Star Palace: The Great Adventure

[Shaye Starling]

Star Palace Luxury Liner -

A lone luxury liner traveled leisurely amidst the midnight backdrop of space, making its way on a long voyage from Borleias to Ord Mantell and on to Bastion where it would lay-over for forty-eight hours before departing to make its return voyage. The Star Palace would be used in the upcoming remake of The Scarlet Pirate and filming would resume once the ship neared Ord Mantell, the perfect location for a film about a ruthless space pirate. The production crew made up half of the souls listed in the travel manifest, while the rest were leisurely vacationers; some of which would be used as extras in the film. Unbeknownst to the majority of the populace on the cruise liner, members of the Republic Alliance as well as the Black Sun were aboard. Their business was their own and not open for public discussion. If only the wary travelers would have had a choice as to whether or not they participate in the incredible adventure that was about to take place. Sure, many of them may find the intrigue, deception, betrayal, and heroism that's about to thrust their lives into entirely different directions, but most would probably opt out and choose a more relaxed, quiet setting to enjoy their vacations in.

* * * * *

The flashing lights and loud sirens going off in the casino were nothing more than muffled background noises for the large group celebrating in the High Rollers lounge. This section of the ship had been sectioned off to those without an invitation as the production crew kicked off the end of their filming hiatus with a party. The upcoming remade film was receiving much publicity and current polls of holofilm goers were better than had ever been expected. Shaye was caught in the middle of a small circle of co-workers enjoying the nights festivities. Jokes were being told that could split the sides of a rancor easily, drinks were flowing, and new faces were showing up regularly. There was a small disturbance at the door that simmered the loud laughter and voices for a second or two, but the security guards had everything under control. Shaye excused herself from the circle of soon-to-be drunks and made her way to the buffet. She plucked a bite-sized hors devour from one of the silver platters that had been lined with overgrown mint leaves, noticing a body tucked into a shadowed back corner.

"Marty?" Shaye approached, head cocked gently to the left. She noticed the producer was sweating profusely and his hands were shaking, rattling the cubes of ice against the glass that held a double-shot of Corellian Whiskey. "Marty, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Shaye slowly extended a hand to place her hand lightly against the man's arm, but he jerked back and chuckled nervously. "Y-yeah. J-just hate.." he swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the new group of party-goers that entered nanoseconds after the slight disturbance. Shaye looked over her shoulder in the direction Marty had looked as he continued, "...I'm not feeling well, Shaye. I think I'll retire for the night." Marty nearly dropped the glass in his hand. Shaye made a quick grab for it and eased it from his hand, a look of deep concern marched across her face. "Alright," she said slowly. "Do you want some help back to your cabin?" Marty shook his head and tried to force a smile as he edged past the star of his film. "I'll ... be fine. Really." Shaye turned and watched the producer go, never noticing the handful of other dapperly dressed men keeping a close eye on the man. "Shaye? Shaye! Come back here, hon, or I'm going to finish your drink!" Someone shouted from the small crowd of crew members she had excused herself from a few minutes ago.

"Anyone know what's up with Marty? He looked ill and just left." The others shook their heads and went right back to acting like buzzed idiots. It wasn't like Marty to act that way, even when he wasn't feeling well. "He hates cruises, Shaye," a gruff voice said into her ear. "Gets motion sickness real bad." She nodded to Trevor, one of the production crew's assistants. Still, something didn't feel quite right. Call it nagging women's intuition or reading more than what is truly there, but something was tugging at the back of her mind. Shaye looked around at those in the room. Anyone without an invitation wouldn't be in, or so they were all led to believe. Manicured brows dipped slowly when she noticed that the black suits whom Marty had been eyeing were no longer in the room. "Hey. Trev. Did you see where that group of men went?" Trevor just looked at her and shrugged, shaking his head. He had no clue as to whom or what she was talking about.

Without a word, Shaye left the party, leaving the half-filled glass of wine on a random table. The lady made her way along the different levels until reaching the "A" deck where their cabins were located. As she rounded the corner, something made her suddenly stop. The lights were out in that particular corridor and she could hear voices and a scuffle up the way. Judging by the sounds, it was about three-quarters of the way up the corridor. She thought about calling out "Hey! Marty. Is that you? Are you alright?" But she held her breath and kept very still and quiet instead. She strained to hear what was going on. Though her head was screaming that she should turn and run, get help, she was frozen in place. The pounding of her rapidly beating heart did its best to drowned out the muffled sounds coming from up the corridor. Then there was silence, followed by the flash of a muzzle and a double patoo-patoo sound. Shaye's hand clasped firmly over her mouth the moment she heard the hand-held weapon fired and what she could only ascertain as a body hitting the door of a cabin just before it slumped lifelessly to the floor. Wide eyes filled with tears and her entire body began to shake. She pressed her back as flat against the wall at the corner of the corridor junction as she could and prayed feverishly not to be discovered and for some form of help to arrive. "He's dead. Let's go." She heard a male voice say, accompanied by the sound of a few pairs of feet walking away. She waited for a good five minutes before peeling herself away from the wall, daring to slowly peek around the corner to see what she could see. With the lights out in the corridor, she couldn't see much of anything. Other than the very slight outline of a shoed foot and a head lopped forward from the body slumped on the floor.

Oh my god! This thought played over and over in her mind, mixed with; If this were a movie, I'd go up the dark corridor, weapon in hand, and investigate. But this isn't a blasted movie! I have no weapon, I'm not about to check on a dead person and oh my god! What do I do?!. Panic was setting in and her imagination began to work overtime. What if whoever did this knows I was here? What if I'm next?! Visions of being stalked aboard the cruise liner by masked, burly looking men you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley filled her head. Capture, torture, and finally death.

"Miss? Are you all right?" Shaye nearly jumped out of her skin. She never heard the older man or the woman on his arm approach from her left. She looked at them through eyes as wide as saucers and stammered. Then she pushed past them, knocking them a bit off balance, and ran off. She didn't know where she was going, per se, but somehow she ended up back in the crowded High Rollers lounge. Still aquiver, she made a bee-line for the open bar and poured herself drink after drink after drink.

[Shaye Starling]

Trevor looked at Shaye, deep concern marching across his face. "Hey, slow down there, babe. What's got you so rattled?" He took the actress gently by the arm and eased her away from the counter of the open bar. "Hey? Are you alright?" Trevor asked as he stopped and stood before her. He placed his hand against her cheek and coaxed her to look up to him, then began to stroke her soft skin lightly with his thumb. "Shaye. Look at me. What's wrong?" Shaye proceeded to tell Trevor what she had just witnessed. The more she spoke, the more she trembled, and the tears flowed like an unstoppable waterfall. Trevor wiped them away with his thumb.

"Gotcha'!" Trevor laughed. The rest of the party-goers broke out into riotous laughter and Marty emerged from the backroom. The crowd began to clap as Shaye looked at them as if they were the most evil beings ever to walk the earth; not understanding just what it was they found so damn funny. "We finally got you, Shaye! All those tricks and jokes you've played on us at casting parties before and we finally ..." Marty approached, smiling and laughing while reaching out to take his starlet into his arms for a big hug. "Look over there, Shaye, and smile into the camera." He turned her around and pointed to the one-way mirror behind the bar.

She didn't smile. Nor did she wave or share in their laughter. None of the jokes and tricks she ever pulled in the past scared anyone half out of their wits nor were they ever mean. This was just downright mean in spirit and she was enraged that they could ever pull such a dispicable stunt. Shaye whirled around and slapped Marty hard across the face. The crowd instantly fell silent. "How dare you! How could you be so heartless and so cruel!? I've never been so mean and callous to any of you!" Trevor tried to stop Shaye when she stormed passed, but failed miserably. Shaye jerked her arm free and shoved the man in his chest as hard as she possibly could. Trevor toppled over backwards and knocked Marty to the floor with him. Shaye stood over both of them, glaring down at them through eyes narrowed dangerously. "I quit, Marty! Find yourself another star to harass and push around. I have had it with your advances, I have had it with your threats and unkept promises!" She was so angered by the grotesque "joke" the producer pulled, she slammed her heeled foot down as hard as she could in the middle of his groin, then stalked out of the high rollers lounge.


