Bounty Hunter In A Bind, Pt 2 (A SWTOR DiD Tale) by KiwiKink

[esercito sconfitto]

Bounty Hunter In A Bind, Part 2 (A SWTOR DiD Tale)
by KiwiKink,



As to be expected of a facility named Deadrock Base, there were not much in the way of creature comforts. Corridors were narrow and utilitarian, most of the rooms cramped but functional, and those stationed there tended to move with a sideways gait that allowed them to slip by when they passed by each other. The population was made up of mostly officers and technical staff, with security handled by skeletal battle droids that were controlled by central network. All of these things and more represented the obstacles that the bounty Rayne and her partner Mako would need to overcome to rescue the captured Republic agent being held within the bowels of Deadrock Base. But the main thing that concerned them was the rival of an actual Sith Lord.

“Sith,” Rayne moaned quietly as she sat down on the edge of her bunk in the bounty hunter enclave housed within the base. “Why did it have to be Sith?”

“We knew this was a possibility, boss,” Mako said. “If it was going to be easy, the Republic would not have bothered press-ganging us into doing this. And besides, I thought you had unlimited charm; perhaps you can seduce her.”

“Very funny,” Rayne said, smirking at her partner. “See if you can slice into their holonet, we need to find out where they are hiding this prisoner. With Darth Malice stalking around the base, I want to get in and out as soon as possible.”

“I've tried getting into their systems, but they have the place locked down tight,” Mako said. “If I could get to a security terminal, I'd be able to slice in directly. But I seriously doubt they will just let me play around with one of those.”

“They might,” Rayne said, grinning suddenly. “If you dressed the part...”

“I'm not going to like this, am I?”

“Trust me,” Rayne said with a wink. “We have I ever steered us wrong?”

“Do you want the list?” Mako said, raising her eyebrow.

Rayne ignored that, and set about explaining her plan.

* * *

Lieutenant Aurelle stalked down the hallway of Deadrock Base, her eyes keenly looking for anything out of place. A career officer in the Sith Empire's Imperial Navy, she had worked her way up to an official position on the high security outpost by being as officious and exacting as humanly possible. She made sure schedules were kept, that regulations were followed, that uniforms were creased, and that everything ran like a well oiled machine. It did not make her many friends, but it did make her annoying enough that Imperial Command were happy to ship her office to secretive rock in space where her authoritative impulses would be valuable while keeping her out of their collective hair.

Aurelle marched down the corridor towards the bounty hunter enclave, where a pair of new arrivals had recently bunked down. They had sent a complaint to her, stating that basic supplies were missing from the enclave's storage and that the holonet connection was not working, and this enraged the petite lieutenant. This was her base, and everything would run smoothly and by the numbers, even if it was just for bounty hunter scum. Rather than send a crew down to deal with these issues, as a lesser officer would do, Aurelle had made it her mission to set this right herself.

Aurelle arrived at the enclave barracks and opened the door, and was immediately disgusted. The two bounty hunters, a tall and muscular woman named Rayne and her smaller companion named Mako, were both lounging in the corner. Rayne even had her booted feet up on a table, her manner so slovenly that Aurelle almost burst a blood vessel.

“What seems to be the problem,” Aurelle hissed.

“Holonet is on the blink,” Rayne said, thumbing towards the holo console. “Also, the mess is all out of Corellian ale.”

“Alcohol is not permitted on this base,” Aurelle fumed.

“But I need it,” Rayne said, “for, er, medical reasons.”

“Disgusting,” Aurelle said, shaking her head. “There is no alcohol, so you will need to just live with out it, you ingrate. Now, what is the problem with the holonet?”

“Come see for yourself,” Mako said, waving her hand towards the console.

Aurelle stalked over to it and bent down, inspecting it carefully. “Signal seems strong, diagnostics read fine,” she said, checking the systems. “As far as I can tell, the holonet is working per-”

A sudden blue flash of light sent Aurelle into a dreamless sleep.

Rayne holstered her blaster, glad that it had a stun setting. The petite officer would be unconscious for about an hour, which would be long enough for her and Mako to get their business done. Until then, they needed to borrow her uniform, and then stash her away, out of sight and out of mind.

