SithLore

The ship docked on the thunderous humid planet of Dromund Kaas. Blood had sent Raphael a transmission earlier, so no doubt the young Heir was expecting his Father's arrival. But Blood was not alone, oh no.

As that ramp descended, down with it walked the classily dressed man and a woman; quite pretty, near colorless blonde hair with the most vibrant green tinged golden gems framing a delicate face. Contrary to her obvious beauty, the planet that now held them was topped with lightning storms, dark in the heavens, and threatening yet another storm to rain on that untouched head of hers.

Blood walked down that ramp with this unwilling captive in tow. He wouldn't need to see her through the establishment- Raphael was here. That was all the assurance the Dragon Tamer needed. So once Blood had seen Raphael retrieve Kressara, he nodded his head in greeting to the Silver, and returned up the ramp, set on accomplishing other things that required more of his attention.

Heavy sounds of boots smacking the cold hard floor of the prison facility on Dromund Kaas couldn’t be heard over the other inmates. Mumbled screams and cries smacked the tiny window each cell door had. They begged to be let free of their cells, whether it be by freedom or death itself. Their pain echoed throughout the halls of the massive facility. The facility had multiple levels filled with some of the worst enemies of the Sith.

Raphael had only recently arrived after receiving a transmission from his father. He often made it a point to avoid this irritating location; he could not stand the constant crying of the inmates. It’s echoed bounced throughout his head, usually causing an intense headache. But regardless, he did what he was commanded and prepared a cell somewhere on the top floor of the facility. Although the building was in pristine condition, the cell was not. The walls were marked from previous inhabitants; the cot was tossed and ripped, the lavatory hardly functioning, and blood stained in certain parts of the floor. It was a personal hell for some of the weakest people in the galaxy.

Two heavily armored guards followed directly on the heels of the Initiate. He wore his newly acquired Plated Bone Armor, covered in the scales of a Reel he had defeated. The young man was proud of his achievement, but the armor was very vain and he recognized that with the mocks he received from the inmates. He covered a good portion of this armor with a long black hood, which also covered his head. On his hips, he carried to clean vibro blades incase the situation required it.

Close to the landing platform in one of the last cells, Raphael’s attention was caught. Boots immediately stopped in their tracks as he looked to see what was inside the cell. A man had managed to break off a piece of his cot frame and use it to fully leave his existence. Thick crimson blood pooled under the cot as it dripped from the neck of the weak soul.

Raphael turned to one of the guards issuing a command, “Keep the filth and ready this room instead.”

As one of the guards acknowledged the order by staying behind, the other followed as they exited the building towards the platform. Raphael and the guard stood on the platform awaiting the arrival of his father. Over their heads a storm was brewing, lightning struck so loud that you would think it was about to strike the platform. His gloved hands adjusted his hood so that the girl wouldn’t recognize him.

Bright lights from his father’s Infiltrator shined down on the pair as it prepared to dock. With the ship brought a hefty gust of wind, which Raphael fought to keep his robe together. His silver eyes pierced through the shadow his hood created as he watched his mentor disembark. Blood had brought with him a pretty girl, one that looked vibrant and full of life. Raphael almost felt sorry for her; this facility and planet would surely suck the life out of her soon.

While the guard approached the girl and cuffed her, Raphael would whisper to his father, “Vi j'us xuontai jaarvek.”

With that the royals parted ways, his father aboard the ship and him inside the facility. Raphael led the way inside as his guard guided the unwilling girl into her cell. Once inside, it was a short walk to the dead mans cell. The other guard awaited at the door and Raphael whispered an order to him before departing the scene. The young Sith knew what he was tasked with. He had to groom this potential girl into accepting the Sith and her abilities. If not she would suffer the fate of the rest of these poor souls among the facility.

The guards would throw her into the cell and lock her inside with the dead body. Raphael would allow her some time for reflection before making his introduction. Maybe then would she be more willing to accept her destiny.

Her boots made contact with the ramp not far behind Lord Blood’s descent and central chromatic eyes of gold and chartreuse fell from the imposing building to the man and his guards none the less impressive. Blood and the new face (assuming he even had a face beneath that hood of his) conversed briefly before parting ways, leaving Kressara in the hands of another intimidating figure. She said nothing, only shyly following wherever they led her with a look of pure horror in her eyes.The inside of the prison was too gruesome a place to describe in words, for only the smell, sound, and oppressive feel of that wretched containment facility could truly do it justice...justice...something this place knew little of.

