The Watcher had found the way the Lorrdains were travelling upon, and was now checking each alley he passed.
Wonder what happened to that transmitter? he thought to himself. He knew that she hadn't had her jacket with her earlier that evening, and recalled a crackling sound before the transmission went dead. It must have been crushed, somehow.
He sighed as he began to go down yet another alley in his search for Sylvana.
His head jerked up as he heard a scream echo from the alley beyond the one he was currently readying to search.
"Sithspit!" He broke into a sprint.
"I'm sure if we just keep going, we'll find a turbolift over there, Syl," Arrek said off handedly.
Silence met him as an answer.
"Syl?" He turned around to find that she was nowhere in sight. He made a slight face as he began to walk back the way they had come. He saw a shadow stalking the edge of the way toward him as though it were looking for something. . . or someone.
A scream reverberated from an alleyway a few blocks down, Arrek began to run, as did the figure in the shadows. The light glanced briefly on a green head of hair as the shadowed figure darted down an alleyway.
"Shut up!" He pulled the blade back and hit her again, causing her head to snap back as his fist caught her eye. "Now it's time for you to be silent."
Sylvana grit her jaw, and lifted her chin as she glared at him in defiance. "And I thought Bothans were an honourable people," she said with dripping sarcasm.
As the Bothan levelled the blaster at her heart, a shadow flew from nowhere to attack him.
As the two figures fell to the ground before her, a red bolt flew, just barely missing her, singing her upper arm as it flew by to hit the Shistavenan square in the chest. He fell lifelessly to the ground, not even a cry to note his passing. The Trandoshan's grip loosened in surprise, and Sylvana took advantage of that to slip low and kick his feet out from under him.
Her saviour tussled with the Bothan, ripping the blaster from his grip and tossing it far enough away that none could easily access it. The Bothan growled, then yelped in pain as the Watcher shoved the heel of his hand against his throat, at the same time jerking his knee up to connect with a rather sensitive area. Watcher jumped up and stepped back slightly. "How dare you," he growled as the Bothan stood.
As the Trandoshan went down, the Devaronian rushed her, a vibroblade in each fist. Sylvana quickly retrieved her laser scalpel and poignard and spun out of the way as though she were a matador in Spain on Terra, and the horned man were a bull.
Just then, Arrek burst into the alleyway, causing the Devaronian to halt stupidly in surprise. Arrek saw the blood dripping down Sylvana's right cheek, and her forearms and screamed in rage as he ran at the alien, taking a leap while yet nearly two metres away, and nearly kicking the horned head from the shoulders it rested upon.
The Trandoshan climbed to his feet, and took a swipe at Sylvana from behind, and instinct caused her to duck barely in time as the claws tore through the air where her head had just been. She turned swiftly and, without thinking, lashed out with her scalpel bearing left hand to cut behind the lizard man's knee, causing him to cry out in pain as the leg would no longer support him and he fell.
Sylvana spun away and, as the Bothan and green-haired man circled each other, she let out low growl akin to that of a stalking wolf. It grew to a battle cry as she nearly flew to broadside the Bothan, knocking the larger sentient easily to the ground in her rage. The Watcher looked on in surprise as she jumped up, beckoning the Bothan to rise and oppose her.
"You wanted a piece of me... come and get it," she growled, her eyes boring holes into the pelted creature before her.
The Bothan growled as he rose, wiping blood from his lips. "With pleasure."
Watcher turned in time to see the Trandoshan produce a blaster and take aim on Sylvana. He was faster, and his holdout appeared in his hand, stunning the scaled alien and causing him to slump uselessly to the ground.
Meanwhile, Arrek fought the Devaronian, both frenetically trading blows in such quick succession it was difficult to see. Knife slashes cut through Arrek's clothing, yet he paid no attention as he blocked and kicked in a frenzy of anger. The Devaronian stepped aside, causing Arrek to lose his balance, and plunged one vibroblade deep into the shoulder of his previously wounded arm, the other slashing across the Terran's thigh. He fell flat onto his back, the breath getting knocked out of him as his head cracked sickeningly against the ferrocrete. He lay there stunned a moment as the Devaronian kicked him harshly in his ribs.
Watcher looked up from the stunned Trandoshan to see Arrek lying on the ground, the Devaronian above him kicking him harshly, the dull thud masking the sound of breaking bones. Quickly, he stunned the Devaronian and watched as he fell bonelessly beside the young man he had just been beating mercilessly. He went to Arrek, checking to make sure he was still alive, moving him to sit against the alley wall to help with the breathing.