* * * * *

Shaye made her way to the quieter areas of the cruise liner and strolled the decks for an hour or so. She finally found herself seated on a park bench, surrounded by exotic flora and fauna, gazing up at the stars through a domed ceiling. All the luxuries one could want or dream of were included in the top-of-the-line luxury cruise liner. Her tears ceased about half an hour ago and she did her best to rid her cheeks of the salty streaks left in their wake. Until she retreated to the sanctity of her cabin and washed up, the fact that she had been crying couldn't go unnoticed. Luckily there were no photographers around and the few couples who strolled past were so engrossed in the romantic setting, they didn't even notice her sitting there.

"Lovely evening." A well-groomed man said as he rounded the small curve and noticed the woman seated on the bench. "Hm?" She glanced at the man and forced a wan smile. "Mhm." She didn't add anything else. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to be left alone. "May I sit?" The stranger motioned to the bench as he rubbed at his left hip, perhaps indicating that it ached. Shaye looked to the spot beside her then looked to the dapperly donned gentleman, noticing an ebony cane with a silver top in his white-gloved hand. She sighed softly and scooted over. "Thank you." He tipped his top hat to her then eased into the newly freed spot with a light grunt. "I promise to behave as a gentleman and to move on shortly. It's my hip, you see." Again, she forced a small smile and simply nodded her head, then returned her attention to the heavenly bodies above.

She could feel his eyes on her. Roaming along her seated figure and settling on the thin, small jeweled pendant resting comfortable near the swell of her bosom. Nervous, she edged away, pretending to shift her seated position to get comfortable. "I'm terribly sorry. It's just ... my wife. She had a necklace similar to yours." His tone was somber, which only made Shaye feel more the fool for becoming nervous by the gentleman in the first place. "She passed away a year ago this day. Thirty-two years together and we never spent one night apart." The expression on Shaye's face softened. "I'm sorry. It must have been difficult for you." The man nodded but said no more. Neither did Shaye. The two sat there for another fifteen minutes, then the man rose and tipped his hat again. "A good evening to you, lovely lady. And many thanks for allowing me to keep company with you." Shaye watched the man as he slowly walked off, noticing a subtle limp in his gait.

* * * * *

Elsewhere on the ship

Marty left the party and began to search for Shaye so he could apologize to her and beg her not to quit. He couldn't afford to lose her. The films they had in production and upcoming for production were the only things his company had going for it. Not to mention he'd never be able to repay the high-interest loans he got from questionable resources just to stay afloat. Unbeknownst to the producer, there were people in attendance at the party whom were not on the guest list nor where they hired extras to pull off the nasty trick he just played on Shaye. Standing outside of the star's cabin, he rapped on the door, calling her name. No answer. Again, he knocked. He sighed, figuring she just wasn't going to open the door for him. "Shaye, come on. Don't quit. I'm truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart. Scout's honor. Open the door and hear me out. I promise you won't be disappointed." Marty continued, but to no avail. The door of Shaye's cabin never opened. He turned from the door and took the four steps necessary in order to reach the railing. Hunched over, Marty leaned against it and watched the people below, planning to wait until she opened the door or returned; whichever occurred first.

The lights throughout the entire starliner flickered a few times, then went brown for a few seconds before finally returning to their normal brightness. Marty glanced up, then looked to the right and left, noticing everyone else had the same reaction and thought he had. A few minutes later, the lights flickered again. This time when they dimmed to a dull brown, they flickered, burned real bright, then completely blew out. Bulbs could be heard shattering from the intense surge in power from a few nearby areas. As if one enormous entity, the people all gasped and began to murmur nervously amongst each other. In areas that were completely black, people stopped where they were and stood still, grasping or reaching for the person closest to them for comfort and solace. Crew members followed procedure by shouting out orders for everyone to remain calm and to stay where they were. They would get the emergency lighting activated in just a few minutes.

Marty pushed off of the rail and began to turn to glance at Shaye's door. However, he only got half-way turned around when something slammed into his left temple, sending him spinning to the floor in a star-studded daze. "Wha.." patoo-patoo.

* * * * *

When the lights finally went out, Shaye stood from the bench and looked around. The domed ceiling allowed enough starlight to filter in that Shaye could make out shapes and forms in the darkness. Remembering the way the walkway curved gently around to the left from where she had been sitting, she reached out and found the handrail. Using that as her guide, she took it slowly as she worked her way toward the entrance of the lush atrium.

"Who is that?" It was the man whom shared her seat.

"It's alright, Sir. You were just sitting with me a few moments ago."

"Ah yes, lovely lady. Have no fear, Madam. The emergency lights should be flickering to life any moment now," he said with a smile that she couldn't see.

"Do you need some help?" She asked, but there was no answer. "Sir?" She called out again, but there was no answer. Now a bit nervous, she continued with the guide of the rail until she was at an area of the winding walkway that allowed a little more starlight to filter in through breaks in the trees canopy overhead. She looked around, but there was no sign of the man.

Suddenly the ship lurched forcibly, throwing Shaye off balance and unceremoniously to the floor with a shocked yelp and a grunt when her elbow smacked one of the support poles of the railing.

* * * * *

A small fleet had positioned itself near the targeted exit point of the Star's Palace hyperspace jump. Using their tractor beams and working in unison, they captured the starliner within their beams and jerked the ship out of its hyperspace travel before it's time and contained it within the center of their blockade. It happened so quickly that the Captain and his crew - disoriented from the action - had no time whatsoever to send out a distress call. The surrounding ships edged as close to the starliner as they possibly could to allow their bands of brigands to board the luxury liner. Their skills were nothing short of amazing as they had boarded and secured the ship as their own in what seemed like no time at all.

Shots sounded in various areas of the ship as the ruthless pirates killed any whom opposed them; including those who wore uniforms indicating they were part of the crew. Paying guests aboard the ship who complied and did as ordered were unharmed and ushered into the main dining hall where they would be watched by armed men of the pirate gang. These men were smart. They knew that a ship of the Star Palace's size would have stragglers wandering around, enjoying the amenities and luxuries, so the groups fanned out and began to scour the ship. They needed to round up every last body and herd them into the dining hall with the others for containment.

Three armed men entered the atrium and maneuvered the darkened walkways with ease with the aid of nightvision.

Shaye heard muffled noises from the men as they began their search of the atrium. Of course, unaware that the ship had just been captured by a ruthless gang of space pirates under the employ of the Imperial Empire, she called out to them; thinking they were crewmen searching for travelers caught in the dark. As she began to rise from the floor, she looked up and saw one of the men. From what she could make out, he appeared to be wearing a hood or mask and some special eyewear. But what captured her attention the most was the distinct outline of the weapon in his hands. "Oh sithspit," she cursed. No way could she escape and find somewhere to hide in here, so she slowly continued to rise.

"Over here," the pirate closest to her radioed to his comrades as he trained his weapon the young woman. "Do as you're told and you won't be hurt. Move." He jerked the weapon to the right and Shaye slowly skirted around the man and walked in the direction he indicated. The two who accompanied him into the atrium skittered up the walkway to meet them, then flanked Shaye, escorting her down to the dining hall.

[Jelt]

The hallway was completely deserted when Jelt left her cabin, moving to the left along the wall at a quick pace. Her target's cabin was empty at this moment; she could see that from the security cam she had hacked into. On the other hand, she had no idea how long the target would be gone from the room, so she needed to plant the gas modules and get out quickly. Taking no time at all, she gimicked the locking mechanism and the door slid open.

The assassin made certain that the door was shut securely behind her before moving around the room, placing the modules in strategic locations, not satisfied until every room of the suite was booby trapped. At last she stood back to examine her work, a smug grin on her face. Yet another assignment easily completed. After removing a small vibroknife from the evening bag she had concealed the modules in, she tossed the accesory down the garbage chute and pulled the floor length skirt of her black evening gown up to reveal a skintight jumpsuit underneath. When the vibroknife was securely strapped to her right thigh, she started towards the door, only to stop at the sound of a knock, then a voice.