Up until they reached the cell Kressara had walked without a fight, but as soon as the door opened to reveal a deadman in the room, the stench wafting past her nose and wrenching her stomach, she dug her heels into the ground.

“No! Please, I don’t want to be here!” She whimpered to no avail. The guards tossed her in the filthy cell rather carelessly and slammed the door shut. Her legs gave out and the room began to sway as the gravity of it all came crashing down on her. Tears pooled up in her eyes and fell like the rain outside as she covered her mouth for fear of vomiting and backed herself into the cleanest corner of the room. Back to the wall she slid down with a sob and let the storm roll over her. It felt like hours before she finally rained herself out and a drought overcame the salt stained plains beneath her eyes. By then she’d devolved into a full blown panic attack fed by the dread left behind by the nameless man and his blood on the floor. This was true fear. When at last Kressara’s intelligent spirit stepped in to save her she forced herself to take a couple of deep, steady breaths, and to look upon the room for what it was.

“It’s okay...It’s okay…” She repeated to herself until the words came more easily. “No one is going to come find me this time...I have to get myself out...Let’s look at this logically. There’s a cot, a sad excuse for a lavatory, and a dead guy...oh heavens there’s a dead guy…” She felt herself beginning to panic again and quickly caught it, looking more determined to stay calm than ever.

“Yes. He’s very...very dead.” She almost cried the words and breathed deeply into her sleeve as she continued her self intended therapy. “I have to start thinking. I can’t just go mad and give up like he did...oh god he’s just so dead…”

Her stomach turned again and only by a miracle did Kressara save herself from puking. After a few more moments she felt strong enough to stand. Picking herself up the girl stepped over to the deadman and examined the wound that ended him, reaching with cuffed hands to her shoulder. Did it hurt him as much as her hidden wound hurt her? Even worse, like her did he have nobody to mourn his death? A moment of silence was given for the man without a name.

“I’m sorry you had to go out like this...but maybe somewhere you’re watching me now and hoping I make it out alive. I don’t have anyone to hope I survive this...so I’ll just pretend you have a spirit somewhere warm that’s cheering for me. That said...I’m sorry for what I have to do next.” Kressara gingerly grasped the cot piece jutting out from the man’s neck and pulled. It didn’t want to budge and the effort it took to free the blasted metal shiv almost got the best of the girl. “Oh no...ooooohh no. I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She cried to herself and continued yanking at the improvised weapon.

SHHHLIP! The shiv came loose and Kressara held the broken metal piece up to the light. It was about five inches in length with a pointed end where the shard was fractured. Her gaze wandered to the man once again and the urge to close his eyes almost clouded her better judgment. If the body was moved at all it’d only draw attention to the missing shiv in his throat. It was bad enough that she got blood on her hands. Instead Kressara whipped herself clean as much as possible on the man’s clothing and after apologizing to his corpse once more, returned to her corner.

She slid down again with the weapon tucked away between herself and the wall opposite the door, hiding it entirely with her body and curling up so that she seemed small and helpless. The puffy eyes and tear soaked locks on the sides of her face only added to the appearance of a girl who’d surrendered to the fear of it all. Now she’d wait as long as it took.

“They won’t take my mind...they can have the rest...but they’ll never take that.”

A Few Hours Later
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Commotion began to stir on the outside of the cell. Mumbles of the guards could be heard as they debated between themselves. They would frequently peer through the window to get a look at the defenseless girl inside. They began to point and mock her, as she seemed to be barely holding it together. One would have to have a strong mind and will to live to still have optimism in this facility. At this point the blood began to dry and the dead man’s body was completely void of color.

Before long the guards began to press buttons on the outside control panel as they prepared for entry. The door swished open and the first guard moved in with a rifle barrel pointed directly at the girl. He said nothing as he kept a close eye on her with a finger on the trigger. The two other guards came in and took hold of the lifeless body. One grabbed the shoulders and the other grabbed the feet of the man and carried him out. They would place him on a cart outside of the cell and allow his limbs to rest in a very unnatural way.

