In the terms of how badly someone could screw something up...Anwyn was majorly, most definitely, fucked.
The Imperial transport vehicle she'd broken into had been unexpectedly filled with former troopers. It had sat there awhile, at least an hour with no activity, and she'd even scoped it out in advance just to be sure. Naturally, she expected it to be empty and unguarded given the circumstances. In hindsight, her optimism and self-assured ability had really led her astray.
The longer she thought back, the more she felt that it had been a trap designed specifically for someone like her. Or, even more specifically, Anwyn herself. She supposed stealing from the Imps so frequently hadn't been the smartest move on her part, but the promise of high-value materials from their storehouses was just too good to pass up.
And now with a patrol of ex-troopers on her ass that showed zero signs of stopping, it was at times like these that Anwyn really had to curse her shit decision-making.
Chest pained with each labored breath desperately sucked into her lungs, hastily weaving through the narrow streets of Toopil's inner city, every thundering footstep behind her felt closer and closer with each passing second. They must be gaining on her. They had to be. She wasn't stupid enough to think for one second she was getting away or losing them. Hell, she was surprised they hadn't yet started shooting, the innocent bystanders in the street be damned.
She dashed an impulsive left down a small alley in between two shop fronts, kicking aside a trashcan and startling the unfortunate vagrant who'd been sleeping beside it. He called out in a language she couldn't understand-the tone behind it was clearly angry, though-but she had already reached the other end and slipped back into the main street, ignoring him. There was no time for apologies.
The high-rising smooth stone maze of the buildings kept her confused, unsure of her position within the city anymore. Only now did she curse Rodia's lack of directional signs in Galactic Basic. None of the surroundings rushing past her looked familiar, either. Had she really traveled so far? Or was she heading the opposite direction of where she'd come from? Shit...
The Rodian natives and foreign travelers only paid her a curious glance, none bothering to step in and stop her,. They simply stepped aside to avoid being trampled or barged into in her blistering speed, and left whoever was chasing her to handle their own problems. Nobody was brave or stupid enough to play a hero for the troopers after her. Fortunately.
She risked a glance back and saw two troopers emerge from the alley, seeing her through the gaps in the crowd and taking off after her. There were certainly more following closely behind.
"Fuck..." She rasped out in a short breath, turning forward and weighing her options. It would only be a matter of time before they caught up to her. She could only run so long. She needed a hiding place, and fast.
Green eyes searched frantically for some sort of respite, some solution to her problem. Rodia's buildings were made predominantly of old, smooth stone, meaning that scaling them without proper equipment was nearly impossible. And most shop fronts didn't have much of an interior. Thanks to the environment-shielding domes that covered the cities and prevented bad weather, most of the business done here was outside in the open under tarps and cloth awnings.
It wasn't until things began looking familiar did her luck turn. A certain noodles shop on a corner jogged her memory, and she turned right down the main street into familiar territory. The hangars and landing bays were just up ahead. Thank the gods, Anwyn had found her answer.
Gathering what remaining stamina she had left and ignoring the way the bottom of her feet burned in her boots, she pushed herself to keep going, making a beeline for the first bay that would grant her access. Luckily, the crowds around such a place were more densely packed, giving her some sort of cover to possibly slip away. It would only slow them down a moment, but it would have to be enough.
The troopers behind her kept demanding she stop, but it fell from her hearing as she eyed the large, silver ship docked in Bay 3. She didn't recognize it as anything Imperial or New Republic. Maybe a trader or merchant. Either way, the cargo bay ramp was open and welcoming, inviting her within it's depths to hide until the danger had passed. It would have to do.
With several hard thumps on the metal, she was up the ramp and into the belly of the ship. Cargo containers were strapped down on either side, giving some semblance of cover from those outside the ship, but she was looking for something a little more reliable. The bay was small, but a quick glance above confirmed that it did indeed have rafters to provide extra storage. Perfect.
Climbing on top of the highest stack of crates, she hoisted herself up onto the beams of the cargo bay rafters, shimmying further in to avoid being seen, and settled herself in a small little nook that provided the most cover possible. It was uncomfortable and tight, and the edge of a metal beam dug into her side, but she highly doubted any troopers would think to check here.