“You are so lucky she is my size,” Mako said as she helped Rayne undress the dozing officer. “What if she had sent someone else to check out the holonet? I doubt I'd be able to disguise myself as a maintenance droid.”

“Look, these officious little dolts always like to do things themselves,” Rayne said, grinning. “And since we had seen her during the inspection of our ship, I knew she'd be a good fit for you. You see, this is what makes me a great bounty hunter; I'm always thinking two steps ahead.”

“When you think at all,” Mako sighed. Taking Aurelle's clothing, Mako stripped off her own gear and began to dress up as the Imperial officer. At the same time, Rayne went to work with a roll of silver spacer tape, binding Aurelle's hands behind her back, her ankles together, and finally wrapping several layers of tape around Aurelle's mouth. Rayne then stashed the unconscious officer into disused locker, which would keep her out of the way until Rayne and Mako were long gone.

“How do I look?” Mako asked, smoothing out the officer's uniform she now wore.

“Perfect!” Rayne said with a wink. “Now, find a security terminal and slice in. The sooner we can get off this rock the better.”

* * *

Mako was surprised how easy it was to navigate the base once she was dressed in an Imperial uniform. It was a common joke that the Sith Empire was so dedicated to uniformity that they could have replaced all their officers with clones and the galaxy would not notice, but Mako had not expected it to be so on the nose. People, even other Imperials, looked at the uniform, not the face, and it made getting to her destination surprisingly easy. But with that said, Mako remained on edge. While her disguise would fool most working at the base, she doubted that it would work on Darth Malice, the infamous Sith Lord who had come to interrogate the Republic prisoner Mako and Rayne had come to rescue. If she ran into Malice, the mission would be over.

As Mako arrived at the security center, she was relieved to find it to be mostly an automated affair, with large processor banks running the cameras and alarms around the base. Only one officer was stationed within the centre itself, an older woman with closely cropped silver hair and a disinterested expression that sat behind a plastisteel desk. The tag on her grey uniform read Colonel Zarin, and she looked up at with mild curiosity as Mako closed the center door behind her.

“Can I help you?” she asked, no alarm in her voice.

“Sorry to bother you,” Mako said, trying to adopt an Imperial accent, “but Maintenance has advised there has been an outage with security cameras in the enclave barracks.”

“It seems to be functional to me,” Zarin said, looking over to her desk monitor. As soon as her eyes were off of her, Mako swiftly drew her compact blaster pistol and shot Zarin in the chest. The stun bolt sent the officer immediately into a deep slumber, causing her to slide from her chair onto the floor. Mako quickly rushed over to the unconscious woman, rolling her on to her stomach and pulling her arms behind her back, using some cables to bind her wrists together, then crossing her ankles and strapping them together with some more cables. To ensure she remained quiet once she awoke, Mako stuffed a rag deep into Zarin's mouth, using a final cable to secure it in place. Mako then dragged Zarin's bound and gagged form to a nearby closet and stuffed her inside.

“Sorry about that,” Mako whispered as she locked the closet, then set about slicing into the security system. It did not take her long to find the prisoner, and she quickly relayed that information to Rayne via comlink. “She is being held in cell 451, boss. You'll need to hurry though, Malice is on her way.”

“Goody, a challenge,” Rayne voice came back with a sarcastic edge.

“I'll cut off the cameras and delete all records of our arrival, then make my way down to the hangar,” Mako said. “Just be careful. The reward the Republic promised us is no good to us if we are in a cell next to the prisoner … or worse.”

“You are always so cheerful!” Rayne replied, then ended the transmission. Mako set about her work, hoping the bounty hunter knew what she was doing.

* * *

Rayne moved through the base towards the detention center, trying not to attract attention to herself despite Mako taking out the security systems. Though she was quick on the draw with her blasters, she was hoping to get in and out without causing too much of a ruckus. Something that would change, no doubt, if she ran into Darth Malice.

“Don't dwell on it, “ Rayne chastised herself, “focus on the mission at hand.”