"Shaye, come on. Don't quit. I'm truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart. Scout's honor. Open the door and hear me out. I promise..."

Jelt tuned out the rest of the spiel as she moved back into the other rooms, looking for a way out. Her eyes immediately fell on a ventilation shaft and she wasted no time in prying the grate off and crawling inside, pulling the covering back over the opening. Two ninety degree turns and a long straightaway later, she came to large space in which she had room to sit up in. Pulling an ebony clip out of her black hair, she keyed it on and found her position on the holographic schematic that appeared. Another turn this way, then that way... She reached a gloved hand out and felt a grate, but there was no light on the other side. That was strange, because she had left a light on in her cabin. Pushing the grate aside, she landed in her own suite in time to hear a banging at her door, then the unmistakable sound on a blaster shot into the lock.

Turning, she launched herself back into the shaft and pulled the grate shut just as the door burst open and several men rushed in, light glinting off barrels of blasters. Jelt set her teeth as they began searching the cabin, knowing that she couldn't let them find any of her custom-made weapons. She waited until they had entered another room before dropping through the floor and moving quickly over towards the doorway they had disappeared through. Palming the vibroknife, she threw it with deadly prescision and took care of the other two intruders with white lightening that arched from her other hand's fingertips. Just as rapidly she emptied the contents of a travel bag, strapping one blaster and vibroknife to each thigh, and pulling her black hair back into the confines of a band through which she stuck a smaller blaster so that the thick tresses hid it. The final thing to take was a mask that covered the upper part of her face and contained infrared photoreceptors in the deceptively decorative material. She started toward the door, but instead changed her mind and headed back to the ventilation shaft. She needed to know what was going on, and that would probobly involve some spying. At any rate she needed more information before taking any kind of drastic action.

[Erc Vortan]

"You take one Job for a Hutt and your life does down the recycler."

That's the only thought going through Erc Vortan's mind as his hands were raising above his head. "Take a Pleasure Cruise Vortan, See the sights, and pick up a package on Bastion for me. Deliver it back to my agent on Ord Mantell, and you will receive the rest of your payment." Seemed simple enough, so simple that Erc left every one of his weapons in his stateroom. Something he never did. But what could happen in Hyperspace on a well traveled route?

"FRELLIN PIRATES! That's what." and from the looks of it, the two holding blasters on him were fairly professional at it. If you could call pirating professional that is. They were definitely confident.

"You'll come with us unless you want us to shoot you. You cooperate, you'll live, you don't, and we take what's in your pockets." The larger of the two said.

Erc had one advantage, he was dressed like everyone else in the small forward lounge. Not like the experienced Spacer and fighter he was. Having been in the 'fresher, he was the last body to be cleared from the lounge. The Bartender lay dead on the bar. "Using the crew as examples to the passengers. Nice, inspires fear and leaves no doubt on their willingness to kill." Erc thought to himself.

He needed a distraction, something to get at least one of the pirates to change the point of aim from him. But with all the other patrons already on their way to wherever they were holding everyone, Erc had little hope of getting one. With No choice, he began moving towards the hatch. When by the force, luck struck.

The whimper wasn't loud, but it was loud enough to get the attention of all three men. The large one nodded to the smaller pirate and began moving towards the sound. Erc wasted no time. He immediately stopped dead in his tracks, and then took a step back. Stopping only when he felt the pirate's weapon poke him in the back. HE then began turning and sweeping his arms down. knocking the blaster rifle out of line with his body. the weapon discharged and burned a hole into the floor decking. Erc completed his turn, now facing his former captor and hit him squarely in the throat. a second shot to the man's gun hand forced the rifle to the deck. The Pirate now choking for air.

Erc wasted no time, diving straight down, not towards the blaster rifle. And this saved his life, as the second, larger man burned a hole where Erc would have landed if he had gone for the weapon. Rolling, Erc came up into a crouch, low enough to avoid direct fire, but high enough to move freely.

And move he did. he grabbed the still choking pirate, using his body as a shield and advanced on the larger man. Blaster holes burning into the shield. Erc reached to the dead man's gunbelt drawing his sidearm, was finally able to return fire. And it hit it's mark. Square in the chest of the large pirate.

Unfortunately the body armor was more then a match for the small blaster this Pirate carried. Staggering back, a bit breathless, the pirate again raised his rifle and readied himself to unload on Erc. But Erc had a slight advantage, he retargeted and fired. a small hole burnt through the large pirate's head. Killing him. Erc moved quickly, collected all the weapons in the room, changed some of the power cells to give him fresh ones, and waited for reinforcements to arrive. None did. all gone already.

Slinging one rifle, and strapping on both sidearms, the larger man fortunately carrying a better quality sidearm, Erc went to see who had made the noise that saved his life. HE found a young woman, wearing a cocktail dress laying on the floor crying uncontrollably.

Unslinging the rifle, Erc removed the jacket to the suit he was wearing and put it over the girl's shoulders. "Who are you?"

"I'm the waitress here, when the lights went out I fell, then the shooting and yelling started. Everyone who works here was shot. I just stayed down, I'm so scared."

"It's OK now. you're safe. I need you to get into the nearest lifeboat, but don't launch. Stay in there and hide. if you launch now, they'll get you. Just hide, I may find others to hide with you. Understand?"

She nodded her head, saying that she did. And then lead the way to the nearest lifeboat. One of the larger ones. She got in, Erc gave her the small pistol, which would have been worthless anyway and smiled. "You're going to get through this, and will have one hell of a story to tell your kids. Just relax and leave the rest to me. OK?"
Again, she nodded, and tried to smile. She was being very brave, considering what was happening. Now to see what in fact was happening, and how he could ensure that the most people here possible survived to talk about it.

[Josh_Andar]

Josh Andar sat, his hands bound, staring down the barrel of a blaster pistol.
Well, it could be worse. Being held captive in a first class room aboard a luxury liner is better than being held in a force cage. In fact, it was the most enjoyable capture he had endured so far, if it weren't for that blaster pistol in his face. He look up at the rodian who was threatening him. He was a Black Sun operative, and Josh had been stupid enough to hijack his shipment of spice. The rodian's ship was probably making a little supernova in space somewhere about now. The whole ideal was hazy, but the result was obvious. He was being taken to Ord Mantell, where a group of Black Suns were waiting for him.
Two other rodians occupied the room, though they weren't quite as agressive as the first. Then again, Josh hadn't blown their ships halfway across the galaxy.
Suddenly, the ship lurched forward. Josh was thrown off his seat and landed on his side heavily, winding himself slightly. The rodians looked as surprised as their capture, and spoke for a minute in their own language.

Minutes after, blaster fire erupted in the hallway outside their room. After a moment of yelling and scuffling, blaster fire could be heard. One of the rodians opened the door and looked out, and took a blaster shot to the face. His head exploded like a ripe melon. The other two stood still in shock for a moment, then unholstered their blasters and ran out to the corridor. Josh waited and listened to the firefight outside,
"What the hell is going on out there?" He asked no one in particular. A large explosion rocked the deck, and soon after the sounds ceased. The fragging rodian had thrown a thermal detonator. Josh got up and looked out the door. Bodies covered the floor, and he noticed with a degree of hapiness that the Black Suns were dead. Just a little degree.

He noticed a vibro knife on one of his former captors, and within a few minutes his bonds were cut. He rubbed his wrists and waited for circulation to return. He returned to the room and picked through his possessions, that had been carelessly shoved into a drawer. After picking up the two blasters, and his stolen lightsaber, he started checking the pockets of the dead in the hallway. Low, yes, but the dead weren't using them. After cleaning out a few hundred credits, he moved north through the hall, his two blasters ready. He kept his lightsaber hidden at all times. Blasters made you look dangerous, but they were common. Carrying a lightsaber around just attracted attention. And no one on the wrong side of the law wanted that.

He turned a corner and ran into two rough looking spacers, blasters drawn on him. With two well placed shots they went down. So, from Black Sun to pirates. Things just kept getting better and better.