The armed guard began to back up slowly, still keeping his rifle firmly pointed at the girl. Once outside he reached for the cart, grabbing a semi wet rag. He tossed it into the cell, landing softly on top of the blood stained cot.

“Have fun girl.” A smirk came over the face of the armed guard as the door quickly shut, allowing his ominous facial expression to disappear.

The cart began to creak as they rolled the dead man away, making jokes as they went along.

An Hour Later
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The same commotion began again outside of the cell. “We’re overbooked it seems. You’ll have to share with the petrified girl…” The guards began to chuckle again.

Within a moment the door would launch open yet again, revealing a man. He wore a set of baggy pants but no shirt, revealing a mess of strange ink marking all over his pale body. His head was pointed to the ground allowing his long black hair to drape over his head. His posture was strong and he held himself in a proud way.

An armed guard appeared yet again to give the man a quick shove inside the cell. He threw a piece of bread inside the cell as he had done with the rag before hand. Once his duties were complete the guard then again shut the door. The ominous man stood at the doorway still and turned to watch them walk away. Once they had reached a safe enough distance away, he began to shift. He pulled a tie from within the pockets of his pants and tied up his hair into a knot.

Silver eyes swung around from the window to meet the girls, “Do you believe in destiny girl?”

The pale man fully turned to face her now, “Do you believe that some people are born to lead and some are born to follow?”

The man began to feel agitated with his thoughts, as his inner turmoil came to the forefront. “If you are born to be great… Does that mean that you have to be great?” Hands met his face as he tried to relieve his stress, “Does destiny forgive sin?”

Feet began to pace as he quickly realized he was getting off topic, “No..No…Nevermind.”

His silver eyes then again met the girl as he analyzed her. He looked her over, taking in all that he could. A peculiar sight, he noticed she was hiding something between her and the wall. She had something that may be of use to the two.

The man moved closer to the girl, crouching down and getting close to her face. He kept direct eye contact as he reached behind him for the piece of bread. He grabbed it and then took her hand, opening it up and placing the bread within her possession.

“It doesn’t matter if you believe or not…. I do. I believe the galaxy put us inside this cell together for a reason girl.”

Keeping intense direct eye contact, he held his hand out in front of him. His palm opened as he then looked towards whatever she was hiding. He wanted her to hand whatever it was over to him.

“Do you trust me? You can… I trust you.”

Hours passed with very little to occupy her mind, minus a few small tasks she’d given herself to complete with a watchful eye on the cell door window. Whatever it was she was fumbling with between her body and the wall would remain a mystery for the time being. Eventually though she grew tired of the cell and found her mind wandering out the door without her. To the landing pad it roamed and into the sky on invisible wings. She envisioned herself flying away into the storm and somehow ending up in a safe place...a meadow...with a small house, and a tree by the bedroom window where the crows would laugh every morning. What a pleasant sound it was. She laid herself down on the soft bed and listened for hours to the wind in the leaves and the avian conversation beyond the glass. A sound that didn’t belong out there made its way into her little paradise, a ruckus of boots and voices.

Kressara opened her eyes to see the door swinging open and a man entering with a gun aimed right at her. Lucky he wasn’t dumb enough to assume he was safe with her. Their presence unnerved the girl, but she stayed quiet and still as a statue in her corner. They removed the body and in its place tossed a damp rag and the guard with his sights on her disappeared out the door with a snide remark. Sure she could get up and start cleaning the blood from the cot, but that would only imply she intended to live here by their terms. Call it pride, but the girl wasn’t about to start cleaning their filth for them. However the rag was now a piece in her puzzle. It was fibers she could use to her advantage if she was smart enough, and so she stood up and took the rag, then returned to her spot. Between her body and the wall she once again began to work, keeping her eyes on the window to make sure no one caught onto her schemes.

“We’re overbooked it seems. You’ll have to share with the petrified girl…” Voices resonated from outside her cell.

The door opened and in walked a rather proud looking man with long black hair and markings all over his body. Kressara’s heart stopped. They were putting someone else in with her? Someone who looked like he could bench press fifteen of her?! Her eyes stayed glued to him from behind her messy platinum bangs as her fingers gripped the hidden shiv tightly. Honestly, she preferred the dead guy to a living cell mate. At least he didn’t smell.