Her heaving breaths began to slow, but she was forced to hold it once more when the sound of the troopers came closer than she preferred to the ship. They circled the exterior, searching the bay for any sign of their missing fugitive. A few even took some cautious steps up the ramp and into the inside, but it became clear they were in too much of a hurry to do a thorough search.
Anwyn's lungs felt like they were on fire, burning a hole in her chest as the need to breathe began to outweigh her desire to keep quiet. It was quite a task to release the pent up air without noise and breathe slowly, her instinct to suck in breaths as quickly as she could manage.
Finally, the sounds began to recede, fading from earshot as they left to check the next landing bay. Anwyn allowed a few moments of frantic huffing and panting, seeking to replenish her oxygen while she could in case they circled back around in a few moments. Her forehead lowered until it rested on the metal beam of the rafter. Even if only for the moment, she could enjoy this small feeling of relief that she wouldn't be killed or imprisoned.
The adrenaline pumping through her system began to wean away as the area calmed down again, now that the immediate danger had passed. There was no guarantee that the troopers hadn't set up strategically placed lookouts around the hangars, in case she managed to hide and try to double back. It would be best to wait a bit before making another move.
Her limbs felt heavy and achy after the entire encounter. The act of shifting in place left her wincing. Her eyelids drooped and, stupidly, she thought to herself that a moment's rest, just a minute or two of closing her eyes, wouldn't do any harm.
Well, she'd never claimed to be a genius.
What startled her awake hours later was the heavy footsteps of someone on the cargo ramp accompanied with a torrent of desperate pleading that they be released. She nearly jumped awake, but the tight space thankfully prevented most of it anyway.
Masking some of the conversation was the grating metal of the cargo ramp closing up. It took a few seconds to realize what was happening, but as events began to catch up with her, Anwyn clenched her fists tightly to prevent from wanting to scramble down and out of the ship.
No, no no no...!
It was too late. With a hiss, the ramp sealed itself back in place with the ship's hull, and her only known escape route was cut off. She was trapped inside and clearly the owner had returned. Things were taking a turn for the worst. The pleading continued.
"Whatever they're paying you, I-I can double it! I swear! You don't have to do this, please!" The woman begged, fear enveloping her voice. "My entire savings, all the credits I have...j-just take it all and let me go!"
"Not gonna happen." A modulated voice casually replied, and Anwyn couldn't decide whether it was rough or smooth. Some mixture of the two.
There was a scuffle of feet, and feminine grunts of struggle, before a terrified cry and the loud hissing sound of a machine in the ship. A carbon freezer if she wasn't mistaken. Eyes wide and fixed on the ceiling of the ship, she listened to the hiss of the chamber enclose the woman in carbon material, her cries being cut off. Despite wanting to know just who and what she was dealing with, her instinct for self-preservation kept her firmly in place upon the rafters, afraid that any movement would be heard to the person below.
At this point, she could reasonably assume she was dealing with a bounty hunter, based on the woman's words and the presence of a carbonite chamber on the ship. That just made things all the more unfortunate.
And then, inexplicably, she could hear the sounds of...a baby? Soft and curious cooing noises came from somewhere below her, and her brows furrowed. What the hell sort of ship had she stepped inside? Babies and bounty hunters? There wasn't a logical explanation in the world she would believe to explain what the hell was going on.
A modulated sigh could be heard, before he began to walk towards the cooing. "No, you can't eat that. Spit it out."
The coos began again, but eventually both the baby and the man's footsteps became too distant for her to make out. Her heart was hammering in her chest, nearly to the point where'd she fear that he could hear it himself. She tried thinking of some desperate plan to get herself off the ship, but it seems much too dangerous to leave her hiding spot, lest she run into whoever the bounty hunter was.
Above her, the whirring of machinery rose in pitch, the tell tale signs of a power up and activation. A launch sequence was being initiated. Great. Just great.
She had no idea what their destination would be, or even who these people were. Were they going into hyperspace? Or just a short trip somewhere else on the planet? The sinking feeling in her gut told her it probably wasn't the latter.
Living as a thief and a drifter, she was no stranger to hitching rides without the ship pilot's knowledge or permission. However, normally she was a lot more prepared for the trip. This wasn't how this was supposed to turn out. All she'd wanted was a temporary hiding spot from the Imps.
The quiet hum grew in tone and intensity, until she felt the sensation of being pressed into the rafter beam from the g-force. Her sense of annoyance was only overshadowed by the dread that she was in for a very long journey with this stranger.
