Cherry Lips

[Una Rakesh]

It was a rather upscale apartment, in a rather upscale city, on a rather upscale world - Coruscant to be exact. Not that any specifics would matter; especially the little redhead who now flounced down the fancy stairs that led from the street to the complex itself. She sucked on a stim, one hand keeping the pack she carried over her shoulder in its' spot, and the other going up to ruffle her unruly red mop. Pearly whites showed in a wide smile as she danced her way down, oblivious to all except for the wonderful day around her. And what a wonderful day it was! A brand new morning, a brand new day, a brand new chance to do whatever her heart desired. It was the same as yesterday and the day before... in fact, that's how it'd always been since leaving home.

Another last draw on her stim, and the butt was tossed to the side as she passed a man on his way up the steps. She grinned wide at him, and he tiredly nodded in return. The overcoat he wore could only hide so much, and Una spotted the officer's bars on the neckline of his uniform. The grin turned smug then; she knew this man. Or at least, she knew his schedule. She also knew his wife.

In fact, she'd just left his wife sleeping peacefully in the wake of a rather rowdy night.

Another ruffle sent misbehaving red locks every which way, and Una went on her way, humming a cheery tune and smiling at those sshe passed.

[Alexander Bane]

The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, and not a rain drop in his eyes. Could he ask for a better day? Of course he could, but he might get struck suddenly by lightning. It was one thing to bless the day, it was another to ask for more. The scowling gods in the sky would look down upon him and play darts with lightning bolts using him as the board. People told him the gods did not exist, but then why did he hear then whispering to him all the time? Ha, there was no answer for that. If they continued to scold him then he'd just smile until they left. Oh, yes. His smile. It was the kind of never ending smile that made people nervous.

And it was with that smile on his face that he turned away from the window and walked across the floor of the shabby apartment he called home. He paused at the foot of the bed, because there was a mess on the floor. It looked like someone had lazily dumped several bucketfuls of red paints everywhere, thrown a white sheet on top of it, and mixed bits and pieces of a human being in with it- and then stirred. His dark blue eyes looked down upon the mess at his feet and nudged a barely visible arm. One voice told him to hide it, the other told him to leave it as it is. He looked to right, to the demon on his shoulder and then swiveled to look to the left, at the second demon on his other shoulder. The two demons were not arguing over who's idea was best. Before they could start a fist fight Alexander shrugged his shoulders and did it his way instead. He went into the small kitchen and returned with the salt and pepper shakers. Five minutes later he exited the apartment, a fine layer of salt and pepper coating the remains of a certain Sarei Castra.

His long silver hair danced, or would have if there had been a breeze. The demons were still fighting, so he plucked them off his shoulders and put them in opposite coat pockets, tucking them in and buttoning the pockets shut. Their muffled curses could still be heard, but at least now they were not yelling in his ears. As he pulled his hands back he patted the side of his coat. He headed off down the street, his smile still on his face. His blue eyes wandering about, taking in all the lovely sights this beautiful day had brought him, one such sight was a particularly good looking red headed female. She was young and attractive in face and body. Fun ahoy! He thought as he trailed her, at a safe distance of course. You did not become a profession stalker by being an idiot. He kept one eye on her and the other looking out for any members of the Watch. He was still a wanted man, guilty of murder, theft, and numerous other crimes. He'd seen the inside of more prison cells then the CCW Warden himself. He'd been chased over rooftops, shot at, beaten, bruised, and prosecuted. Yet he always broke out again, usually with the help of his personal goddess, but that did not make the painful pursuit any less painful.

But the sun was shining, so he continued to smile...

[Una Rakesh]

It was always such a nice feeling to be up in the higher areas of Coruscant - nothing like the smog-congested lower levels. Sometimes she came up here just to sit and stare at strangers, winking at a few of them as they walked by her.

It seemed as though the feisty redhead had nothing in the world to worry about - she always seemed to land on her feet no matter what. Even after leaving home her luck was the same. She might not have had alot of money, but that never mattered much to Una. Everything just sort of worked out for her. Being that her father was a teacher at the Imperial Academy, Una had been granted many privileges growing up; she knew just about everything there was to know about history, mythological lore, and even the nutball ravings of her Uncle Karrnage. Her uncle he wasn't, but she'd called her father's colleague 'uncle' for as long as she could remember, and never grew out of it.