And then he began going off about destiny and forgiveness of sin in lue of greatness.

Oh no...he’s crazy isn’t he? She thought to herself and made sure to keep herself as guarded as possible. Just talking about fate seemed to agitate the man and from his discord she found stability in a sense. Watching him pace erratically while she stayed still as stone with eyes peeled and a secret weapon between her rock like posture and the wall made it easy to believe in herself. She was already ahead of the game and in a position to protect herself. The man moved closer and Kressara tensed in response. He seemed to soften however, reaching for her hand and placing the scrap of bread there as if to show good will. Eyes the color of autumn and spring colliding locked with his winter stare and stayed there for a moment of discernment. Her tense shoulders seemed to drop and for a second it seemed as if she were about to trust him…

“You must think I’m here for crimes of an unintelligent nature.”

That probably wasn’t the blind trust he was asking for. She tilted her hand to offer back the bread, or moreso dump it back into his possession. Wait, weren’t her hands cuffed? Around the wrist of the hand he’d taken there dangled the cuffs smeared with blood, in tact but clearly not binding her hands together anymore. The girl’s knees pushed her upwards and she came to stand at her full height before him. An impressive, whopping, staggering five feet and some inch(es). She quite literally stood her ground, drops of blood dripping to the floor from her concealed hand.

“I have no reason to trust you and you’d be a fool to trust me. I don’t know what destiny has to do with it and frankly, I don’t believe it actually exists at all. Fate is a creation of comfort for those who aren’t brave enough to believe that all their faults, failures, and triumphs are their own doing. I ended up here because someone brought me here. I’ll be leaving this place with or without destiny, because it can die in here for all I care.” There was such a coldness in her voice that could only come from a sullen belief that her words were true.

Her body shifted to reveal what was behind her, though she held tight to it and stayed prepared to defend herself if he forced her to. The top of her wrist was sliced cleanly and bleeding, coating her hand and blending with how much had been smeared over her wrist. It would be obvious now that she used her blood to lubricate the cuffs and slip free. She’d yet to tend to the small wound, but it didn’t seem to worry her as much as he did. In that bleeding hand was the shiv from the deadman’s throat and the rag wrapped around it like a handle so she wouldn’t injure herself on it’s jagged edges. If anything she was resourceful.

“You can either work with me and we can both leave this place alive, or you can force me to defend myself. The last cellmate I had was a dead guy and I liked his company just fine, so don’t think I’m going to just fold like a damsel in distress because you handed me some stale bread and gentle words. I am dangerous and I am smart, and between the two of us I’m sure we can at least get that door open. If you want me to trust you, do something worthy of it and work with me.”

She sounded exasperated, but stronger than she looked. There was a fierce determination to get herself out of this situation that reflected her beliefs on destiny. No one was going to save her and she wasn’t about to go crumpling for some pretty boy who happened to end up in the same cell as her. It was all on her to find a way out and by the looks of it this girl had a plan for every letter in the alphabet.

“You can have the bread if you want it. I don’t plan on being here long.”

The young man scoffed, as she didn’t immediately offer what she had in her possession. Instead he received back the stale bread he had just offered. This made the man chuckle, he knew soon she would need her strength and it would be on her if she were not fully prepared. He found it annoying at the fact that she was not instantly compliant but then again, it was almost refreshing. She did not know it yet, but he wasn’t often rejected.

A blank smile on his face quickly turned as his eyes darted to her wrists. Thick black eyebrows scrunched on his face as he found himself confused. She had somehow found a way to free herself from the restraints. She was promising; she had a will to survive no matter the odds. His interest had now been peaked, she would need to use that will to survive here soon. Reaching for the wet rag, he brought it to her wrist. Covering it gently, he made sure not to startle her.

Coming to his feet, he backed away slowly as she returned to her own feet. Standing tall, he stood nearly a foot taller than her. Eyes looked her up and down, she had been through a lot in the past few days it seemed and this would not be the end of it. He expected her to back down immediately, but the girl had a bite that came along with her bark. Her words smacked the man as she rebuked his thoughts on destiny and fate. With any other individual, he would have ended their argument as soon as they disagreed, but this situation was different. The young man standing before her believed in destiny and fate. He had seen it with his own eyes throughout the galaxy and there was no changing his mind on that. Yet, he needed to observe, to see how she reacted to everything he threw at her. The girl was a resilient one, one with strong opinions of her own. They shall both see soon how far her opinions get them.