Even after the lights in the cargo hold had been extinguished, she still hadn't moved. Eyes firmly fixed to a spot in front of her, Anwyn continued to wait. And then wait some more. Until she was absolutely certain that they had retired to their rooms to sleep. And even then, some small part of her told her to stay put just in case someone woke in the middle of the night to use the refresher.
But she was hungry. Starving, actually, as she had been too preoccupied with netting herself some expensive military-grade weapons from that transport to think about it. Being short on credits didn't help the matter, and it had offered motivation enough to figure out something to steal and sell at the time. Too bad that transport hadn't worked out.
Which meant her stomach was growling up a storm, twisting her abdomen harshly from denying it food for so long. She winced, pressing a hand into her body to try relieving it, but to no avail. It pushed her to do something about it, no matter how stupid or reckless it might be. Surely the bounty hunter would have a cupboard with food in it somewhere?
Her boots on the metal flooring of the ship would definitely cause more noise than she cared for. Anwyn shifted slowly from her place in the rafters, bringing one knee up so she could reach her boots from her prone position. She slipped the first off, setting it on the beam beside her, then repeated the action on the other foot. With only socks covering her feet, she slowly pushed herself towards the end of the beam and closer to the stack of crates she'd used to get up there in the first place.
Everything was dark, save for some small lights on some of the machinery. Having grown accustomed to the darkness by now, it wasn't so bad to see, but it still left her mildly uncomfortable to not have any source of light in a hostile place like this. The back of her neck itched, annoyingly reminding her that she could so easily be caught.
She sat at the edge of the rafter, easing herself down onto the crate and settling her weight onto the top. Being a thief had its perks, she thought, used to moving around as quietly as possible. At least the skill was coming in handy now.
Making it to the floor, she gave the cargo hold a closer inspection, something she hadn't had the time for when being pursued by the troopers. Though dark, she could tell that most of the room was bare, save for the stacks of crates on either side. There was still lots of room for anything that the bounty hunter might think to put here, but none of the cargo looked special or particularly important. It was plain, functional, and not much else.
Her socks were silent on the metal flooring, and Anwyn crept closer to the end of the room. In the furthest left corner was a refresher, and in front of that, a ladder to the level above. Well, there didn't appear to be anywhere else to go but up. Her hand closed around one of the rungs, letting out a steadying breath.
The gentle hum of the ship's engine as they continued in hyperspace would normally be a comforting noise, but it just reinforced the fact that she was stuck on the this ship until they landed, much to her chagrin. Perhaps she could distinguish from the navigational computer what their ultimate destination would be. But first, food, as her growling stomach painfully reminded.
Anwyn peaked her head up just above the edge of the floor above, looking around for any evidence of someone being awake, however this level was just as dark as the one below. Save for the blue-purple swirling light from the hyperspace travel which did give her some light to work with. A few more rungs and she made it up, picking the closest door she found to look through first.
To her left was the cockpit, but she wasn't interested in that just yet, so she turned to the other few doors available. The first led down a hallway, and the second into a small side room. Anwyn didn't want to be lurking around too long, and turned to the small side room first, hoping that would be the most logical place for a kitchen of sorts.
For the first time that day, something hadn't gone completely wrong. She smiled, seeing a small sink and counter with accompanying cupboards and drawers that indicated a kitchen-like room. She crept to one of them and opened it up, disappointed to find it so sparse. In fact, the only thing she could find within it were the non-perishable ration kits that were really only meant for survival situations. They were the cheapest alternative to actual food, and she honestly tried avoiding them if at all possible. Why eat like you had no other options?
This wasn't a situation where she could be picky, however, so she grabbed one. It took a lot of effort not to grab more, lest the bounty hunter notice-one could be written off as not paying attention to your ship inventory, but any more and there could be suspicions. Silently, she pressed the cupboard closed again, turning to leave the room with her stolen dinner.
The ship really was eerie. Anwyn had never been stupid enough to hitch a ride on a bounty hunter's ship. The great risk of getting caught left her feeling uneasy the entire time, even if she trusted in her ability to remain silent as she moved through the ship.
