The Interrogation

Posted on Tue Apr 27th, 2021 @ 1:26am by Lieutenant Kor' de'leia & Lieutenant Melvyn Kosta & Flight Officer Tawshiikkyrr & Flight Officer Onyesonwu Zyd
Edited on on Tue Apr 27th, 2021 @ 3:01am

Mission: Scoundrels, Cuttthroats and Rogues
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Timeline: Day 2 at ???

The first thing Melvyn was aware of was the pain pulsating from the center of his brain. The second was the strong wave of nausea that immediately followed, making him retch and leaving an acrid taste in his mouth. He was sitting, he realized, arms pulled behind the back of a chair and wrist bound together with metallic cuffs that bit into his skin.

"...think they're waking up. It's about time, too. You don't know your strength, Tawshiikkyrr."

The voice was female, with gravelly inflections that suggested it was spoken through a non-human mouth. Melvyn struggled to open his eyes, immediately regretting his efforts when bright light stabbed at his brain and was promptly blurred by tears.

Tawshii leaned his head back and let out a low moan of a growl. He rumbled some more, the basics of which being 'he really hadn't hit them that hard' and 'the Twi'lek knew codes from a couple months back'.

The MonCal officer gave the wookie a look, then shook her head slowly. Theirs was a small rebel cell, protective and close-knit, and neither of these two looked familiar. Either someone had spoken out of turn, these two were taking chances or they'd had prior contact with an actual rebel. Which? That remained to be seen.

Muffled sounds pierced the penetrated the pain throbbing in Kor's head. Her time unconscious had been fitful, her arms had swollen where they had been bound as her skin chaffed under the friction. Darkness was displaced by a dull red tone as something unpleasant called consciousness began to dawn. Her teeth ached. She wanted to be ill. Something feral growled in her surroundings. No it spoke. If she could make herself concentrate she might even understand it. However pain and illness won the day as she dropped back into oblivion.

Melvyn's second attempt to open his eyes was marginally more successful. His vision swam in and out of focus, his surroundings blurry, but he could sort of make out the tall hairy silhouette of the wookie, and the smaller figure of the alien woman standing next to him. Wookie. There had been a wookie. His memories were a bit fuzzy, he remembered distinctly running, crashing, running some more, and then... then... something. He wasn't sure and right now going back to sleep seemed like a good idea.

"I think your patients need a bit of help, PG-7T," the female voice said. "We don't have all day."

"Subjects suffered head trauma." The droid's metallic voice sounded almost peevish. "More delicate handling of subjects would have prevented the current delay."

She felt pressure on her neck, not bad pressure, but something. The pain in her head was suddenly lifting like a dense fog. There was light. She was bound. She was sticky. "Schutta..." she mumbled as her eyes fought to open and take in her surroundings. She was clothed, thank the goddess. The situation was already looking up over last time. She could make out the photoreceptors of a medical droid. Was she hurt? She wasn't sure. Slavers! Her eyes shot open even wider and the small sensor array the droid had taped to her suddenly started surging as her heart rate spiked. She looked around worriedly, making out dim shadows of beings in the room with her. She tugged at her arm restraints. She wasn't going anywhere.

With a low growl that was more sarcasm than offended, Tawshii responded to the medical droid. More delicate handling, he implied, would likely result in deaths. It hadn't been worth the risk. Look - see the Imperial uniform? See the Tie Fighter pilot? Have you watched the news? Seen the troopers in the streets?

The hiss and familiar bite of a hypospray on his neck caused Melvyn to stir again. Being injected with an unknown drug was never good news. His senses were beginning to return, along with some of his memories. There had been the twi'lek, the bounty hunters, the wookiee... the bar. What had happened in that bar ? It eluded him.

His sight finally sharpened into focus and he realized he was in what looked like an unfurnished non-descript room, mostly empty, with a steel curtain closing off the one window. There was no way of telling what time of day or night it might be, nor how long he'd been unconscious. Hera was sitting next to him, bound to her chair in the same fashion he was and looking almost as pissed as confused.

Kor became dimly aware of Melvyn bound to a chair nearby. So, they were both alive, and whoever was doing this wanted them together. "Screw us up too much and we won't fetch you much of a price." she managed to say in a dray and broken voice.

"Whooao aorcroahwhrr," Tawshii told her, his tone irritated. No one's trying to sell you, Imp.