His head tilted at her big reveal. Maybe she thought he wouldn’t notice her relaxation of the shiv she had been hiding, but to him its opportunity spoke loudly as she presented it. An eerie smile took over his face as his eyes fixated on the shiv. He wondered if she would soon attempt to use it on him, or if she found some sort of trust within her new cellmate already.

Once she had finished her long monologue, his eyes drifted back down to his hands. He had been holding tightly on to that stale piece of bread. Analyzing himself, he found that he was electrified by her presence, so much so that he was still holding onto that bread. His right hand relaxed, letting gravity take over the piece of bread.

His focus turned to her again, “You are resilient and determined girl, I applaud you for it. But, you lack a natural sense of opportunity. You are too eager to be free of this place, that you miss what is right in front of you.”

Pointing at himself he proudly proclaimed, “Destiny brought me to be here with you.”

The man moved to the door and began looking out of the window, “I know for a fact that the man who previously resided here died for a reason, whether by your hand or not. Destiny has a plan for you.” He paused briefly, “You and I are meant for greatness… You will soon know this to be true.”

Silver eyes met someone out of the window, “You may mock my beliefs, but you will soon see the truth within the galaxy.”

His head turned to her as he leaned on the door, “Opportunity girl! I am your salvation!”

The man pushed off the wall to turn towards the girl, standing tall. He began to lower his voice, “Now you can keep that blade of yours… But you better know how to use it soon enough.”

Without letting another moment pass, the young man began to pound heavily on the door. His voice roared out, “Guard! Guard! She has a weapon!”

He backed into the corner by the door, awaiting a response. Within a moment a pair of boots came swiftly outside of the door, pressing frantically on the control pad. The door launched itself open and with it came the armed guard. He pointed his rifle yet again on the girl inside, this time carrying a weapon. A moment before he fired on the girl, the young man interrupted his shot. The gun was knocked from the possession of the guard and the young man sprung on to his opportunity. Seeing the man as twice his size, the silver-eyed man jumped onto the guards back. He properly situated his arms around the neck of the guard, relieving him of his air supply.

He began to laugh as the guard struggled for oxygen, “Time for your rebirth girl!” His menacing laughs echoed throughout the room.

Feeling the adrenaline coursing through his body, the young man took over the guard completely as he fell unconscious. Once there was no more struggle, he quickly moved to his head. With a simple and quick motion he snapped the head of the guard, as he quickly went limp. The young man let the body smack the floor as he took possession of the rifle. Moving to the doorway he peered outside to watch out for more guards.

Once the coast was clear he turned back to look at the girl. His arms stretched outward as he was outside of the cell, “Shall we begin…”

The girl caught his smirk as she rejected his offer only to give her own strongly worded suggestion in return. He seemed almost surprised though she couldn’t fathom why. Should anyone in her situation give up their only bargaining chip for no good reason? It was her turn to be surprised as he reached for her wrist and had it not been for his slower, methodical movements she may have thought he was attempting to take the shiv from her. Instead her wound was gently covered and when he did so that tense aura of hers calmed slightly. As an avid reader of fiction before her world turned inside out, Kressara knew well that words were pretty, entertaining even, but likely untrue. The tender aid he gave was an action that she could read like a sentence, using that information to make judgements that his words had not evoked in her. This was evident in the way her presence reacted, softening as a small link of trust was formed like the first thread of spider silk in a web yet to be woven.

And then he stood, her body tensing again at the sheer height difference between them. He could probably wrestle that weapon free from her if he really wanted to, yet he didn’t when he had the chance. That was another sentence about the man with the silver eyes that Kressara pieced together from his untaken actions and somehow it wove another inkling of trust. She stayed perfectly still and gave no physical reason for him to feel threatened by her possession of a weapon, hearing what he had to say with a confused expression.

“You’re mighty sure of yourself.”

His confident self proclamation of destiny almost earned a grin from the girl, almost. She watched as he meandered to the door and listened intently, still in her corner. Kressara was about to open her mouth to tell him that the man in the cell before her was dead upon arrival, but thought better of it. If he thought she was strong enough to kill someone, she’d let that suspicion linger and bolster his opinion. He’d think twice about crossing her if he believed she was a killer. Little did she know he already knew the man’s cause of death.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t complain if what you say is true.” She said in response to his remarks on the greatness they were destined for.

