The Akurian Queen

Dan didn't bother retorting, they'd moved on. He stood alongside Lok as Torik looked like the nexxu that swallowed the canary, presenting his prizes to the local Imperial capo. About time, really. He was getting tired of the bounty hunter's smart mouth, and would rather get on with things.

As they entered, Dan got a good look at their surroundings. The base wasn't much to look at, but established enough that it would take a concerted effort to dislodge. Akuria II wasn't the catch they'd hoped for after all.

Still held up by the two stormtroopers, s'Il felt the barest hint of control coming back. It was minimal and at best nothing grand, but at least it was still something. Her awareness gained firmer hold upon her own body, and the Lupine stirred. She groaned, and her head angled up to stare at the face of the Imperial who now himself stood looking disdainfully down at her.

Her legs shifted, feet gaining blessed purchase on the packed snow, and she lurched forward to strain against her captors. And in a glorious moment of release, they let her free. It was fleeting however, as the full weight of her own body was too much, and the Jedi tumbled to the ground in a struggling heap, her body writhing as she wrestled for control. It was fruitless, and she grew still.

The Imperial's voice cut through the haze to her ears, and she clenched her eyes shut. He addressed Dan, despite it being mroe than obvious that his eyes were still on her.

"I'll not waste your time. You are more than aware of the charges included in your bounty I am sure. As such, it stands to reason that you are more than aware of the punishment. Yes?"

Dan widened his stance a little, settling into a more casual posture. He wasn't going to give this career buffoon the luxury of aggrandizing his shitty posting with the importance he craved.

"As a matter of fact, I don't think your spineless lackey bothered to mention such charges, not that I'd put it behind you to make them up as you go."

The officer stiffened, looking at a datapad before him.

"You're Rebels, don't be coy. You're operating openly in treasonous action against the sovereignty of the Galactic Empire. A charge, I will remind you, that carries with it the pain of death."

Dan frowned a bit.

"I was hoping you'd regale me in specifics. Or do you get that kind of information way out here, at the end of the galaxy? Not exactly the best posting, is it? You'd skin a womp rat with a spoon to get closer to the core, I bet."

Torik smirked, but said nothing as Durrin scowled at Dan.

"Save your breath; I'll not be baited so easily."

The officer looked to the squad commander, giving a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Take them both to a cell."

At this, Torik gave a slightly confused look.

"Both? In the same one?"

"I don't have the space to allow each their own, Mr. Beirhannon. This outpost is not large enough so early in its' establishment, so we make do with what is available. Besides... "

The Imperial nudged the delirious Jedi with the toe of his boot, shifting her to the side a small bit.

"... this one is drugged enough that she won't know she's dead until the Maker meets her at the gates."

Torik, for his part at least, suppressed his tongue enough to offer a nod, and as the stormtroopers began to pull Dan away, he gave a careless shrug to the Rebel.

"Been nice knowin' you," he offered in parting, the tone of his voice nowhere near sincere.

"I think you're gonna find the galaxy's a smaller place than you'd like it to be."

Dan allowed himself to be led on, and gave the turncoat a parting shot.

"Better find a rock more out of the way than this one when that happens, friend."

And with that, they were herded off to a cell. Hopefully Imperial due process was longer than he feared it would be, but he doubted it.

She was aware of being hefted about once more, like a helpless and paralyzed whisperkit pup, and it wasn't long before she was deposited onto the ground once more; this time into a cell. The stormtroopers hadn't bothered to put her on the single cot - rather they simply let her drop to the floor before vacating the small room.

She could smell Dan at least, and groggily the Lupine opened her eyes, trying to focus on the ceiling above her.

Alone for however short amount of time they were allowed, s'Il pulled in as deep a breath as she could.

"... can't move,.. " she managed to croak out with her exhale.

"Save your strength."

He dropped into a crouch next to her, righting her in such a way as to ease her toward the cot.

"You've been pumped full of something, and it's got you out of sorts."

There was an implied "can you make it", but she was barely aware of her surroundings. He knew the answer.

She could at least still read the true intents of his words, and the Lupine let her body lean into his.

"... can make it... "

Questionable though her resolve sounded, there was at least a small bit of steel behind her words, and she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Need time," another deep breath, "... to heal. Can't feel legs."

There was a pause before she spoke again, though this time her voice wavered considerably more, as her worry and fear creeped into play.

"... can't feel Force... "

"I know."

If she had, she would've capitalized. You use what's available to you. They were both the same in this place. Unarmed and vulnerable.

Easing her up slightly, Dan helped the Lupine to the cot, so that she could at least attempt to recover there. For now, they had time to consider everything, until that door opened again.

"Didn't think it would end like this."

Blissfully, the cot was a welcome change to the ground, and s'Il felt her body fall back as her addled mind parsed his words.