"My agah ya mawah!!" she shouted back at the wookiee. "And, I'm not a Frackled Imp!" she tossed her head tot he side and tried to flex her lekku to see how tighly her head was bound. Too tight.

Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't, Tawshii considered, that remained to be proven. She'd certainly seemed friendly enough with her alleged captive to raise suspicions. Pulling in a bounty was a classic move when trying to prove loyalty, and one they couldn't risk without better evidence.

Onyesonwu had slipped into the rebel hideout, eager to share an important piece of news from the junkyard where she and Haro worked. Their Ardennian boss Arco was even more grumpy than usual and had shooed her out early. The Hutt Arco worked for, Jux Paffi, had managed to leverage bribes and lay claim to both the x-wing and twin ion engine fighter that had crashed in the undercity earlier that day. But then, bucketheads had confiscated the TIE. Onye worried for Arco, and suspected his tirade had been intended to remove Onye from the blast area of Paffi's rage.

But, Onye could see that her report to Keskis would have to wait. Their Mon Calamari commander was busy with two prisoners that Tawshii had brought in, apparently. Onye stood back and watched her big, furry friend, and surreptitiously searched for Haro among the other onlookers.

Haro, however, was nowhere to be seen. Tawshii caught Onye's scent immediately though and shook his head - no! not here! - with a vehemence that needed no actual words. Go. Find Haro. Here-no-safe. The wookiee signed swiftly.

Onye knew better than to ignore Tawshii's explicit warning. A warning punctuated by the fact that Haro was not here. She began to back out of the room slowly, so as not to attract attention.

Keskis registered Onye's arrival and subsequent, silent retreat but did not show it, focused for now on the two prisoners. They made an unlikely pair. The dark-haired human had had his face broadcast throughout the main news channels for the past twelve hours or so, which made identifying him easy enough ; an Imperial officer, ostensibly accused of desertion. Could be true, could be a trap. Looking up his service history may give more of an insight into his true motivation, but only if they determined that he was worth the extra effort.

The twi'lek was more of a mystery. She hadn't been carrying any identification, and her clothes - what little she was wearing - did not really give much away. She was young, beautiful, and she wore the matching pair of cuffs to the Imperial, which was a bit of a surprise. How had she gotten dragged into this whole situation ?

"There is a price on his head," Keskis said finally to the twi'lek, waving a hand towards the Imperial, "but not on yours. That we know of. Nothing needs to happen to you if you cooperate with us."

"Bounty Hunters then. Fine. I claim the Imperial, I have people willing to pay good money for him alive. I could be convinced to split the bounty, but I want out of this chair." she responded back calmly.

"Grrrrrrrrgaahga," responded Tawshii. An expression of agreement. He threw his head back and then lowered it, letting his gaze lock with the Twi'lek's for a long few seconds before he sought Keskis' own. "Grrrrrrrumph! " The wookiee added. "Hrung aaauuawk." Basically 'go for it. I'm ready.'

Onye quietly exited, following Tawshii's orders. She hoped Commander Keskis didn't call her back. Onye had no idea if the two prisoners were speaking their truth – she couldn't interpret body language when the bodies in question were immobilized. She hesitated outside the make-shift interrogation room, close enough to listen, and looked for Haro. Where was he? Then she realized. It was an interrogation, Haro was most likely outside.

There were still gaps in Melvyn's memories but he was beginning to piece it together - and it wasn't looking great. He and Hera had been caught. By whom was anyone's guess, most likely bounty hunters. If that was the case they would be handing him over to the Empire, and then... Melvyn's hands clenched into fists to stop them from shaking. He knew too well what happened to traitors and deserters.

"You could start by giving us a name," Keskis said. She watched the twi'lek through her large, unblinking eyes. MonCal had a good eyesight, used to the shadrow-wrought depths of their oceans, and she could see every twitch on the prisoners' faces, though she could not read them as well as Onye.

"How about you give us names ?" Melvyn shot back. He was tired of being ignored, but mostly he felt he had little to lose at this point. If those were truly bounty hunters... well, escape wasn't looking likely. Maybe he could provoke them into a quick death.

"We are asking the questions here," Keskis said, barely sparing the Imperial a glance. His turn would come later. "Speak out of turn again and see if I'm above having you gagged. Well ?" She focused back on the twi'lek. "For a songbird you seem quite tight-lipped."

Kor's eyes narrowed at the mention of her codename she dropped on the wookiee earlier. Obviously it meant something to the big furry oaf, or he wouldn't have passed it along. Time to see who she was dealing with.