He kept jogging through the halls. He had one directive, survival. And that meant getting to the escape pods. He knew exactly where they were, having noted their position the moment he saw them. He often needed to make a quick escape.
"Help...someone help, I've been shot." Came a voice, and Josh quickly followed it to its source. Huddled behind a serving tray was one of the ship's security force. A small blaster shot had burned through his shirt at the shoulder, but the wound was minor.
"You're hopeless. The ship gets boarded by pirates, and the security force are hidding like gizka. Come on, lets get to the escape pods." Josh said, giving the man his hand.
"My thanks, stranger. My name is Rames, just got hired on this ship." He said thankfully. Rames was of medium build, slightly past his prime, but Josh would have put money on his blaster arm. They continued down the hall and reached the deck lounge, a medium sized room with far too many luxuries.
"Freeze, scum. Drop your weapons and raise your hands, and no one will get hurt." Came a rough voice. Four men and one woman had their blasters aimed at Josh's head. Rames immediately dropped his weapon. Thanks a lot, Rames.
Josh reluctantly dropped his blasters to the ground and raised his hands.
"Kill them." The woman said, a look of dark pleasure on her face.
Josh immediately embraced the Force, filling his very being with it. Time seemed to slow, and he could almost hear the finger muscles moving to pull triggers. His lightsaber flew from inside his jacket to his hand and he ignited the bright green blade. He cut down the closest to him with a downward stroke and moved fluidly to the next pirate. The look of shock plastered his face as he died. Within seconds, it was over. Rames had managed to get to his blaster rifle and shoot down the woman. All the better, Josh hated killing women.
"Good work. Come on, lets get out of here before more show up."

[Shaye Starling]

Dining Hall

The emergency lights flickered to life in the dining hall only; leaving the rest of the ship in darkness. Armed pirates were set every twenty feet around the perimeter of the dining hall, a few holding a hostage at blaster point, unafraid to kill in order to set an example and prove that they meant business. A few more armed pirates wove their way through the mass of people seated at the center of the floor. Each person was being searched thoroughly. Personal items of value were removed along with items that could be wielded as a weapon. The women were frightened and sobbing, the men showed a mix of emotions. Some were outraged that such a thing could occur, others weren't afraid to show their anger at the pirates, and some were doing their best to console their terrified significant other. Those who verbalized their outrage weren't treated with mercy. The pirates would blaster whip the trouble-maker hard enough to be rendered unconscious.

Shaye was taken aback by the swiftness and expertise that the space pirates worked. Her heart ached for the passengers, especially the very young and elderly. All heads turned when the three armed escorts brought the holofilm star into the dining hall. "Where do you want this one?" The one whom seemed to be in charge of all of this drew his eyes from the activities taking place in the center of the room and looked her over slowly from head to toe. "She's our ticket. Don't you recognize the fox?" He stepped in close and tried to bully the starlet by pressing his muscular mass against her delicate, slender body. "Shaye Starling. Our base is littered with ... your work." He said like a sly snake in the grass just before lowering his head next to her cheek. "Do as the boys say and I promise to make it worth our while." He licked her cheek roughly and Shaye cringed at the disgusting feeling and turned her head away. His horrendously bad breath made her stomach lurch as she dry heaved a few times. The brute laughed then grasped the young woman by the bicep and pulled her along with him. She would be his bargaining chip, human shield, and anything else that helped him along.

Shaye stayed quiet and didn't fight the scum. She scanned those in the crowded center of the room, penned like cattle awaiting slaughter, searching for the faces of the production crew and other persons involved with the films in production and post-production as of late. She didn't see Marty or Trevor anywhere, but she did spot the rest of the group who had been at the party. She made eye contact with many of them, and even managed a small, wan smile or a nod before the leader of the pirate operation tightened his squeeze on her arm and made her wince from the pain. Again, she did as she was told and stood very still and very quiet; all the while taking in all of the details of the dining hall as possible. She noted all visible exits. She noted how many armed men there were and where each was standing their guard. She made sure to note the weapons they carried, though she didn't know the names of most of them. Shaye noticed a slit in one of the thick hanging velvet curtains and tried to see if it was an unmarked emergency exit, but from the position she was held in relative to the curtain, she wasn't able to get a good enough look to see if it was or not. Finally, she noted all of the vents in the room - both in the ceiling and along the floorboards.

Her captor's comlink crackled to life with static. She couldn't hear what was being said on the other end, but it was safe to assume it was one of the pirate's own operatives reporting in. "Fine. Check all the ventilation shafts and cargo bays. Sweep the entire ship. We have enough in here so kill anyone else you find." Shaye looked over her shoulder at the man holding her hostage and narrowed her brows. He just gave her arm another tight squeeze and a jerk, signalling she'd do best to turn right back around and be a good little girl. "Halle metes chun, petchuck." Shaye muttered off an old Corellian insult, sideglancing to see if her captor understood the rarely spoken language at all. By the vacant expression in his eyes, she knew he had no idea what in the world she was saying. She tucked that knowledge away in the back of her mind for later use. Knowing how to speak, understand, as well as write four different languages just may prove to be a huge favor for she and the other passengers if they hoped to make it out of the dangerous situation alive and unharmed. If given the chance, she would pass messages along to a few who are a part of the filming crew. Their knowlege of old Corellian could help relay important information to any outsiders or external sources that could lead to their freedom and the capture of the pirates. She hoped that there were others among the hostages who had even a slight understanding of the old language, or even of Hapan, Huttese, or Caamasi.

For now, though, she did as the pirates ordered and focused on remaining as calm as was feasibly possible. Being a famous celebrity, however, would have its drawbacks in this situation, as well. She knew that others would be looking to her for rescue or as the hero who will save the day in the end. There were those who failed to realize that those were just scripted parts she played; made up characters or scripted works based on the lives of others. She had stunt doubles for the dangerous stuff and was told how to act/react to various actions. All of this was done in a very safe atmosphere, too. Real weapons weren't used in the films. No one's life was truly in any danger at all. Special effects made up a great deal of the imagery displayed on the screen and the heroes and villians depicted on the big screen were not truly enemies in real life. Well ... the majority of them weren't.

[Jelt]

The pirate eased the nose of his blaster into the cabin before entering, his shoulders visibly relaxed as he realized that it was vacant as was almost every room along this corridor. Immediately heading over to where several travel capsules lay open on the floor, he dug through them, examining expensive clothes with a quick practiced eye. Because he was so engrossed in his finds, he failed to noticed the slender tip of a weapon as it eased through the slightly open grate of the ventilation shaft above him. Minutes later, it didn't matter.

Jelt dropped silently to the floor beside the dead pirate, retracting the long barrel of the sniper rifle back into the weapon. All too easy. Having killed three others before making it here from the first shaft she traveled down, as well as questioning one of them, she had a fairly good idea of the situation. She also had one up on the pirates: a comlink from one of the bodies. So far, so good.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands on your head."

Jelt's face contorted itself into a slight, knowing smile as she dropped the rifle and turned to face the two pirates who had entered the room silently behind her. She obediently placed her hands on her head, digging her fingers through her hair at the same time. Flesh met metal. A slight sound rang out in the corridor outside and one pirate turned to investigate while the other kept his heavy blaster on the assassin. A slight Force nudge took care of knocking the weapon's barrel off-target and a single shot from Jelt's tiny, silenced blaster took care of him. The other received a bolt in the back.

Tucking the blaster back into the headband and arranging her long hair back over it, Jelt scooped up the rifle and vaulted back into the shaft. It wasn't time to leave just yet. The next stop was the main junction between several main shafts. Igniting her lightsaber, she sliced a small "door" in the side of the shaft and placed the sniper rifle and the blaster inside on a small ledge before pulling it shut and sealing it with more lightsaber heat. She had a feeling that she would need to be "captured" before long, in order to gain the best advantage as far as position went. Now came the problem of the lightsaber. The small blaster was hidden in her thick hair, and the vibroknife was made especially so that its slender shape fit the curve of her leg and a pat-down wouldn't reveal it. After a moment's thought, she tore the myriads of beady gems off the base of the skirt, leaving it tattered. Making careful tears, she managed to make the skirt look as if it had always been that way, then made a small slice in the belt that was sewn on the gown. First in went the beads. After them, there was just enough room for the slender lightsaber to fit before she secured the hole with the torn strips of material. It looked perfect, at least through the infrared mask.