"Not dead yet," she whispered, the words coming out in a sigh as her eyes screwed shut in concentration. A shaking hand moved, taking his own in a weak grip.

"Not dead yet."

"Yeah" came the quick, breathed response. Less an affirmation and more a world-weary analysis of their situation.

Dan sat against the wall adjacent to her, watching her rest.

"Still, guess we'd better get ready for that distinct possibility."

And even now, they couldn't talk about it. That was the tragedy, wasn't it?

She was quiet, her body running through the unseen gauntlet of trying to correct its' inner processes. It was maddening, and with only limited movement slowly returning, s'Il allowed a bit of frustration to show on her features. Whatever she'd been given had done a thorough enough job of laying her low.

Her thoughts took her back only a short time ago, replaying the one-sided 'conversation' that Beirhannon had had with her before landing. He'd shown her that cursed ring, and made some sort of small talk about sentimentality being wasted on Jedi. It grew more surreal the more she mulled it over.

But the fact of the matter still remained - for some bizarre reason Dan had kept a death hold on that engagement ring, and now it'd been taken from him. She at least felt a small amount of sorrow for him.

"... he took your ring."

"I know."

The silence that lasted after that acknowledgment was a long one. Dan rested his head against the cool of the cell wall, staring at the ceiling.

"I suppose when you fight against a limitless tyrannical oppressor, these things are bound to happen. I guess you're right."

"Always am."

It was said with the smallest returning hint of her old self, and the Lupine let out a long breath to follow. Her head lolled to the side as her single eye searched him out.

"... how much longer... ?"

A shrug out of her sight.

"Wouldn't count on seeing the sun going down, if that's what you're asking. Even if they Empire believed in due process, they would bend the rules in a place like this."

Dan looked to the ground.

"Of course, there's the off chance they want to parade us through Imperial Center. Don't know. Which do you prefer?"

"Do not want to see the black giant again," was her whispered answer.

She could still see in her mind's eye so clearly, the towering black monolith that had appeared on Rumigaar so long ago, laying waste to the small group of Jedi that Zem and Tam and herself had met.

The Lupine swallowed forcefully, and with a heaving breath, struggled to sit up. Of course it was a lost cause, but she doggedly pressed on, pushing her muscles to the brink of what she could control. There was a scent in the air that invaded her nostrils with crystal clear clarity.

"Help... have to get up... someone coming... "

"Yeah."

He grimaced. Their situation was bleak, perhaps more bleak than they'd been up against since this war began. He thought about all the choices that had brought him to this point. The sacrifices made. He thought of Nena. There was nothing Dan would like more to say that he wasn't scared and to face what seemed a certain thing with stoic pose. Maybe he could manage that on the outside. But you didn't stare death in the face like this and not contemplate blinking.

Dan worked to get her upright, taking care to make sure she was steady on the cot before standing to face whoever might be coming to their cell to confront them. Was it to happen so soon?

The blurry vision before her was a welcome one, but the urgency she'd scented rolling through the small detention hut was palpable.

As steady as she could be in her current situation, the Lupine allowed a slight frown.

"... is Dage," she whispered gently.

And sure enough, the first of the small group of commandos to be interrogated and wrestled into the small cell was none-other. Sporting a bloody nose and a split lip, the rangy blonde put up as much of a fight as he was able, though it was clear that the small battle he fought was a losing one, and he was wrangled inside without a word from their captors.

Of course their silence was made up by his own cursing, and when the door closed once more, Dage turned to look at his cellmates.

s'Il offered as much of a smile as she was able.

"You look like shit," came the expected response at the sight of the young Jedi propped up on the cot. His eyes went to Dan as he wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"And you look like someone kicked a pup."

He had to smile at that.

"I got the memo late that the Empire was enrolling us in a beauty pageant."

From the looks of things, the Imperials were at least going to try to squeeze on 'em pretty hard, and see if any actionable intel came out before the were just gunned down or done away with.

"Kori?"

Dage spit a bit of bloody spittle on the floor away from his companions.

"Just gettin' his turn now, I guess."

The rebel soldier gave a cocky grin.

"Didn't give 'em shit. Not even my name."

s'Il offered as much of a smile as she could, her head lolling to the side as Dage moved to sit beside her on the cot.

"Brave soul," she breathed out.

"Par for the course, Ol' Girl."

He gave a comforting pat to her leg. "None of us signed up thinking we'd be treated like Miss Universe."

The Lupine shifted her arm so that her hand rested limply atop his, a single finger twitching in lieu of being able to actually squeeze. Her strength was returning, though still at a painstakingly slow pace.

"If you... say so."

Dage gave a carefree grin at that, a low chuckle escaping from his lips.

"Yeah well, we ain't been slack," he looked at Dan, a knowing expression on his features as his voice dropped to the barest of whispers.

"Got ourselves a plan."