Ancient history was the name of the game; Jedi, Sith, Mandalorians, and anything else that had been passed down through the ages as folklore and old wives' tales. Thankfully book-smarts weren't her only selling point, as the way of the world was learned each day. And she'd learned quite a lot.

Her boots had hit their fare share of pavement, and in her pack she carried an assortment of trinkets, talismans, and charms. Even a few voodoo dolls called her pack home, nestled snugly with her slugthrower.

Fairly skipping her way through clumps of people, Una Rakesh lit up another stim, pulling in deeply only to exhale through her nostrils while still holding that same smug grin from a few minutes before.

Smoke in hand, Una ducked into a cafe, opting to sit outside and graciously spare those inside from the glorious fumes of her stim. Her pack was just about dropped onto the table as she lazily dumped her own self into the chair.

Ah! A new day, a new adventure to set out upon, and a cup of caf!

[Alexander Bane]

Ah, she paused and slipped into an outdoors cafe. Bane stopped and took a right, slipping down an alley, for a better lack of a name. It was not, in fact, an alley but rather a walking space between two buildings that would, in most circumstances, be referred to as an alley if not for the fact that it was rather sunlit and not dark and gloom as an alley should be. Bane walked the length of the passage and then turned to the left, walking along the backside of the cafe building. He discovered a back door and tried it. Locked. Piddles, he thought as he continued to round the backside of the building, taking another left turn which, ultimately, caused him to end up back on the sidewalk, but this time on the other side of the red haired woman. Without missing a beat he walked up to the cafe, as if it was normal for him to come out of alleys to get to the local cafe, and ordered a spiced stimcaf in a tall cup.

He slipped back out into the sunlight, or what was left of the sunlight after the richer nobs in the taller buildings were done with it, and sat down at a table a short distance away from the red head. He sipped his stimcaf, his eyes already going bright with the incredibly amount of sugar and caffeine contained in the hot drink. He'd be up all night, that was for sure. He continued to sip his drink, pausing now and then to look over at the red head. He'd have to bide his time, wait for the opportune moment, and then spring. He was fond of dragging people into alleys, having fun with them, and then mutilating them with his odd assortment of knives and other sharp kitchen utensils. He had a reputation for being the only mass murder to butcher people with metal spatula.

[Byl Laprovik]

I sat at the back of the cafe, my back against the wall as I browsed a catalog with disinterest. The new year's models of XJ-12 speeders were overpriced and underpowered. Something to do with ion drive regulations. I reset the holoflimsy to browse the news instead, knocking back a small cup of Geonosian chai.

I was waiting for a call, when the redhead took a seat outside. That was a real distraction. Fortunately I had about ten minutes to kill, and the news wasn't that interesting anyway. I chucked the flimsy aside, and walked out with my drink. Along the way, my eyes made note of where people were, and where their eyes were focused. Stormtroopers were always conspicuous, so the Empire opted for subtlety just as much in the Imperial center.

I leaned against the redhead's wrought-iron table with an outstretched hand.

"Mind if I kill some time?"

[Una Rakesh]

The server had delivered her caf only a few minutes before the stranger appeared, and pausing in mid-sip, Una looked at him from over the rim of her mug.

Without speaking, she set the caf down while in the same motion pulling another stim from the pack sitting on the table.

"Go right ahead," she murmured, lighting the end of the smoke and gesturing to the empty chair that sat opposite.

Inhaling, Una exhaled through her nose as she gave this newcomer a bit of a rather conspicuous once over.

[Alexander Bane]

Oh piddles... Another man had just sauntered up and nabbed his prize. Bane frowned in disaproval as his plans went down the gutter. If this son of a mother remained around his target he'd have to go off and find another. He was not happy, oh no Sam I am, not happy at all. He continued to watch the woman, but widened his scope to allow the man to fit into it all. Could he take them both? Perhaps. He had a lot of kitchen utensils hidden under his coat, but perhaps not enough to hilariously kill two people. That was pushing it...

[Byl Laprovik]

"Waiting on somebody?" I queried, taking a sip of tea as I cautioned a glimpse.

She was one of those girls who would be terribly attractive after a good hot bath. She was somewhere between silver spoon debutante and skylift trash.

[Una Rakesh]

"Not a soul around here worth waiting on," was the lazy reply as she took another sip.

Giving the stranger a lopsided grin, Una leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs at the ankles beneath the table.

"And you?"

[Byl Laprovik]

"Looking for poor, unattended pretty girls who don't know any better."