The moment she finished, the comlink chirped and a man's voice came over. "New orders: Check all ventilation shafts and cargo bays. The entire ship should be empty. Kill anyone you find." Jelt frowned at the device for a moment, wondering whether or not the message was being broadcasted, when the voice came again. "Rak! Do you copy?"

"You'll find Rak dead, in the forward lounge." Silence. The man was probobly struck dumb in surprise. With a smile she spoke again, using her natural accent and safeguarding the "normal" voice she was using in her disguise as Jeslyn Tekk of Coruscant. "I'm afraid he took a nasty blaster burn to the head. As did several of your other people. You might be next, it depends on who I find first. I'll get to you eventually, but it's a shame you'll never find me."

The pirate started to say something, but Jelt had already shut the comlink off and shoved it into her belt next to the lightsaber. One thing she had learned was never waste possible resources. After a few more minutes of travel, she reached a floor vent, but paused at the sound of voices, then blaster fire and the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber. A feeling of relief washed over her as she realized that she had shut her force-sense down back where she had hidden the weapons. She didn't want to give her secret away, even to a potential ally. Her mind made up quickly, she placed her hands upwards against the grate. She had to get out of the shafts anyways, judging from that message.

"Good work. Come on, lets get out of here before more show up."

Jelt wasted no time in shoving the grate upwards and pushing a large rug out of the way in the process, then grabbing the floor and swinging up into the room. Even without the Force, her training still gave her an edge. As she came to her feet, the two men were, not surprisedly already on their guard, one with a blaster in her direction and the other with lightsaber in guard position. She let out a slight smile at the expression on their faces, then pushed the mask up into the headband and looked around.

"So that's all you've got? Five kills? I found at least seven in the forward lounge alone."

[Josh_Andar]

"So that's all you've got? Five kills? I found at least seven in the forward lounge alone."
Josh Andar gaped at the woman who had appeared from under the floor. She might have been pretty, if she didn't keep giving off the vibe of a dangerous woman. And Josh had had his share of dangerous women.
"I'm more worried about getting off this damn ship than how many pirates I can take. I don't want to end up in chains again." He said, switching off his lightsaber. He slipped it on his belt strap, wanting to keep it near by.
"You're not a pirate, so who are you?" He asked.
"That's none of your business." She said, observing him carefully.
"Fine. Come on Rames, I'm not looking forward to meeting the guys who come to investigate that blaster fire." Josh motioned for his companion to follow, and they continued down the corridor. He kept looking over his shoulder at the woman. He didn't much feel like a blaster shot to the back.
"Looks like you're too late." She said. Josh turned and heard shouting, coming from down the hall. "I don't know how you planned to escape. You haven't given much thought to this have you?" She said.
"At the moment, I'm pretty much winging it."

Josh surveyed the hall. It was just an open corridor, with decorative columns jutting out along the walls. Not exactly the best place for a firefight.
"Okay, Rames, take up a position behind that wall column. How good a shot are you?" Josh asked.
"I can shoot alright. I'm no commando but I can handle myself." The security guard said, almost as if he was trying to convince himself.
Josh opened a nearby door, finding the room beyond empty.
"I'll take cover from inside the door. If we get overrun, I'll cover you til you get inside. This can be our last stand, if it comes to it." Josh said, fingering his blasters.
He turned to the woman, still smirking quietly to herself in the hall.
"I don't suppose you can handle a blaster can you?"

[Erc Vortan]

Erc stood in the same Forward lounge that he'd begun this little adventure in. He'd done some reconing, and found more survivors. he brought them back here, having made this the only secure spot on this cruiser as far as he knew.

He'd moved the bodies behind the bar. No reason to leave them, after all, he was talking with 2 civilians, a veteran of the Galactic Civil war now on vacation, and a Man who had wanted to join the NR military, but a rare health condition kept him out of it. of the 10 people he'd rescued so far, these were the only ones with any sort or weapons knowledge.

Erc had given each of them a pistol and a Blaster rifle. Along with enough Power packs to keep them happy. Now, arrayed on one of the other tables was the rest of his weaponry. Pistols, Rifles, Carbines, knives and a few explosives.

He's removed a Deck plan holo from one of the intersections and was studying it.

"OK, here's the plan. You," indicating the older of the two armed men, "will stay and guard everyone we have in the forward Port Life boat. It's better then a escape pod, you have full nav capabilities in this thing, once you launch you'll be able to steer. If no one in the party can pilot, then it also will act like An escape pod. It will automatically head to the nearest body capable of supporting life. No hyperdrive, so you're stuck in this system. You will come with me and if need be secure the Starboard Lifeboat. Use the comms we took off the pirates. I set your channels for one of the higher ones, less likely that the pirates will be monitoring. WE will move out along the central corridor. It's not much, but it's the best we can do."

"What if we run into more of the pirates? they see armed passengers, and they won't ask for our surrender."

"That's OK, we're not surrendering anyway. I took this off of that security crewman we found out there." Erc held up a crew ID card. With it, he should have access to just about every place on this ship. Every Lock should be coded to allow him to override now.

Within 3 more minutes, Erc and Dalon were moving slowly up the corridor. Erc in the lead, Dalon moving behind him. Both had blaster rifles scanning where they were looking. unfortunately, all they came across were bodies.

Five minutes further up, Erc called a stop, he heard voices. at least 3 of them. if not 4 or 5. It was hard to tell. And Erc realized why. They were in one of the state rooms. A suite of some sort. holding the holo up he oriented himself, and saw that indeed it was a suite. the voices were coming from the central room, a common room to 2 bedrooms. All three opened to the corridor.

A simple plan for the situation. Erc layed it out for Dalon, who despite really looking scared agreed to it. Erc moved past the door with the noise coming from it and stopped by the far bedroom door. HE silently worked the pass key and then looked into the bedroom, no one was inside. He held up one finger and then went into the room.

One minute passed and Dalon gathering up all his strength moved to the central door and knocked. "hey, anyone in there know what's going on? I'm lost and need help here." As soon as he finished saying that, he moved away from the front of the door.

And good thing too, 4 laser blasts appeared int he door, blasting the wall opposite the door. They fired right through the door. no warning. Erc was right about that.

But then several more laster blasters echoed from the room. and the sound of women screaming. The door opened and Erc motioned for Dalon to enter.

5 Pirates were sprawled on the floor, burns over their bodies, ranging from mid torso to a face shot on one of them. about 10 passengers were cowering in a corner. mostly women, all wearing evening attire. Erc nodded to Dalon and they started searching the bodies. Not much he hadn't found on the others. The only thing was one of the pirates had a headset comm. Erc took that and dropped the second comm he had, the one still set for the pirate channel.

"OK Dalon, this is where we split up. Take them all back to the Starboard Lifeboat. Get as many of them as you can into a change of clothes. They aren't dressed for survival. Wait for my signal and then both lifeboats launch. You know what to do then. Do it. I'll find another way out of this."

Erc waited a few minutes, let the survivors move back to the lifeboats. Listening to the varied and sparse comm traffic. Not the chatty types. Makes them more professional then the average. Not a good thing.

When he moved again, things got scary. He overheard the order to stop taking prisoners. All the rest were expendable. Time to change the rules on them.

"All Teams acknowledge. I want to make this quick people. Report back to transports as soon as the ship is clear." What followed were staggered acknowledgments. Team after team. Then the person who issued the orders cam back. "Fiz, you better not be helping yourself to any of the passengers. We are not here for that, buy it later. Report Fiz."

"Attention, attention, Fiz is dead. I say again, Fiz and his boys are dead."

"Who is this, and where are you, I'd like to have a word with you. Maybe negotiate a way out of this for you."

"Sorry, I'm letting my blaster do the negotiations on this one boys. Doesn't help that I heard the kill all survivors speech. Why don't you tell me where YOU are. I'll come to you. My kill card on this one is still low. You can help me change that. I know, I can kill you."