Another sort of frenzy took hold on Sylvana as she grappled with the Bothan, and soon she swiped the laser scalpel through his arm as he howled in pain at the loss of his hand, and swiped at her with his other, only to have it impaled mercilessly upon her poignard. This was closely followed by a kick to the face, causing a sickening crack as his lower jaw broke and he fell back against the wall they fought near. Falling on him like a berserker, she wore a fierce grin as she pulled both her weapons back and spun around, planting her heel firmly into his stomach, the Bothan folding around it as though he were a rag doll. His eyes rolled back into his head as the pain overtook him, and he fell unconscious to the ground. She laughed bloodlessly as she kicked him again a few times, each strike eliciting the satisfying sound of ribs cracking.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and quickly spun around weapons at ready. Her wrists were caught in steel grips as a low voice told her, "It is enough, Sylvana, it is finished. It is done, calm yourself." This, he repeated over and again.
She growled as she struggled against the seeming threat, then calmed after several minutes, almost as though the frenzy had been a haze that the persistent, soft- spoken words had burned away like daylight. She shook her head and looked up to see brown eyes looking back at her bearing deep worry. "How...? Oh," she said quietly as he let go of her wrists. She pulled her sleeve down to hide the lacerations along her left arm and the bloody claw marks on her right.
He turned from her, and she saw Arrek lying against a wall in the alley, the Watcher having gently set him there to help him breathe. "Oh Heavens!" she ran to him, kneeling beside him. "Arrek, are you alright?"
Her little brother grunted and looked down at his shoulder, then his thigh. He tried to draw in a deep breath for a sigh, but hitched as the pain of his broken ribs made itself known. "Oh sithspit," he looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine.... How're you?"
She felt her jacket lowered about her shoulders, then saw her pistol lowered before her eyes, and reached up a hand to take it, secreting it back at the base of her spine, she looked up to see the green haired, brown eyed man, a green mustache and goatee surrounding his mouth. "Thank you, sir," she said earnestly. "I would be dead now if you hadn't helped, or worse."
He smiled briefly a moment before his expression turned to unreadability. "Forgive me for not getting here soon enough."
Before more words could be exchanged, he turned and left, disappearing into the shadows from whence he had come.
His voice, his look, both seemed familiar somehow. That shade of green, hadn't she seen it earlier that night atop Hobbie's head? But this man had brown eyes, and Hobbie's were blue. She shook her head, No time to puzzle that guardian angel out now. I've gotta do something about Arrek's bleeding. My blouse and coat sleeves will do fine for my own.
She looked back to her brother, then stood, putting the poignard back into its sheath in her braid, and thumbing the laser scalpel back on.
"What are you doing, Sis?"
"Wrapping you up before we try to find our way back up top," she replied quietly as she cut away the right leg of her black jeans and then tore it into strips. She thumbed the scalpel off, putting it back in her hair, then knelt down once again to bind up Arrek's shoulder and thigh as best she could. She stood, pulling on her jacket carefully so as not to disturb her blouse sleeves, already sticking to her arms via blood, and helped her brother to his feet. "Come on, we'll get out of here yet. If you lean on me, can you walk?"
Arrek winced as he drew the necessary breath to reply, "Yeah, Sis."
"Good, don't go passing out on me then," she said with a smirk as they took the first steps toward the mouth of the alleyway.
"I wish that guy stayed around, he could have told us how to get back up top."
"Maybe he figured we knew our way back, or he was a guardian angel God sent to help when I needed him most?"
"Or an escaped convict with a conscience that likes to make up for his crimes by playing good Samaritan half-way," Arrek finished with a groan punctuated chuckle.
"If you weren't so beat up, I'd smack you for that," Sylvana grinned. "But I think I'll be nice tonight."
"Gee... thanks," he looked at his chrono, "you mean this morning."
"Time?"
"Just about half past seven."
"Sci's not gonna be happy about this."
"I'd be worried if he was."
"Point." Sylvana stopped with her brother at the head of the alleyway and looked to either side of the main walk. "Which way?"
"Can't say, I'm all turned around and don't even know which way we'd been going in the first place."
"You guys're lost, ain'tcha?" A little red haired girl, wearing a hat several sizes large and a cloak that trailed behind her, spoke up as she appeared from nowhere. "Cuz you don' look so good."
Sylvana and Arrek exchanged a look that spoke more than an outsider could understand. She then looked to the little girl and smiled, "Yeah. Could you tell us the quickest way to the Imperial Palace?"