I smiled out the corner of my mouth at her.

[Alexander Bane]

Bane chocked on his drink, spewing the murky brown liquid in all directions, "It Burns!" He exclaimed loudly as the sensation of burning liquid on various areas around his body hit his brain. He jumped up, his cup and the rest of it's contents frying up into the air. He danced about his table, slapping at himself as he vainly attempted to get the burning liquid off him and out of his clothing, "Hot, hot, hot!" He continued to chant as he moved, his movements incorporating the dancing from one foot to the other while moving. The result was something that looked like a tribal dance and chant.

[Una Rakesh]

With a cocked brow, Una gave a little laugh. "Well, if I see one, I'll be sure to - "

A noise interrupted her, and the redhead shifted in her chair. Letting one arm drape over the back of her seat, she pulled from her stim once more while watching a man with silver hair who'd obviously spilled on himself.

An amused expression flitted across her features briefly as he did his dance.

[Byl Laprovik]

Something about the silver-haired joker's performance seemed contrived, or at the very least out of place. I gave him a moment's attention with a quizzical expression, and then returned to my tea.

[Alexander Bane]

Then Alex stopped suddenly, his face contorting into several different looks before he settled on a bewildered, confused look, like that of a child spanked for a reason unknown to them. Mumbling could be heard as he moved back to his chair and sat down. His body went rigid and his face blank, eyes wide. With a scream that could have woke the dead he shot into the air, straight into the air. No forward or side motion, just straight up into the air, his hands holding his bum. Below him, on the rounded seat of his chair, was a puddle of still hot brown caf.

The dancing and chanting began again, this time with him smacking his butt trying to get the liquid off. It proofed futile, so instead he pulled the sleeve of his leather coat back and bit on to his arm, his teeth biting into the skin, but not enough to draw blood. It was perfectly logical. Cuasing pain somewhere else helped ignore pain happening somewhere more vital. Sadly in his case it did not work. So instead he was left with a stinging wrist and and buttocks, which he let the world know by screaming at the top of his lungs and running down the nearest alley smacking himseone on the head.

[Una Rakesh]

The whole spectacle was enough to make her blink in mild confusion, and coupled with her previous amusement, it made for an interesting look on her face.

She craned her body to the side, watching him run off before letting a rather mystified "Huh," escape her lips. What an odd man...

Another blink, and the moment was gone. She turned back to her 'guest'.

"As I was saying," she lifted her cup to her lips, took a sip, and set the cup back down onto the table, "I'll let you know if I come across any 'poor, unattended pretty girls'... "

She gave him a cheeky grin, "... who don't know any better."

[Byl Laprovik]

"An interesting color, your hair. Nothing like my drab mess."

I half gestured to my mussed hair as I spoke.

"Animals use bright colors for invitation - or warning. What about you?"

[Alexander Bane]

Bane came running out from around the cafe, his eyes popping out of his head and his hair flowing widly behind him as he ran. He skidded to a stop at the red haired woman's table, his face turning into a pout, "Have you seen my pants?" He asked, contraire to the fact that he actually had his pants on, even if they were covered in spilt stim-caf. His face was one of desperation, as if the well being of the universe depended on the location of his pants. His hands folded together and shook slightly, as if he was praying for her to have the right answer, or possibly begging her for any answer, as long as it's a good one. His big blue eyes stared down into hers. If she looked hard enough she might have seen the demons in the background starting to wake up.

[Una Rakesh]

She'd been about to answer her guest's question when the silver-haired man burst back into view and - rather surprisingly - ended up at her table.

"I... what?"

Una gave pause, pulling a confused face. "... Pants?"

He had his pants; albeit stained with caf, and the redhead began to wonder if the man was perhaps an escaped mental patient. At first glance he wouldn't seem to be, but the pleading in his eyes as he wrung his hands together, asking for pants when it was clear as day that he was still wearing them... she blinked, and turned back to look at the man sitting across from her.

"Have you seen his pants?"

[Byl Laprovik]

I looked from Bane to Una, and back another time.

"I don't have a clue what you're on."

I couldn't tell if he was just stoned out of his mind or if there was something else afoot. I sat leisurely, but I was ready to spring up and take him down if the situation required it. This wasn't the kind of complication I needed.