Up until now Kressara had been watching him with an interest, fairly calm from the first time he’d seen her in disguise. It wasn’t until he began banging on the cell door then did her eyes widen beghastedly. OH NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? Her inner voice screamed, outward appearance still stricken with shock. The door swung open and in stormed a guard with his rifle trained on Kressara who didn’t even have a chance to react before her cellmate pounced. They struggled briefly, the victor triumphing with a menacing laugh and a sickening snap of bone.

Kressara sputtered, “Who are you?!”

The situation went from zero to dangerous in an instant, forcing the girl to think on her feet and be quick about it. She dashed across the cell to join him at the door with the shiv in hand, her lighter weight making for fast and quiet steps. Her head poked around the corner to see for herself if the coast was clear rather than simply trusting that it was and found relief when no guards were to be found.

“I suppose you’re taking the lead then...The landing pad is that way.” Her head motioned to the direction she’d been led down previously and the girl continued. “It’s not a viable option. Their wasn’t a way down that I could see and no other ships were landed there...that could have changed, but I doubt it’s worth potentially being cornered out there in the open.”

Her body was trembling now with nervous energy, chaotic and unsure of herself, but despite it she seemed able to use her mind. In truth she didn’t know what to think about her official jailbreak partner, but he was her best option for staying alive now and if he intended to spring himself free of the hellish prison then he’d need someone to watch his back. Her eyes were already darting at every potential threat and her mind ran like clockwork to process every sound and movement that belonged in their vicinity. She was observant and made her choice to help him without delay, intent on being his shadow.

“And my name is Kressara.”

Taking a look at their surrounding the man began to feel more and more energetic. He looked down at the lower levels of the facility, “Do you feel the adrenaline coursing through you… Kressara? Let it fuel your fight to survive, your will to live outside of these walls.”

With that another guard came storming around the corner, taking aim at the pair. The man quickly reacted sending a few shots his way. As the guard returned fire the young man braced the girl, bringing her down to a crouch. He looked her over as they were under fire, he could feel the raw potential flourishing within her. Her emotions and instinct were taking over and it was about time to see how she would use it.

A blank expression came across his face as an unnatural serious tone came about, “My name is fate girl, have I taught you nothing yet? I am your destiny. I am the catalyst of your rise to greatness…”

The young man cut the tension of the seriousness by letting a quick chuckle out. He was amusing himself during this situation. As important as this lesson was for her to learn, he was beginning to sound like someone whom he shared an intense bond with. Was he truly becoming him, was the drive for greatness truly turning him into his mentor? He found himself doing anything recently to reach his destiny, to find the missing pieces of the puzzle to get there. Looking ahead at the girl, he had a hunch that the potential swirling inside of her being would help him achieve greatness along the way. She was another puzzle piece in the path to power. A puppet he could pull the strings to launch his rise. But what if fate had other plans? What if she was meant to be better? He could sense the potential inside of her it was growing increasingly powerful. Regardless, they both needed each other for the long journey ahead. He believed they would soon be equals, rivaling each other and holding each other’s greatness accountable. But first, she had to realize was she was born to do and the young man had to pull the strings to allow that to happen.

A surveillance droid rounded the same corner the guard did as the firefight continued. The young man broke from his conversation to take out the droid, the blast sending it sputtering down the levels of the facility. He then turned his attention to the guard. He stood up from his cover, tall and mighty. Aiming down his sights it only took but a few moments to end the guard hiding on the other side of the ramp. The guard stood tall to match the young mans braveness, but he took advantage. The guard took a blast and fell over the rail, letting gravity take hold as he fell multiple levels.

Turning to meet the girl, “You are right, the Landing Pad will get us nowhere. I have seen a bit of this facility. We are on the eighth of twelve levels; we can go up to the top of the facility or the bottom. Now I do not know what the upper levels contain but I did have a cell closer to the bottom. The control room and armory is based down there, but we will meet more resistance.”