Rayne walked down the corridor, the way illuminated by large hanging lamps that cast everything in a harsh glow. It was a rather unpleasant thing to travel down, with Rayne resisting the urge to squint as made her way towards the large security doors to the detention centre. There were two automated turrets located outside the doors, scanning for unauthorized personal, but Rayne trusted Mako to have bypassed that feature. Her petite partner would have also sent out orders to any droids in the area to ignore Rayne's presence, so it would only be enemies of the flesh and blood variety Rayne would need to concern herself with.

“Here goes nothing,” Rayne whispered to herself, placing her hand on her holster. She opened the door and strode in, instantly taking in the room. As expected, there were numerous security droids about, walking in set patrols up and down the the rows of cells that lined the detention center's walls. As for organics, there was a rather rotund officer overseeing things, her crisp grey military uniform perfectly pressed and creased. She barely looked up as Rayne walked in, too busy watching an Imperial soap opera on the holonet.

“Hi,” Rayne said as she strode in. “Can you point me to the bathroom?”

“You are not meant to be here,” the woman said, looking up from her soap opera. Rayne just smiled and drew her pistol.

“So, do we do this the hard way, or the easy way?”

“Guards!” the woman screamed.

“The hard way then...” Rayne sighed, and blasted her. The blue energy bolt hit the officer square in the chest, causing her to slump down limp in her chair. Rayne moved over to her unconscious form and proceeded to pull out a roll of silver spacer tape and a pair of binders. Moving the large woman's hands behind her back, Rayne secured them at the wrists with the binders, locking them shut with a loud click. Rayne then took the tape and wrapped it tightly around the officer's mouth, forming a neat silver band that circled her head.

“That ought to keep you quiet,” Rayne grinned. “Now let's find our guest of honour.”

Using the information supplied by Mako, Rayne went to Cell 451 and opened the door, and was pleased to find prisoner still in place. Breq Toren was a slim human woman with dark skin, closely cropped black hair, and bore a cybernetic implants that were embedded in each temple. She was laying on an interrogation table, her arms and legs shackled by thick electrical energy bands. Keeping Breq quiet was an electronic muzzle tightly strapped over her mouth. She looked at Rayne as the bounty hunter entered the cell, her expression neutral.

“Hi there,” Rayne said with a cocky grin. “I'll be your rescuer for the day.”

Breq raised an eyebrow, but otherwise her expression did not change. Rayne moved over to the interrogation table and deactivated the restraints, freeing Breq. The Republic agent sat up slowly, keeping her eyes on Rayne as she unstrapped the muzzle from her lips.

“I know who you are,” Breq said. “Xaskazyna Rayne, bounty hunter active in Imperial space. Forgive me if I fail to trust you.”

Rayne grimaced at the full use of her name, having spent years trying to bury any references to her first name. “Yeah, that is me, and I am currently working with the Republic to bust you out of this facility. We are short on time, but I have Major Q'lara waiting for you aboard my ship. She can confirm my credentials with you, but if you don't mind, Darth Malice will be here any moment so I'd rather not wait around.”

Breq's eyes flickered for a moment, her implants glowing. “Major Q'lara's identity confirmed; special unit commander under General Garza, assigned to covert operations. I will trust you and accompany you for now.”

“Thanks,” Rayne said, drawing her blasters. “Let's go.”

Rayne and Breq headed through the control room, where Mako's reprogrammed droids continued to ignore them, then headed into the corridor that would lead them out of the detention center. It would be clear sailing from here, as long as they did not run into any opposition. Rayne was feeling confident, even cocky. She should have known it was going to all fall apart. Rayne and Breq had made it halfway down the corridor when the door on the opposite end slid open.

“How interesting,” Darth Malice grinned.

“Is this part of your plan?” Breq asked.

“No, but this is,” Rayne said, raising both her blasters and opening fire.

Malice sprang into action immediately, igniting her bright red lightsaber and using the glowing energy blade to harmlessly deflect each shot Rayne sent in her direction. She strode forward at a steady pace, an evil smirk on her face, her glowing red eyes narrowing as she closed in on her prey. Rayne started backing off, still firing rapidly as she tried to figure out a way out of her situation, while Breq quietly watched and analyzed the situation before her.

“Bounty hunter,” she said in Rayne's ear, “the lights...”