"You're a dead sentient. Nothing will help you now." The voice growled through the signal.

"Well, you're not the first to say that to me. Won't be the last either. Tell you what, meet me in the observation deck. Just you and me, we'll see who walks away and who's carried. What do you say pal?"

"You can bet I'll be there. I just hope you are."

The line clicked, a signal to change Comm freqs. fortunately, Erc could wait to find the new channel. And he wasn't going to the observation deck. His next stop was the security corridor. somethign every passenger vessel like this had, but never told anyone about. A way for security to move without drawing attention to it.

And he had the pass key.

Erc slipped through the nearly hidden passageway just as a group of pirates ran past. They traced him. They have some good equipment with them. Wonderful!

[Jelt]

"I don't suppose you can handle a blaster can you?"

Jelt laughed to herself in her mind; this man had absolutely no idea who he was talking to. Handle a blaster indeed... However, she maintained the deadpan expression as she said, "Actually I'm more comfortable with a turbolaser, but I'll try to figure it out."

He blinked once before noticing that the pirates were coming closer and then quickly took cover in his chosen doorway, leaving her standing in the hall. She quickly adopted a lost look, looking all around at the ceiling and walls as if trying to figure out what had interrupted her quiet journey.

"Are you crazy?" The security guard was hissing at her from behind his pillar in a low, urgent whisper. "Get under cover!"

She didn't acknowledge him, instead continuing her act of helpless passenger. The pirates, seven of them, raced around the corner at full tilt, only to come to an abrupt, screeching stop at the sight of only a single, unarmed woman in the hall, instead of the dangerous passengers they had expected. The two men withheld their fire, realizing that the pirates' full attention was focused on the person in the floor length dress in plain view, and that they themselves had not yet been detected. Jelt continued her facade, her look of confusion quickly dissolving into pure fear as the leader of the seven remembered the order to kill all passengers on sight. He raised his blaster and let off a single shot.

The assassin turned as if to run when the red bolt streaked toward her, but immediately fell facedown on the ground and lay motionless. The leader let out a grunt of satisfaction that covered the small gasps that emitted from both sides of the hall. Stepping forward quickly, he nudged the inert figure with the toe of his boot and announced her dead. At the same moment he said this, blaster fire erupted on both sides of the group. The two men had realized that the pirates had been lured forward into the crossfire zone, and were now taking full advantage of their surprise.

Three of their enemies fell at the first burst as the others scrambled to take cover behind the other pillars. All except for their commander. He was lying dead, the burn of a vibroblade in his chest, and the woman in the black gown was standing in his place, one shoulder singed slightly from the blaster bolt that she had evaded with the quick turn. The three remaining pirates gawked at her a minute, one dying as his blaster was kicked out of his hand and the knife thrust through his throat. The other two were finished by blasters, their fate being determined at the moment of their distraction.

Jelt deactivated the vibroknife and parted the slit in her skirt in order to restrap the blade to her thigh via the straps already attached to the skin-tight jumpsuit underneath, then carefully smoothed her hair down. With a slight smile, she offered a hand to the man who had slowly stepped out of the doorway. "I'm Jeslyn Tekk. You are...?"

[Shaye Starling]

"One, we've got trouble. Over"

Static then a voice came over the communications headset worn by the pirate who seemed to be in charge. The one holding Shaye at his side as if she were some trophy prize to be bargained over. "I've heard. Switch frequency. Over."

Another bit of crackly static then nothing. "You know where to meet me," the one holding Shaye said. From behind her, the one in charge made eye contact with his men holding the passengers hostage in the dining hall and relayed orders through an intricate series of hand signals. Obviously Shaye had no idea what was being signed amongst the group. One of the men from the far right of the room approached and Shaye found herself thrust into the grasp of this summoned pirate.

"You're going with him, sweetheart." Then he looked to the man under his charge and nodded once, curtly. "Use her as a shield if you must."

Shaye panicked and looked over her shoulder to the filming crew as she was pulled at blaster-point behind the thick, floor-length curtain into a narrow, darkened corridor. This, she presumed, was the area the wait staff used to get from the kitchen to the dining room. Several rose from their seated position in the center of the floor, alarm and fear in their voices as they began to object and beg that she not be taken. Their pleas were futile. Their voices dimmed then a shot rang out and the crowd in the dining room shrieked at once, the noise rising to a high crescendo before breaking up and finally quieting down again.

Shaye was led through a series of corridors and hallways, all of which she tried desperately to remember the configuration of. Why? She wasn't too sure, it just seemed like a good idea. It also seemed like a good idea to at least try to remember the names on the plaques of the doors she was swiftly led past. Such as the galley, where the kitchen was, and the storage lockers, dry foods storage, and others. She felt as blind as a gackle bat while being taken through the dark passageways. The pirate had no trouble seeing, obviously. He had the advantage of nightvision goggles to give him perfect vision in the pitch dark.

"Where are we going?" Shaye finally dared to ask. In her head, many scenarios passed, so fast they were nothing more than quick blurs of motion in her mind's eye.

Her captor didn't respond, other than to tighten his grasp around her waist to keep her arms pinned.

They came to a door and the her captor ordered her to open it. Shaye squinted her eyes and reached out as best she could and felt around for the door handle. Click, click. "It's locked." Again, the captor said nothing. Instead, he lowered the blaster pistol from Shaye's rib cage and aimed at the door. The pirate holding her hostage now turned his head and depressed the trigger. The flash from the muzzle as the shot rang out blinded Shaye. Bright spheres of light danced across her field of vision. She heard the door slowly open and was pushed across its threshold. Her vision began to clear and she noted that she was now on the Observation Deck of the ship.

Suddenly Shaye was forced to stand in front of the pirate. He hooked his left arm around her neck and applied a bit of pressure. Just enough to let her know who was in charge and that it would be so easy for him to cut off the flow of oxygen. The blaster pistol was pressed firmly against her right temple.

"Show yourself!" The pirate ordered, then the two waited to see if anyone would emerge.

Shaye realized that if she were ever going to do anything to attempt an escape, the perfect opportunity had presented itself the moment she was taken through the dark corridors and passageways; away from the rest of the pirate crew. She told herself that if no one else were on the deck within the next few minutes, she'd do something to get away. She just didn't know what that something would be just yet.

[Erc Vortan]

"Show yourself!"

Erc almost had to laugh. "This guy must only deal with civilians. And sure as dren isn't used to others setting the stage for a meeting. This should be interesting."

The observation lounge was basically a huge dome on the top of the cruise ship. This was the main one, it was meant to be used while the ship was in hyperspace, giving passengers an amazing view of the colors and shapes that pilots take for granted when making a jump.

The dome was lined with beams and supports. a framework that gave the two back up pirates a place to hide and shoot from when Erc stepped into the room to confront the "lone gunman" with a hostage.

But Erc was currently making his way, silently to the first one. a Rodian who really needed a shower. But the smell made it easy to target him and hide his approach. In fact, the Rodian was so intent on searching the middle of the lounge, he didn't know Erc was behind him till the knife had already entered his heart. And of course by then it was too late. wordlessly the alien died in the Smuggler's arms. and was placed on the deck. Erc looked down at the Contact man. "Show yourself!" he yelled again. "Don't waste my time. you wanted to see me, here I am!"

""Yes, there you are, and I'll be right with you. Just one more Frellin idiot to deal with first." Erc said to himself as he moved. hell, even their ambush was sloppy. they hadn't given themselves any distance. They really expected a civilian passenger to be making this much trouble. "Amateurs!"

Erc didn't bother with a weapon here. Just moved close and snapped the human's neck. This might have been a mistake, the snap echoed in the dome. But it was time. Erc shouldered the Carbine he was carrying, taking careful aim, and then activated a switch on the remote he had in his left hand. The walls of the dome suddenly turned completely transparent. Not the translucent color it turned when in real space. The reason for this became immediately apparent as the system's sun shown in blindingly almost immediately. Erc, his eyes closed, hit the switch again, shutting out the light, and then fired.

his first blast took Shaye right in the midsection. She dropped limp in the pirate's arms. The pirate, not expecting his human shield to go limp like that dropped her, still stunned by the light. as soon as the hostage had cleared his primary target, Erc fired again 3 times.

