The Strider exited the hanger and back out into the ice surface of Csilla. Dwain had a slight feeling they'll return again shortly, but this will will be the moment they will meet Revan after this time.
The freighter left the atmosphere. If the droids coordinates were correct, the Sith base was on the farest moon away from the planet. They were getting closer to the marshy-like moon, though there were no reading of any settlements of any kind, according to the computer.
The sudden sound of an alarm was made. Dwain ran a diagnostic of the ship...
"What the--" he said aloud. "We're being pulled in by a tractor beam... but where is it comming from?"
Natalie was sitting thinking about recent events were the slight humming of the ship suddenly stopped, and the engines stopped moving...
She then heard Dwain over the comm.
"Ill get to the turret and have a look!" She was on her feet and sprinting to the turret before she even finished the sentence.
She climbed into the seat and swivelled in the turret, trying to spot what was pulling them....
(I guess its up to you to say what she says :) ))
"Tractor beam?!" Zayne shouted, surprised, then talking to the commlink, "Someone, get into the turrets, NOW!"
He then started to stabilize the ship's axis and to pull them out of the tractor beam, "Godspeed fellas."
(Been a few days)
Natalie swivelled in the turret, scanning for targets, it reminded her of days serving aboard a Republic Hammerhead ship.. she missed those days sometimes.
She felt the ship shake, obviously it was struggling to get out of the beam, but atleast it was struggling and not being dragged.
"Im looking.. and I dont see anything."
"Im looking.. and I dont see anything."
Dwain couldn't see anything either. It made no sense... unless.
"It must be some kind of cloaking device, which is why we can't see what ever is pulling us in!"
His theory was confirmed when a some sort of space station solidified out of the dark space. The station was shaped like a downward stake, with viewing towers spiraling all around it. It was almost looking at a spiral-shaped drill.
A ship slowly entered the gaping hanger entrance.
"I got a bad feeling about this..." said Dwain.
Natalie sat in silence, watching the ship above her get ever closer, the turret itself had also locked down, meaning they were... in a spot of trouble.
"Captain... does this ship have any hidden compartments? I once had to.. hide on a ship, and they ejected us for thinking we were just hovering useless junk.." She asked over the comm, still staring at the hulk above.