//------------------------------// // A Surprise to be Sure // Story: Trust Once Lost: Far Far Away // by Greenhorne //------------------------------// The whole affair was quite the headache, even with the small critter clutched close to his chest, Starkiller couldn't help but feel everything was so... Wrong. The Force was calling out, glimpses of suffering echoed throughout the walls as he walked out of the elevator, now at a rather large circular room, holding only a space reserved for a greenhouse in the middle filled with overgrown alien vegetation. Despite it's rather decrepit looking state, there did seem to be other inhabitants. Voices bounced off walls, leaving the Acolyte curious yet hesitant, caressing his lightsaber with his free hand. Frowning underneath his helmet, and feeling the call of the Force coming ever closer, he started walking in the direction, eventually stumbling across a rather tense situation. He immediately recognized the Death Troopers, the elite bodyguards of the Galactic Empire, though the various other individuals, both alien and human, were lost on him. Some carried technology that he had never seen before, even at a glance. And others seemed to nearly be at each-others throats. "Well, this is certainly a surprise." The trouble with feigning sleep was that Green had to keep her eyes closed. She had no idea where this sith was taking her, but with some breathing exercises she managed to keep her traitorous body from shaking like a leaf and ruining her act. When the Sith finally spoke however, she couldn't help but risk cracking an eye open. When she did, the shock of what she saw made her forget all about her act. The storm troopers in dark armor were to be expected, but several other figures were completely out of place. A predator stood near the Sangheili Arbiter - what were they doing in the Starwars universe? If this even was the Starwars universe. One thing was for sure, Green was well outside her weightclass if any of these factions came to blows. The Predator, she guessed, wouldn't consider her a worthy opponent, but she couldn't count on the predator to be her protector either. From what she remembered of Halo, the Arbiter too was an honorable warrior and was unlikely to slaughter a child, even an alien one. The Sith however... well there was definitely precedent for Sith to be slaughtering defenseless younglings. The trouble was, only the Sith knew that she was sentient, and if she called out for help she risked becoming a hostage. Instead she said the first thing that popped into her head. "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one." It didn't take long for the group to lessen in numbers with his appearance. The Clone watched silently as they departed, turning to face the infamous visage of the Death Troopers, still seemingly ready for whatever the cold metal walls could throw at them. Giving a nod in acknowledgement, he approached, ignoring the small creature on his arm. "Status report," He commanded. Despite the cold tone behind his words, he was relieved to see a face, or rather, helmet, that he could recognize. He was still wearing his own, thankfully, leaving his voice distorted and deep, though the Galactic Empire emblem engraved on his shoulder painted a clear picture of his allegiances. "I have little in ways of information. Lord Vader sent me on a mission, yet I was led here for a reason." Starkiller frowned, turning to face the commander. "I would like to request an immediate escort transfer. I have belief that this one," He showed them the small green... being. "Has relevant information, yet it seems unpliable at best." Green felt sick. She could read between the lines - she knew that the Sith calling her 'unpliable' meant he intended to torture her for information. She knew some things he would no-doubt find interesting, but she had no reasonable way to explain how she knew them. Intelligence was only as valuable as your ability to verify and trace the source of the information, and these men no doubt knew that. The Sith could probably have her tortured for months, or years, maybe even just for fun. With that in mind, a quick death by lightsaber was down-right preferable. Of course, there was also the other, more pro-active option; her captors almost surely had no magic suppressor rings so there was little they could do to prevent her from taking her own life by targeting her pyromancy towards her own brainstem. With her 'backup' strategy in mind, she took a big risk, but a calculated one. From what she knew of anti-kidnap training, you NEVER allow yourself to be taken to a place of the kidnapper's choosing; always fight as hard as you can and make as scene as possible, even if it means risking them killing you, since they will likely end up killing you anyway. "PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP ME! I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!" She screamed, and then she braced for the inevitable pain of the beating she was expecting to receive.