All four stun bolts had hit the intended mark. "Not the text book way of dealing with things, but it worked. No matter how well armored the pirate would have been against blaster fire, the three stun bolts, one of which took him in the head, would put him out, but not dead. Erc disarmed the Pirate, and secured his arms and legs. and then moved to the woman. It was only then he recognized her.

"She is not going to be happy I shot her. I hope she realizes it was the only way to get her out of that safely." Erc moved her, and then the Stunned pirate into the security corridor, and then sealed the door again. he'd taken some of the weapons, enough to rearm himself and the woman, but wasn't sure what to do next. After a few minutes, The woman began moving again.

"Shh, don't scream. I'm not one of them, I'm going to get you out of this, but I need you to fill me in on a few things. Was that their leader holding you in that room?"

[Shaye Starling]

She could feel her heart thumping hard in her chest and hear the pounding of each beat loud and clear in her ears. Being used as a human shield, Shaye had her hands curled around the pirate captor's forearm that he had slung around her neck. Now and then she'd pull at it, attempting to get him to loosen his hold. Her efforts were futile. The pirate captor harshly whispered another threat into her ear as he slowly circled in place, slowly scanning the observatory in search of the one who summoned this meeting. Shaye had come up with a plan and was about to execute it when she caught sight of one of the other two pirates positioning himself high above along the beams. She was going to stomp down as hard as she could on her captor's foot with the spike of her heel, then escape. However, she figured that the other pirate would shoot her down before she could even get a few feet away. 'For now', she thought, I'll just bide my time.'.

The silence that fell over the observatory was eerie. Enough to force a chill to course down the actresses spine. She shuddered. The captor was growing nervous, too. He took a couple of carefully placed steps further along the main walkway, turning slowly to continually survey the area. Something snapped. The sound, faint as it was, made the pirate whirl around with a start, placing the blaster muzzle against Shaye's temple. "I swear I'll kill her," he shouted. Very nervous, the pirate's head snapped here and there, up and back to look over his shoulders, all the while keeping Shaye close to serve as a shield. Suddenly the observatory was bathed in radiant sunlight, blinding Shaye and her captor. He growled and tightened his grip on the woman's neck as he brought his other hand up to rub his eyes sharply. This took the weapon away from her head, then the light was shut out. In that instant, something struck Shaye in the stomach. Hard. She went as limp as a ragdoll in the pirate's grasp. He dropped her to the observatory deck in a heartbeat, trying to get his eyes to re-adjust to the blindness caused by the flash of brilliant sunlight, then the sudden darkness. He fired wildly, hoping to hit whomever else was in the chamber. Every shot missed its intended mark, ricocheting off of the walls and the overhead support beams, embedding themselves into the trunks of ancient trees.

* * * * *

Though it was only minutes that had passed, it felt longer as Shaye groaned from the dull pain in her abdomin. It felt like a bad bruise. She came to with a start, sitting up enough to lay a hand against her stomach, expecting to find she had in fact been shot and was now bleeding out from a fatal wound. Relief washed over her immediately when she didn't feel any thick, sticky moisture against the palm of her hand. Then she noticed Erc from the corner of her eye. Thinking he was one of 'them', she scuttled back a few paces, fearful she had just fallen into the clutches of yet another pirate.

"Shh, don't scream. I'm not one of them, I'm going to get you out of this, but I need you to fill me in on a few things. Was that their leader holding you in that room?" He said to her, showing an extended arm with his palm open to reinforce the promise of his not being one of the pirates. Shaye relaxed, her shoulders sank visibly. The actress raked slender fingers through her hair slowly and looked to the gagged and bound pirate on the floor across the way as she conjured up images of the dining hall. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes, I believe it was the leader."

She looked again to the pirate. "Is he ...?" She began to ask if he was dead. When she looked back to Erc, he was shaking his head. "Just unconscious."

She wasn't sure how that made her feel, exactly. So long as he wasn't going to be getting up any time soon, she supposed things were looking up; at least a little bit.

"He's holding many hostage in the dining hall. A handful or more were killed." She said absent-mindedly. "And who are you?" She finally asked of the man who just rescued her from the pirates.

[Erc Vortan]

"My name is Erc, and I guess I'm here to rescue you." Erc said, looking over the bound pirate. He'd been able to carry the actress and the hostage some distance into the security corridor, but he was sure the investigators would check these after a while.

"We're going to have to move further along. Then I want to talk to them again." Erc got up and looked around. "I say we move in at least halfway up to the bow, and then maybe down a deck or two. Put some distance between us and that room."

"OK, what happened to the other two pirates in there? all I heard was a popping, then the bright light. They obviously didn't get you."

"Let's just say I was alot better trained then they were. They won't be bothering anyone ever again." Erc had the bound pirate over his shoulder and held so the body wouldn't interfere with his gunhand. He could also very easily use the body as a shield if the situation called for it. "I need you to carry this bag. I can't do it with him on my shoulders. Just stay behind me and we'll put that distance between us."

"OK, Erc, right?" Shaye asked. Still not sure what was happening. she could tell that Erc wasn't one of the Pirates, but where he came from, and what he was doing here was still a big question for her. The way he was moving and thinking didn't fit the Dark Green suit he wore. Although the jacket was missing, it was very stylish. Something alot of beings in the Core worlds would wear to formal events. But right now he seemed more like a seasons soldier. Imperial Even. Cold, calculating. He nodded that she had the name right, and she shouldered the bag. It was heavy, she wasn't sure what he had her carrying. "Where did you learn to do all this Erc? it's not exactly common knowledge, especially on a cruise ship."

"I saw a little Action in the Galactic Civil War. learned some things that are coming in handy." Erc was moving fairly quickly, but always aware of any Nice they were making. to Shaye's credit, she was trying to stay as quiet as possible and talking barely above a whisper. "By the way, I'm.."

"Yeah, I recognized you as soon as this guy brought you into the Observation Lounge Ms. Starling. I've seen some of your Holos, and heard you were filming something on one of the decks here."

"Oh. not the fan type then? we've had passengers trying to get a look at the production since we broke port."

"Well, honestly, the making of those Holos don't interest me. I enjoy the stories, but I don't know. And it's not like I'd ever get close to the stars." Erc stopped, looked back and smiled. "Well, under most circumstances at least. Never thought I'd be walking a corridor alone with you, that's for sure."

"Yeah, I don't usually do this with people when I first meet them. I guess this is a first for both of us then."

"And I'll make sure you're able to tell the story on some Holocast. Just leave my name out, or like they say in those reenactments, Change the names. Maybe Han Solo. I hear that's a heroic name."

"It is, but alas, taken already. we'll come up with something."

Erc stopped, looked around and placed the body onto the deck with a thud. "This should be good enough. Time to have more fun." Erc pulled out the pirate Comm and activated it on a broad freq. "Attention, Attention, your boss is no longer receiving. You are now on your own. And the two goons he brought with him are dead. I'm racking up quite a body count. If I was you, I would pack up what you have and leave already. I may not be so kind next time I engage you people."

Erc winked over at Shaye. So tell me, how good are you with a Blaster anyway? just in case, I want you to be armed." Erc had recovered the bag Shaye was carrying and pulled out a decently sized Blaster pistol and checked the charge and settings. then he held it out to her.

[Navera]

In the bowels of the liner, a huge shape moved, a cybernetic arm latching onto the door. Navera Tartrayn slid through the aperture, his blaster in one hand, silver lightwhip in the other. Pirates, the massive black serpent thought with the serenity that five hundred years of life brought, unsurprised. I must find their ship. He twisted, uncomfortable in the small space, and sped down the hallway, towards the epicenter of blaster fire, to where he could feel lives flickering and blinking out like the lights above him.