"Imp Palace? You a long way from dere, I don' think ya can get dere 'lone, no matter what that green haired man said." The little girl folded her arms as she regarded them.
"Green haired man?"
"Yeah, he giveded me dis hat and cape," she smiled and spun, "you likes?"
"I likes," Sylvana replied. "So we far?"
"Yeah, but I knows someone what can get you dere, for a price."
"I don't got any money on me, what kinda price?"
"Oh nut'in much, jus' a good story."
"Your friend be far?"
"No, he just a short walk. You comin'?"
"Yeah, I'm comin'." Sylvana wrapped one injured arm around her brother's waist, and the two slowly followed the young urchin.
After what seemed like an eternity, the child led them to an underworld-like spacer's bar, and told them to wait outside while she went for her friend. Sylvana lowered her brother down on an overturned crate, then sat down beside him as they waited.
It wasn't long before she reappeared and beckoned the siblings to follow her into the bar. Smoke hung heavy in the dimly lit establishment, the noise of patrons nearly deafening. A few sentients turned to see the broken and bloody duo, but turned back to their drinks. Everyone here knew the code. If it's not your business, don't make it so. Don't get involved.
The little girl led them to an out of the way booth where a lone Duros sat with his drink. The ageless, mournful faced alien looked up as the little girl climbed up next to him in the booth. "Are these your friends, Slegna?"
"Yeah, you gonna help 'em?"
He turned his red eyes upon the Terrans, taking in their battered appearance. His expression was unreadable to them, but the little girl beside him smiled as he nodded.
She looked back at them, "Yep." She kissed the Duros on the cheek then hopped down. "Later!" Before another word could be said, she scampered off through the crowd and out the door.
The Duros stood and motioned for them to follow him. The siblings did so slowly, threading their way through the crowd. As they followed him out of the bar, the three were met by a Wookie and a dark haired man wearing, what both had come to recognise as, bloodstripes on his pants. The Human regarded the three a moment before slapping a hand on the Duros' shoulder. "Taking in strays, Toryl?" He grinned lopsidedly, "it's been, what, half a lifetime?"
"That it has been, will you be here long? I could come back, and you could tell me some stories of what you have been doing, Traveller Draygo. I had thought you space-dust long since."
"Isn't that...?" Arrek whispered to his sister.
"Nah, what'd they be doing down here?" she whispered back.
"Not yet, Traveller Toryl. Yeah, we'll be here," he nodded to the siblings. "Where you taking those kids?"
"Imperial palace."
The Human seemed to regard the two with new eyes, then shook the Duros hand, "Well, you'd better hurry up then - I'll see you when you get back."
Toryl waved the two to follow him, and they did so with slight hesitation. The Human spoke softly as they passed. "He'll get you there safe. I wonder why you're going there. . . judging from your clothes, you're not from around here."
Before Sylvana could reply, he disappeared into the bar; and the Wookie chuffed encouragingly before he, too, disappeared from sight. She looked at her brother, and Arrek shrugged his shoulders.
They both shook their heads. "Nah...."
"I'm sure Slegna told you there would be a price," he told them as he helped them into his speeder.
Sylvana nodded, "She said the price was a good story."
The Duros nodded as he shut the door and went to his side, starting up the vehicle. "You're obviously not from Coruscant, would you be so kind as to share a tale from your home planet?"
Arrek's head fell softly to her shoulder as he slipped into sleep. She smiled, "Sounds like a plan."
The alien simply nodded as he slowly threaded them into the traffic patterns.
Sylvana thought a moment, trying to think of which story to tell. Finally, she decided on telling the Duros the story of David and Goliath. Animatedly, she told the old tale, and they soon arrived at the Imperial Palace, home of starfighter command and the place where they were staying while they were on planet.
"I have never heard a story like that, I thank you for the sharing."
"Thank you for bringing us back here," Sylvana smiled. "We really appreciate it."
She shook Arrek awake as the Duros went around and opened the door for them. "Do you need help inside?"
"No, thank you," she replied as he helped them out of the speeder. "We can find our way from here."
He shook her hand warmly, and Arrek's as well. "Good travels to you both," he told them.
"Good travels to you as well," they replied as he returned to the speeder.
Soon, he had disappeared in the, now late, morning traffic.
"Time?"
"Elevenish."
The two looked up worriedly at the imposing structure.
"Sci's gonna have kittens."
"Maybe he'll let us keep them for pets...."