[Alexander Bane]

His eyes darted from her face to his, and the pleading repeated, hoping that he had an answer, but instead he accused him, and that hurt. His face hardened and he stood up to his full height and look down at the man. A finger was lifted and pointed down at him like the finger of god, "You sir," He started and then his face screwed up in a scowl of concentration. He, in that moment, could not think of a name to call this man. The only names that came to mind were really nasty, and he was not in the mood for a fight just yet, or was he...

"You sir," He repeated, "Are a Schutta!" He looked satisfied with his choice of wording. He took three steps back, reaching into the folds of his ankle long coat and withdrew a shiny metal spatula, which if one looked closely enough had a sharpened edge, "You impune me honor, and now we shall duel!" He flourished his blade with a fancy spin of his wrist and then took up a straight mockery of a fensing stance.

[Una Rakesh]

Her stim stopped halfway to her mouth, and for a full second Una could only stare.

She looked first from the silver-haired man to the one sitting opposite her, then back again. And then she laughed. The stim was put between her lips, and she drew a long breath from it as she chuckled still.

And yet, in the same motion, her feet uncrossed to nonchalantly scoot her pack closer to her, should she need to get to her blaster.

[Byl Laprovik]

The moment he'd reached in his pocket, I was ready to kill him, but when it turned out to be a spatula, I just made a dumb face.

"Shove off. I ain't fightin you."

[Alexander Bane]

Denied. He was heart broken. It would have been the duel of the century, if only this man would have accepted his challenge. So instead he was left empty, his flare gone out like a candle trodden upon. Now he was left standing there with a spatula in his hand and a heart so sad it matched that of a child told there is no hogfather. A tear formed in his eye and the spatula fell from his hand, clattering on the ground, attracting attention from passing pedestrians. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shrap of rag that he used to dab his eyes. A moment of dabbing turned into a rather large gold falling out of the rag and hitting the ground, attracting the attention of anyone who saw it fall because. In that same moment a blade shot out of his sleeve, springloaded and hidden there. He caught the knife as it slipped into his palm and, in a flash, was in the red haired woman's face, the knife point pressed into the soft flesh of her throat, "I just wanted my pants, that's all..."

[Una Rakesh]

Her caution had been well placed, and leaving her stim in her mouth, Una's hand whipped her blaster from its' hiding spot faster than a springing whipsnake.

Still smiling, the redhead leaned back away from the knife, her gun arm coming up and leveling the firearm at the silver-haired man's face. She could feel eyes on her now, from the other cafe patrons, but she paid them no mind. Drawing a last puff from her stim, she used her free hand to snuff it out in the ashtray on her table, all the while keeping her eyes on 'Silver-Hair'.

[Byl Laprovik]

I rose slowly from my seat, stepping away from the table. This guy was off his hinges, but for whatever reason, he had beef with red over here. Much as I'd like to end him, I didn't need the attention.

[Alexander Bane]

He looked down the barrel of the blaster wedged in his nostril and then down further at his knife, which was no longer pressed against the woman's throat, seeing as she had the better arm extension now. A million random thoughts, senarious, and ideas shot through his brain as adrenaline threatened to slip into his system, possibly resulting in spontaneous combustion. His eyes darted around, trying to find something he could use, anything that gave him an edge. Each idea crashed, each senario ended with a hole in his head.

So he played his trump card...

"Do I know you?" He asked as the knife slipped from his gloved hand and hit the ground with a clang. The overly friendly smile returned to his face...

[Una Rakesh]

Una narrowed her eyes in mild confusion. This guy was certifiable.

"I don't rightly think you do," she halfway sighed.

With one hand she pulled her pack from the ground while carefully rising from her seat. And this day had started out so wonderfully! A hot cup of caf, and a few morning stims. Were these two working together? One to act smooth while the other to act the fool?

Backing away, she flipped her blaster on the first stranger to grace her table. "Stay. The both of you."

[Byl Laprovik]

I remained where I was, but the discrete earbud lodged in my right ear began to crackle to life.

"Weatherman, the operation is incomplete. Repeat, the operation is incomplete."

My jawline tightened. The hit hadn't taken place. I awaited further notification.

[Alexander Bane]

"He's the bad guy," Alexander protested, taking a step forward, only to have the blaster swivel around to aim at him again, "Aiee! You could an eye out with that thing," He raisedh is hands in front of his body, showing the open palms to her, "See, no weapon. Not fair to point guns at an an armed man," Hehe, if only she knew of the other knives and kitchen utensils hidden under his coat. Sadly, there was no blaster among them.