As soon as he finished his sentence a deafening alarm sounded throughout the entire facility. The prisoners within each cell finally came to see the commotion at their windows. They howled and cheered for the pair, as it was their daily entertainment, seeing someone try to escape the facility. The inmates loved every bit of it, yet they knew no one who attempted it would survive.

Another smile came about him, almost familiar. “Well…they know where we are now.”

He stepped closer to Kressara, “I will take no lead. This escape is on you and I will follow. Harness that adrenaline, that raw emotion. Let that instinct to survive consume you, enabling us to escape.”

A hand met her shoulder, “Let destiny guide your way…”

His words were encouraging in their own way, heightening her sense of survival as the heat of the moment lit her skin on fire. They were breaking out of a high security prison together, killing their enemies together, fleeing for their lives together. That sort of thing doesn’t just tread without making tracks in someone’s heart. If they managed to pull this off, she’d undoubtedly become as loyal a companion as any noble beast could ever dream of being. Still she only listened, not answering his words of enthrallment but instead making eye contact with a nod of acknowledgment. The seriousness she exuded faltered as he insisted that his name was fate and a half smirk cracked over those delicate cheeks of hers.

“Ah, you’re this ‘fate’ everyone keeps telling me about? Well, I guess I have to believe you exist now. I must say, you’re a good bit younger than I thought you’d be.” Not being the sort who usually jokes with others, especially in tense situations, this was a rare occurrence for her.

Blaster fire echoed through the hall and wiped that jesting grin right off. She ducked down with the man who claimed to be destiny itself and let him take out the threat as he was the one with the long ranged weapon at the moment. Everything began to move so quickly from then on out and with a mighty sound the prison came alive. Captives hooped and howled, alarms sounded, and the feeling of a stampede moving closer by the second demanded immediate action to be taken on their behalf. Prepared to follow him Kressara awaited his orders. His idea came as a shock, that’s for certain.

“Oh, so you just open doors then?” The sarcasm was a bit much, but who could blame her. Ever since about four days ago she’d been hunted, harmed, and kidnapped. Any person in her position would be a babbling mess, much less capable of making a snide remark or two.

“...Down isn’t the right way to go, not yet. We’ll only meet the full wave of personnel head on and lose. We go to the roof and find another way down...vents, shoots, service shafts...I’ll propel down the edge of the building with a rope made of my own hair if I have to. We’re getting out of here. No prison worth it’s credits would have an armory so easily accessible and you seem perfectly able to acquire a weapon when needed anyways...Uh…” She paused to think, looking up to the air vents overhead. They were too small to escape through, but she knew for a fact that a building this large would need a larger main airway to prevent constriction of airflow to the rest of the central levels. Units at the top of buildings and the bottom were usually a common layout for larger buildings. While she hadn’t experienced much first hand in life, at least she was a well read person, even if most of her logic came from fiction writers just as sheltered as she was.

“Follow me...if you see a better option, please mention it. I’m not exactly an expert at infiltration and escape tactics here.”

With that the girl took off from her spot beside him, looking over her shoulder to make sure he’d follow her. Once she was sure he was trailing behind the real running began. For such a small girl she took enormous bounds and practically soared down the halls like a grown man his own size would, no doubt fueled by fear and adrenaline. A crossway of halls approached and with a skidding halt she rapidly turned directions. Maybe if they took a random path they’d be less likely to get caught right away. She ran until an elevator sign appeared, stopping there to listen with her ear to the door.

Whoosh, Screee, clunk! The elevator was moving up towards their location. Guards and attack droids would soon be spilling out of those doors. Without thinking she reached for Fate’s wrist and pulled him back around the corner, hiding just in time to miss the arrival of the elevator. Three guards and two droids pooled from the lift and split to cover every hall. Two poor sods rounded the corner where Kressara and her partner were waiting.

The first guy didn’t see the shiv coming until it was too late, the sharp metal piece busting through the visor on his helmet and stabbing straight through the soft tissue of his eye. His comrade turned to fire on the girl immediately, but instinct kicked in just as quickly. With a yank of the shiv and a twist of her core she moved the dying man between herself and the blaster, his body absorbing the shots with a horrible sizzling sound that made short work of his armor. Blood trickled from his helmet as Kressara’s boot made contact with his gut, kicking him harshly into his horrified brother in arms. The man stumbled back and dropped his weapon from the impact, which the girl was fast to obtain. Not even for a moment did she hesitate and with a pained cry she pulled the trigger, blowing a searing hole right through the man’s chest. It was a breaking point of sorts for the girl, or it would have been had not she been so determined to stay alive and see her partner through this. She forced herself into the mindset that his life came first and these guards were the enemy. They gave her the right to take their lives the moment they made a captive out of her.