He encountered the first pirate shortly; the Trandoshan stared at him fearfully for a moment before deciding that discretion was the better part of valor and fleeing. A squeeze of the trigger later, and the pirate lay sprawled on the deck, snarling in crude Basic, red eyes aflame with hate. Navera approached, using the Force to urge the reptilian being into a deep sleep that would last for several hours at the least. Navera confiscated the weapons, stole the earpiece, shoved the pirate into one of the empty staterooms and closed the door, activating his lightwhip to solder the door shut. One down. Who knows how many left to go, the Kadri'Ra thought. He listened to the commlink, hearing a tinny-sounding voice informing the pirates that their leader was dead. They're not going to leave; pirates hardly ever know when to stage tactical retreats.

Navera glanced at the ship's map, looking for the nearest exit into space. There. He turned and scuttled towards the exit, stunning each pirate he passed and throwing them into staterooms as well. He found the air lock, and a judicious application of the Force made the door hiss open. Once inside, Navera found that his body was much too large to fit inside. Sometimes I wish I could stop growing, he thought, disgruntled. He turned and peered at the control mechanism. Oh, joy. It's programmed not to have them open at once. He grunted and flicked his lightwhip, searing a hole into the outer door. Immediately, the inner door began to slam shut, its safety programming overriding the fact that most of Navera's body was still inside the ship. The Force flowed back to block the door, allowing Navera to jerk himself free and throw himself into the airless void of space.

The stars whirled overhead, and Navera could feel the cold crackling against his scales. Carefully, the ex-Jedi dug his claws into the hull of the ship, moving silently towards the gray hulk he could see attached to the Star Palace/ He blew out a breath, amused anew at how it crystallized, glittering in the starlight as he pulled himself up towards the airlock. Navera's plan was simple: to get back into the ship at the cafeteria, where he could sense several of the pirates. He blinked the forming condensation off his eyes, found another airlock and entered the ship again.

Pirates were there, a pile of bodies beside them and a line of frightened passengers, waiting for death, before them. Navera barreled forward, lightwhip snaking forward in a flicker of silver light and wrapping around the Wookiee's leg. There was a sizzle like the sound of cooking Blap-biscuit and the Wookiee howled. Navera was still moving, his bulk slamming two of the pirates against a wall and crushing them. He caught another on his horns and reared upward, smashing him against the ceiling panels. His blaster was a blur of light, firing at several of the pirates. Most of them fell where they stood, but the executioner, encased in battered pieces of Stormtrooper armor, refused to surrender. Navera narrowed his eyes, feeling the Force flare within him, and sent the man into unconsciousness as well.

Finished, he stood over the carnage, the passengers gaping at him in surprise and fear. Navera was reminded again, uncomfortably, of the fact that most of them had never seen a Kadri'Ra, a reminder of how fall his race had fallen. He closed his eyes, feeling nothing for his actions of death but a sustained, extensive sadness. I was never meant for the battlefield. I was meant for books and scholarly discussions, not blood and hate.

"Go," he spoke in Basic, the syllables alien to his serpentine mouth, "Go into the staterooms there and hide until the signal is given to come out." They obeyed his orders, allowing him to seal them in with his lightwhip. Navera turned from the sad scene and continued up to another deck. He felt two humans and went towards them, unable to sense any taint of evil in them. Perhaps they could become allies.

He rounded the corner and slid to a stop, looking at the two humans. A man and a woman; the woman looked vaguely familiar. Ah! She's that actress that's in all those holovids the vendors on Nar Shaada always try and sell me when I dock there. Reminded of the manners that had been instilled in him when he had lived at the Jedi Temple of old, Navera bowed his head and said in Basic, "Greetings to you. I am Navera Tartrayn. May I be of assistance?" He felt awkward and ungainly next to them, a huge monolithic beast of black scales and obsidian horns.

[Shaye Starling]

When Erc took the bag from her shoulder, Shaye rotated the joint a bit and rubbed at it. That bag was a little heavier than she first thought it was. And, let's face it. She's not exactly the type to be carrying heavy things; or anything, really. There were people hired specifically to do that for her. Still, she'd been handling the harrowing situation rather well, considering.

Erc made things a little better just by being there and on the good guys side. It was also a relief to know that she wouldn't be trying to stay alive or trying to help the others alone. She was terrified, but wasn't the type of woman who cowered in a corner and waited for a Knight in shining armor to come charging on the scene upon a white horse to save the day. But that is not to say that she wouldn't shed some tears at some point. She is, after all, human and there is only so much stress and fear a human can take before the shock wears off and reality sets in.

"You want me to shoot this thing?" Shaye questioned as Erc handed her the pistol. Both brows lifted steeply, reflecting the shock at the expectation he had of her. She just might have to actually shoot someone! Though she was not currently filming an action scene in a holovid, Shaye turned her mind into thinking a little along those lines. The smile and nod that came from Erc in response made her cheeks blush. 'Of course he expects you to shoot someone, you dolt! You certainly can't use sexual prowess in this situation.' Well ... she could, but that would not work to her advantage.

'Or would it?' Everyone woman knows just when to use their looks, body, and seductive tones to their advantage and most women used this tactic very well. In a situation such as this, there might actually be a time when the persuasions of a beautiful woman might just be enough of a distraction to turn the advantage around and benefit the good guys. She tucked that possibility in the back of her mind.

"Well," she began as she turned the weapon over in her hand. "It doesn't look like anything we haven't used on a set. I think I can handle it. I can't guarantee my aim to be at marksmanship level, but I think I can handle it."

Erc went over the important parts of using the weapon with her. He showed her how to pop out the charge and pop it back in, for when she might have to reload the pistol. He flipped the safety off and then stood behind her long enough to show her how to line up a target within the sights. "Point, pull the trigger, and shoot. That's all you really need to remember."

Shaye glanced to Erc as he stepped out from behind her. She nodded somberly. Shaye wanted to take a moment to thank the man just for being there and for being one to not stand by idly while bad things happened to good people.

Instead, she forced a quick smile and said, "Now. How about that distance we wanted to put between us and them?"

[Jelt]

"I'm Jeslyn Tekk. You are...?"

"Josh." He shook her hand hesitantly. "Josh Andar." The security guard had stepped out into the hall by now and was also gawking.

"Who did you say you were?" Jelt shot him a look and repeated the alias. "Jeslyn Tekk. I'm a...bodyguard." The statement made her legit while still accounting for her prowness with the vibroknife. "And for some reason, my training indicates that we should leave here as soon as possible." She started moving down the hall, but Andar wasn't so easily put off.

"Hold on." A inquisitive eye fixed on him as she turned. "Three things I need to clarify first. One, if you really are a bodyguard, where is your charge?"

"Dead," she answered flatly. The answer also made sense in this situation. "I was too busy getting him a drink from the bar to protect him from the pirates."

The man nodded at this and continued. "Two. Don't you need to get something for that shoulder?"

"I'll be fine. What's the last thing?"

"The evacuation craft are this way. You're heading straight towards the pirates' part of the ship."

"That's the idea."

"We should go this way and protect any passengers trying to escape."

"I don't want to."

He stared at her for a full minute before shaking his head. "I'll never understand women."

"Some women like that about men." Jelt turned and moved quickly back up the hall. Andar watched for another moment before turning back to the dumbstruck security guard. "Let's go. I'm sure she can take care of herself just fine."

-:-

Jelt pulled the ornamental mask down over her eyes and peered carefully through the vent. She had used the ventilation shafts once again to make her way unseen to the dining hall. As she had heard, most of the passengers were standing in little clusters, obviously scared half to death. Several pirates were standing guard, but Jelt wouldn't have a problem slipping in unseen. The moment every back was turned to the wall vent, she eased it open, slipped out, eased it shut, and joined the nearest cluster of hostages, all in a matter of seconds. One gave her a strange look, but did not betray her to the guards.

Tenatively, she touched the Force ever so slightly and reached for the glowpanel controls. Without warning, and without a sound, the entire hall was plunged into darkness.

The assassin watched through through the night vision mask with a smile as pirates stumbled around, falling over chairs as well as each other. This is going very well. Very well indeed.

A flip of the thumb and she was listening in for any hint of potential allies in other, helpful positions.