[Una Rakesh]

Frustration clouding her features, Una let out an annoyed grunt.

"This is getting ridiculous," she started while still backing away, "I'm leaving now. You two have a fun morning bugging someone else."

[Byl Laprovik]

I stepped away from the table as well, hoping that the psychotic would choose her over me. My morning was getting more complicated and I didn't have time for the extra hassle.

[Alexander Bane]

Bane clasped his hands together in a begging position again, "Oh please, please, please, please, please, please, please..." This continued for a minute before he got to the point, "...Please, don't shoot me. I just want to be your friend. Can we be friends? We can have tea together and everything. I'll even bring the cookies."

[Una Rakesh]

Incredulous, she involuntarily stopped her retreat. The blaster was still pointed at 'Silver-Hair' though.

"Your friend? Mister, I think you need a straight jacket more than a friend."

[Byl Laprovik]

As the two of them bickered, my eyes scanned beyond the scene. A black, open-top sedan had begun to coast through the thickening skylane traffic, and was heading toward the corner nearest the cafe. It crept along, nearing Una, who had her back to it.

I walked past them, eyes on the sedan, but also on Una's blaster. Fortunately it was trained on the long-haired man instead of me at the moment.

[Alexander Bane]

Oh, why did she have to say that? Straight Jacket had been his friend. Straight Jacket had hugged him all day long and said nice, sweet things to him. He had never gotten over the day he was forced to kill Straight Jacket in order to escape from that mental assylum. He still had nightmares at night and visions. Straight Jacket haunted him now. He had a friend's blood on his hands, and he could never forgive himself for that. A thin, silver tear slid down his cheek while his bottom lip trembled. His legs felt so weak now, so he sat down on the ground, with his knees pulled up against his chest. He hugged his legs with his arms and rocked back and forth slowly, while mumbling something under his breath...

[Una Rakesh]

Una could only stare now, brows furrowed in confusion. This guy was so far off the deep end...

She ground her teeth then. The man who'd first sat down with her was walking away; good. There were enough people openly staring now that the little redhead knew an exit would need to be made soon.

[Byl Laprovik]

The sedan slowed, making the turn at the corner. I was within ten feet, and could clearly see Governor Provst, the Imperial strong-man in charge of the planet Caas. He paused while speaking to an advisor in the back seat of the sedan, and saw me approach.

I already had my blaster out.

BZAT! BZAT!

"Gun!"

The security detail in the front passenger seat was moving to react, but I followed up my kill shots on the governor to put a bolt through his throat. The sedan lurched into high speed, hopping a curb as it barreled through traffic, gaining altitude as it screamed skyward.

[Alexander Bane]

Gunfire! Someone was shooting at something. Bane lowered his head to the ground until the shots stopped, and then he slowly raised his head over the edge of the table he was hiding behind and looking around cautiously. He saw the man from a moment ago, but now he had a blaster in his hand, and the barrel was hot and smoky, the kind of side-effect of actually using the weapon, "F'monkeys!" Bane shrilled as a knife magically appeared in his hand. At that moment having a weapon at the ready felt like a good idea, of course he'd ditch it once the authorities showed up. They couldn't rightfully arrest a man without a weapon could they? Crazy was not a crime.

"Pssst!" He hissed, rather louder then necessary to get the man's attention, "You'd best run off now before the coppers show up, otherwise you'll get yourself kicked in the nadgers, and no mistake about that," He ended with a waggle of his eyebrows and then disapeared back down behind the table.

[Una Rakesh]

And with the sound of the first gunshot, Una flinched. She didn't run, which would have been most people's instinct. No, she only flinched.

And then wheeled around, bringing her own firearm to bear on the stranger who'd just opened fire on the now wildly fleeing sedan.

[Byl Laprovik]

I had about a half second to assess the situation before I decided on my getaway. The long-haired crazy was giving me advice I didn't ask for, and the redhead was trying to be a hero. Alright, less than half a second.

I barreled forward, wrapping my off hand around her neck as I placed my head on the opposite side. It put her off balance, denied her a shot, and gave me enough clearance to put my muzzle against her ribs.

"You don't look like the hero type, so why don't we forget about this."

[Una Rakesh]

Unable to move, Una did her best to grind her heel into the toe of his right foot. There was really nothing she could do, no way to extricate herself from this horrid situation.

And this day had started off so wonderful!

Oh well. might as well screw the dewback just a little more. Her gunhand had been directed up and away, and without remorse she unloaded half her clip up into the air.