“Hall D33!” An automated voice announced behind them and Kressara turned to see the bot readying it’s guns. It got off a few rounds that came dangerously close to hitting the two of them before the girl fired twice, one shot missing and the other hitting it’s core. With a hiss and a boom the droid erupted, alerting everyone nearby of their presence.

“The elevator’s free!” Kressara called back to her partner and made a break for the lift with her rifle readied. Sure enough it was empty, so she scurried inside and waited for the silver eyed man to join her before mashing the button that would lead them to the roof of the building. The doors slowly shut, a few blaster bolts pinging against them as the lift carried them away from the incoming fire.

Her chest heaved to supply enough oxygen to her frazzled mind and in the few seconds they had of rest from all their running Kressara felt herself slipping. Legs, shoulders, and hands were trembling violently now, the blood of the man she stabbed staining her hands and clothing with crimson blots.

“...That wasn’t the first man I’ve killed...but that didn’t make it any easier.” Her admission came on shaky breaths.

Ding, it begins again. The doors opened and two unsuspecting guards stood with their backs to the doors, not expecting their enemy to choose the upper floors judging by their interrupted small talk. One shot, two shots, they all fall down. Kressara reacted without pause regardless of her feelings, anything to get out of the hell they were in.

“...or those.” She huffed as her shaking hands caused the rifle’s parts to rattle slightly. After leaving the lift she dragged the bodies over the sensors on the door to prevent it from operating without a manual override. That should at least buy them a little bit of time.

“I see the rooftop exit down there. I hope there’s a way down.” She mused moreso to herself then Fate and cautiously padded down the hall to the stairwell.

The hatch that led to the roof cranked open and with it the rain poured in. Kressara climbed out and left it open for her partner to do the same, scanning the area for signs of life. Nothing that she could see stood out as a threat and so she dashed to the building’s edge in hopes of spotting a way down. The ship that rose into view before her crushed her rising spirits, as did the three others that followed with lights and guns aimed on the two of them. The girl backed up from the ledge and came to stand between them and her companion as the rain pelted against her soft skin. All of it had been for nothing...there wasn’t a way out of this, there couldn’t be.

Her heart sank like a stone.

The young man kept his mouth firmly shut as he dissected her decision-making throughout the whole process. He was already impressed with how fast she was moving; it was almost a difficult task to keep up with her. It was impressive, the way her instincts kicked in allowing her to move throughout the facility. She was even willing to end some lives in order to survive. Her admission to killing before was music to his ears, it would make escaping the facility much more easy.

Following the girl up the hatch the outside rain now pouring into the facility soon drenched him. Only soon after fully standing on the roof was he already completely soaking wet. The darkness and rain made it hard to see around them. He was surprised when the girl began sprinting towards the edge of the building, still nothing to see on this roof.

Bright lights floated up, high above the roof of the facility. Their lights cut through the rain directly aimed at the pair looking for an escape. The guns of the ship targeted them as three more identical ships soon appeared. The ships hovering halted as they watched the pair for any sudden movements. The engines of the ship caused massive winds to be pushed toward the pair, nearly knocking them away from the edge.

The young man looked upon his escape partner, just as drenched as he was. She seemed disheartened, seeing no way out. She still had much to learn, opportunity still lies within this situation. It seems she had become attached enough to her cellmate that she didn’t see a sacrifice that could be made with him. It was an honest quality to have but if she were to survive in this galaxy, she would have to be more merciless.

He smiled yet again at her. He had to yell to get his voice to carry over the rain and ships, “Silly girl… Your escape is not over here! Destiny still has much to teach you on this journey!

The young man pointed his rifle directly at the ships ahead. The ships targeting system adjusted and aimed all guns at him. This was her opportunity, “Back down the hatch girl! Find another way! I’ll take it from here!”

Within a moment, guns began firing illuminating the darkness with red and green colors. Within the chaos and smoke it made it harder and harder to see the young man upon the roof.