A careful ear was straining to hear any out-of-place noise. The slightest sense of movement or sign of consciousness from those inside and she would have to pull her blaster. She didn't like the thought of being found out and having to resort to fighting. It wasn't her best quality. Anwyn was a little hopeless when it came to straight combat. Hopefully she could just manage to hide up in the rafters until they reached their destination.
Her sock-clad feet made their way back to the ladder, holding the ration pack between her teeth. Her eyes caught the cockpit again and hesitated. She needed to know where they were going, how long she'd be stuck aboard. Ignoring the little voice in her head that told her to get the hell back to her hiding place, she crept in between the pilot's and passenger's chair, eyeing the controls and navigational screen.
Sparing a paranoid glance behind her, she tapped on the navigational screen, and it lit up a bright green against the black backdrop. Thankfully, most models of nav maps were universally similar, so she didn't have a problem finding her way to the hyperspace routes. She followed the line the route computer had plotted, eyes tracing over the green-lit future flight path before settling on a blip on the screen, marked with the galactic grid data.
"Bothawui?" She mutters, unfamiliar with the planet. Probably some back-water place with barely a population. Chances are that was where the bounty he'd taken was located. Having a low population might make for a tricky escape from the ship, and an even trickier time getting back off the planet later. She shook her head, seeing that by the computer's navigation, they wouldn't arrive for another-
The hair on the back of her neck bristled, and she tensed the second she felt a presence behind her, closing the distance quickly. Gasping in shock, she drew the blaster on her waist, turning in place to aim at whoever was behind her, but they were fast. And anticipating her to do exactly so.
A gloved hand snatched her wrist and twisted to the side. She cried out, accidentally pulling the trigger and shooting a bolt into the ceiling. Ultimately, she couldn't help but let go of the blaster out of reflex, and the weapon clattered to the metal flooring at her feet. With a harsh pull, the bounty hunter yanked her down to collapse near the ladder to the cargo hold, away from her weapon.
Anwyn had no time to try getting away or drawing her knife, as her arms were secured tightly against her back in the strong grip of the bounty hunter. His knee planted firmly in her back, pressing her face into the grated floor. The business end of a blaster shoved itself into the side of her cheek. She tried looking up at him from the corner of her eye but it was dark and it hurt to look so far to the left.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't throw you in the carbonite chamber." He spat through the voice modulator, and she swallowed thickly. The seriousness was clear in his tone.
"Look, I know what this must seem like to you..." She started through gritted teeth and a forced nervous laugh, squirming as a sudden feeling of claustrophobia overtook her. "But I just needed a place to hide, and the Imps were after me. I meant to leave once the coast was clear, but I ended up hitching a ride by mistake."
"I can see that." He said shortly, and the end of his blaster barrel didn't let up from your skin. It was cold, and the way it didn't waver meant he probably wouldn't hesitate to use it if he felt like it. "Why my ship? There were plenty at the port."
"The ramp was open, and I didn't exactly have the time to stop and think about what to do. It was my best chance of getting away." Anwyn breathed through her nose, trying to calm down and remain casual. "I didn't know it was your ship. I don't even know who the hell you are."
"Why were you running from the Imps?"
She swallowed, wondering if admitting she was a thief to a bounty hunter was really the best career move. He seemed like the type that could tell if she lied, though. When she didn't respond quick enough, his knee forced her further into the floor, and she wheezed out a breath.
"Ow, fuck! Alright...I tried stealing weapons from one of their transports, but it was a set-up. Just wanted to sell them for some quick credits." She explained through the pain in her back and shoulders.
The man holding her down said nothing, perhaps weighing if he believed her or not. Maybe she could somehow convince him that it wasn't worth his time or the carbon to freeze her. Hopefully.
A quiet coo drew her attention, and a little green...thing, waddled into her line of sight from the darkness. Dressed in some sort of tan robe, his large ears rose upon seeing her looking at him. It was obviously a child by the way its eyes were so big and guileless. What it was exactly, she couldn't even begin to guess. Its species was one she'd never seen before.
"Stay back." The man chastised, and the kid looked up at him curiously.
Anwyn sighed, still confused as all hell as to why a baby was on a bounty hunter's ship, but figured maybe she didn't want to know.
"Obviously this is all a big misunderstanding, a lapse in my judgement." She started, hoping having the child around would maybe leave him open to negotiation. "You don't want me here and I don't want to be here, so we're really after the same thing. I'll get off your ship the second we land and then we never have to see each other again, yeah?"