[Alexander Bane]

Bane fell to the ground, knocking a hair over in the process and then covering his head with his hands, which in the process caused the glove on his right hand to get caught on the zipper of his coat, which resulted in it tearing as he struggled to remove it and thus causing it to get more stuck. In the end he abandoned the glove, slipping his hand out and leaving the glove behind to ornament his coat.

Free of that stupidity he sat up and looked at the two lovebirds, entwined together, guns loaded and pointed in various deadly directions. Several gun shots flew skyward, their pretty red bolts lighting the world for a split second before disappearing

"Shhhh!" He warned, lifting a finger to his lips. The funny thing about that finger, and it's attached hand, was that it is made of metal.

[Byl Laprovik]

"You idiot." I snarled, and wrenched her arm down. The cascading bolts from her gun splintered a speeder's windshield nearby, and the driver bailed out onto a balcony one story below.

I pivoted her around, so that she acted as a human shield between myself and anybody else thinking about doing anything stupid, then jumped backward into the sedan. The broken glass crunched beneath me, and my jaw tightened as some of it cut in. Nevertheless, I accelerated.

[Una Rakesh]

Put off balance for a few moments, Una reached out for something - anything - to steady herself. In that moment, everything was a blur; the people, the noise around her, everything...

... except the reflection of the sun. It glinted off something metal that 'Silver-hair' was holding up to his lips, and flashed briefly into her eyes.

Seeing spots, her free hand managed to grasp the door-handle of the sedan...

[Alexander Bane]

"Wait one moment, my good man," Bane began as he struggled to his feet, which became quite difficult because he'd stepped on the hem of his coat. Once he freed himself he approached the sedan, his finger raised and pointing at them, as if to accuse the pair of something. There had been a really catchy, snarky remark he was going to use, but it had faded from his mind. "Get a room you two!" He said instead, but it was just not the same.

Sirens could be heard in the distance. The Imperials would be here soon enough. Now, where to hide?

[Byl Laprovik]

I didn't have time. I didn't have time to fret with this woman or even kill her. I didn't have time to do the same with the crazy man now looking back at us. The sirens were getting too close, and I glared back at the sound with wild eyes.

I had to leave now, or I'd never escape.

I dumped the throttle, and the speeder lurched skyward, clipping another vehicle's repulsor and sending it spiralling down below.

[Una Rakesh]

Out of instinct her hand had gripped the doorlatch in a vice grip. The sedan's sudden acceleration jarred her, almost wrenching her arm from its' socket.

In near-desperation that was quickly turning to indignant anger, Una chucked her blaster through the broken window and at the driver's head.

[Alexander Bane]

Alexander waved happily goodbye to the departing vehicle and then turned around to face the sirens, which came combined with flashing lights attached to several imperial watch light speeders. Oh, well. Time for the finale, he thought before reaching into his coat and selecting one of his balanced throwing knives. The patrol speeder zoomed up and an officer jumped out, looking skyward towards the departing air speeder. A glint of metal caught his eye, just in time to cause him to turn and get a knife planted perfectly in his chest.

He did the typucal "why?" face and then collapsed to the ground. Bane walked over, nudged him to make sure was dead, and then began looking through the speeder for anything worth taking. There were more sirens in the distance, and they would be here soon. So he left, after peeing in the fuel tank. He needed somewhere to hide, and fast. Was Grandma home this time o' day?

[Byl Laprovik]

I caught the flung blaster, but nearly swerved into a hovering traffic signal as I did. I continued to drive for a few seconds, clenching my jaw as I pressed on. She was making me conspicuous. I needed to either kill her, or make her less conspicuous in some other way.

I threw the pistol out my side's window, and extended her a hand.

"Get in, or you'll fall!"

[Una Rakesh]

Grtting her teeth, Una took his hand. With both of their efforts combined, she soon enough found herself scrambling up and into the speeder. After shutting the door though, the little redhead cursed herself.

She'd left her pack back at the table; and with it, her stims.

[Byl Laprovik]

We both sat silent after the exertion of pulling her back into the vehicle. I breathed heavily for a moment, nostrils flaring as I put my eyes back on the skylanes.

A moment later, I reached for her, grabbing her by the hair on the back of her head and slamming her face against the dashboard until she blacked out.

I merged back into a major thoroughfare, and blended into the high altitude traffic, tuning the subspace radio for a station I wanted to listen to.