Rayne was confused by this, but her confusion was cut off as Malice extended her left hand and made a claw with her fingers. Rayne suddenly felt an invisible force contact around her throat, lifting her up into the air as she struggled to breathe.

“It is over, traitor,” Malice sneered, increasing the pressure of her Force Choke on Rayne.

Rayne felt her strength waning, but as she struggled her eyes managed to focus on the hanging lamps that illuminated the corridor. With a great effort, Rayne managed to angle her right blaster upward, and slowly she squeezed the trigger. The bolt hit the lamp dead on, knocking it loose, and it fell straight down onto Malice's bald head.

Malice collapsed under the fallen lamp, and with the Sith Lord unconscious, the telekinetic grip on Rayne's throat was released as well. The bounty hunter fell to the floor, choking as she struggled catch her breathe. Breq helped her to her feet.

“Are you okay?” the agent asked.

Rayne set her blaster to stun, and fired a shot into Malice just to be sure. “I am now,” she said. With Breq's help, they dragged Malice's limp form into the detention centre, and in an act of ironic revenge, strapped Malice into the interrogation table that previously held Breq. Rayne did not bother with the electronic muzzle, instead chose to use her roll of silver spacer tape to tightly wrap up the unconscious Sith Lord's mouth.

“That was surprisingly satisfying,” Rayne said, admiring her handy work. “Now, let's really get out of here.”

* * *

Making their way out of the detention center and to the hangar bay proved to be surprisingly easy for Rayne and Breq, mostly thanks to a well timed distraction. A fire alarm had gone off on the opposite side of Deadrock Base, sending most of the base's forces to investigate, all courtesy of Mako's slicing skills. Rayne's petite partner met up with Rayne and Breq outside of hangar, happy that the pair had made it out relatively unscathed. Deciding not to push their luck any further, the trio made their way onto Rayne's D5 Mantis, where Major Q'lara was waiting them. Without waiting for clearance, the ship took off and fled the base.

A short hyperspace jump later and the Mantis rendezvoused with General Garza's flagship, where the elder Republic leader was eagerly awaiting their return. She greeted them all in the docking bay of the Thranta-class frigate, accompanied by a group of doctors who took Breq into their care to make sure her time in captivity had not affected her adversely.

“Congratulations,” Garza said to Rayne, Mako and Q'lara once the agent was escorted out of the bay. “I am very pleased with your performance on this matter. I had my doubts on if you would be capable of pulling this off, but you exceeded my expectations.”

“They performed admirable,” Q'lara said.

“Ouch, that must have hurt to say that,” Rayne chuckled, earning a glare from the twi'lek major. “Can't say it has been fun, General, but we held up our end of the bargain. Now uphold yours.”

“Your warrants have been cancelled and full pardons have been issued for both of you,” Garza said. “You are now free to travel through Republic space, as long as you don't do anything to cause us to seek your arrest again. Your reward will also be transferred to your account shortly, and I am sure you will find it very generous. It has been a pleasure working with you, Rayne. Maybe we can do it again someday.”

“No chance,” Rayne and Q'lara said in unison, causing Mako to suppress a giggle.

“Boss, we should get going,” Mako said. “Might as well enjoy our freedom while we can.”

“True,” Rayne said, heading back up the entry ramp of the Mantis. She threw a salute to Garza. “Have fun fighting the Empire, General.”

“Thank you,” Garza said. The elder woman turned to leave, then stopped. “Oh, by the way, your warrants have been cancelled, but only in Republic space. It seems new warrants have been issued for your arrest by the Empire. Apparently Darth Malice is very, very angry with you, bounty hunter.”

Rayne cringed.

“I am sure you will keep out of trouble,” Garza grinned. “Farewell, bounty hunter.”

Rayne and Mako settled into the cockpit of the D5 Mantis and took off out of the bay, glad to see the back of the Republic general.

“Where to know, boss?” Mako asked, leaning back in her chair.

“Back to Nar Shaddaa,” Rayne sighed, programming in the co-ordinates into the navigation computer. “If I am going to have a whole Empire hunting after me, I am going to want to have a stiff drink first.”

And with that, the Mantis leaped to hyperspace, to where new adventures awaited.