"You could be after him." The bounty hunter said, and she frowned.
"Him?"
"The kid."
Anwyn glanced at the green child again, and shook her head as much as possible while still being pressed into the grated floor by a blaster barrel. "Why would I be after him? I don't know what I look like to you but I'm not in the business of stealing people. I'm a thief, not a slave trader."
"What's your name?" He asked, and she sighed again. So many questions...
"Anwyn Kallos, from Ord Mantell." She didn't see the benefit to lying.
Eventually, the blaster barrel left her cheek and she heard him holster it. "I don't recognize you as a bounty hunter or ex-imperial, so I'm not just gonna kill you."
The brunette breathed out in relief, but immediately tensed when she felt binders latching her wrists together behind her back. Her eyes rolled. "Oh, come on..."
Her captor didn't respond, and grabbed her arm to haul her up from the floor. She staggered a second, getting used to being upright, before facing the bounty hunter head on.
Well. She certainly hadn't been expecting a Mandalorian as the face-or helmet, she supposed-behind the voice. Her annoyance gave way to curiosity, eyeing the shiny silver armor that reflected the swirling colors of hyperspace illuminating them from the cockpit.
Ignoring her staring, he spun her in place, shoved her unkindly against the wall, and gave her a quick body search for any weapons. Anwyn had to admit that he was thorough, if anything. Her own patience was waning at what she knew were unnecessary precautions, but she supposed if their places were switched, she wouldn't take what an intruder told her at face value either.
She looked around while he patted her down, again spotting the little green child tottling around by her feet. He cocked his head to the side, watching with interest as his companion searched her. Curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, "What is he, anyway?"
"Quiet."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, deciding it was better to just pretend the thing didn't exist. Riling up the bounty hunter with questions wouldn't gain her anything. At least, until she felt the creature grab onto her leg with its tiny little hands. The bounty hunter noticed immediately.
"Hey, get away from her." The Mandalorian snapped, temporarily letting go of his prisoner and picking the child up. He set him several feet away and immediately went back to what he'd been doing. Anwyn hadn't made a move. No use giving the guy any reason to shoot her or feel like she was a threat.
He pulled the knife from the small sheath on her belt and tossed it beside her forgotten blaster. Satisfied that he hadn't missed any hidden weapons, he grabbed her arm and started pushing her towards the ladder. And although she managed to step down the first two rungs, he didn't bother stopping her as her socks slipped on the metal and she took a hard tumble to the ground below.
"Ugh!" She cried, landing on her side with a loud thump. The impact was centered around the back of her shoulder, catching her arms in the collateral. From the way it painfully flared to life, there would be a nasty bruise all along her limbs later. "Fuck..."
She shuffled to her knees, and the bounty hunter landed on the ground beside her, unceremoniously hauling her to stand again by her good arm. Small mercies he didn't touch the now-injured one. She looked up, spotting the carbon freezer, and then stopped dead. So, he was icing her after all.
"Look...no need to use up your carbonite on me...I was only trying to survive back on Rodia, didn't mean to be any trouble. And I won't cause you any other problems..." She started rambling a little, but the Mandalorian only pushed her past the chamber, sighing through his helmet.
"I'm not freezing you. Now shut up."
The sheer relief was enough for her to obey his command, and he led Anwyn towards the back of the cargo bay where she'd originally hid. They walked to the side wall of the bay, and he kicked the back of her knees in, making her kneel by the floor uncomfortably. A tether was looped around her locked wrists then attached securely to a rail bolted into the hull. She wasn't going anywhere now.
"I'll release you when we get to Bothawui, then we'll go our separate ways." He told her, standing a few feet away with crossed arms. Anwyn couldn't tell by his tone what he was feeling, and the helmet certainly wasn't providing any clues. "Until then, you'll stay locked there."
Anwyn released a tired breath, totally over this whole proceeding. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You can't take the chance of trusting me. I'm not gonna try to escape. Not like I have anywhere to go even if I did."
The helmet was silent, the black 'T' of the visor staring at her hard. She shifted her shoulders to be more comfortable, until he eventually dropped his arms and walked back towards the ladder that would bring him to the upper deck.
And with that, she was alone.
"Great." Anwyn let out with a sigh, leaning her head back against the hull. "At least you're not dead..."
ns 15.158.61.48da2