"Quarren fall on Draven's acre. The skies are clear for Jedah's tears." Kor recited staring into one of the Mon Calamari's oversized eyes. She had claimed to be a high ranking spy on official business for the Rebellion and also everyone in the room would be disavowed by the Rebellion if they didn't comply. While perhaps a slight exaggeration, if her interrogator was familiar with Rebel Intelligence code phrases, she would be untied in the next minute. Her lekku relaxed and rolled down the back of the chair.

Tawshii grumbled an elongated growl that didn't mean much to the Twi'lek, but let Keskis know (for the second time now) that the wookiee was prepared to give the Twi'lek her chance. Tawshii wanted to talk to her away from the Tie pilot - she'd known enough Shyriiwook that they could communicate and the Imp was irritating and overconfident. His protests were muddying the conversational waters and it hadn't escaped Tawshii's notice that Haro kept his distance either.

After a brief exchange of loaded glances between him and Keskis, the wookiee moved to stand behind Kor, and with a lightly deft touch, released her cuffs, but kept his hands on her shoulders to ensure she didn't immediately rush anybody.

"Rrrrugh arah-ah-woof?" Tawshii asked. How do you take your coffee?

"Dark and bitter." she responded. "Just like I'm getting still tied to this chair."

Keskis said nothing. She had been ready to let the twi'lek sweat a little bit longer, see what came out of her under pressure ; but Tawshii was ready to trust her at least a little bit, and Keskis trusted him. He was not the overly trusting sort so if he was happy with the twi'lek being out of her restraints, she'd allow it. Not the Imperial though. Keskis' eyes drifted towards him. He was watching them, doing a decent job at pretending he wasn't actually worried, but his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists betrayed him. Good. Keskis had little compassion for Imperials, especially after the latest raid that had cost her three of her people.

"I believe we need to talk," Keskis said after a moment, to the twi'lek. "About your friend, amongst other things."

The short sharp gruff sounds that left the wookiee's lips now barked a question for the Rebel Commander. They could potentiallly get information from this 'maybe ally' but not in front of the Imp, not in Tawshii's opinion anyway. His short suggestion was to knock the bound prisoner out again. Tawshii did follow up though, with a wavering question of a growl. He could remain here, with someone else who could translate. Haro? What did Keskis prefer?

Kor watch the Mon Calimari and the wookie exchange looks and growls. Apparently not complete agreement on how they should handle their guests. Fair enough. Kor would be tempted to gut an imperial that suddenly fell into her safehouse. But Melvyn was a damn fine pilot and could be an asset. "Happy to straighten out whatever you have issues with." she stated to the Mon Calimari and the Wookie.

Melvyn blinked when he saw the wookiee free his companion, suddenly unsure what was going on. That... had been a quick decision on their part. He could recognize code words when he heard them, but he wasn't sure what they meant - for Hera, or for him. He looked around the room while he pulled at the restraints. They were tight, though not unbearably so, and did not give at all when he tested them.

Tawshii smacked the bound Imp very lightly upside the head in response to that little display. Nowhere near hard enough to hurt their prisoner, more of an admonition a parent might give a wayward child.

The smack felt more than a little bit condescending but then, Melvyn supposed he hadn't been as discreet as he'd thought so he probably deserved it. He took the warning in stride and forced himself to relax. As bad as the situation was, it would only get worse if he got knocked out again.

Kor couldnt make out just who was unbinding her from the chair, but the release of tension on the ropes surrounding her body felt good. She shook her hands loose of their bindings and managed to get her legs free. Her lekku waved freely enjoying their new found freedom. "I'm happy to talk, but we aren't going to be going too far." she held up her wrist with the Zappcuffs giving an awkward and impatient face to the Mon Calimari.

"Onye ?" Keskis called, confident her mechanic must still be lurking somewhere nearby. She wanted to speak to the twi'lek away from the Imperial's prying ears, and if that was going to happen they'd need to get those cuffs off. One way or the other.

Onye was on her way to the exit to find Haro and offer what comfort she could when she heard Commander Keskis' call. Briefly, she considered pretending she hadn't heard, but then she jogged back and paused just inside the room. "Yes Commander?"

"I'm going to need your special skills on these," Keskis pointed a long spindly finger at the metallic cuffs around the twi'lek's wrists. "I need them off. Without killing anyone, preferably." She knew what the cuffs could do, having seen them used before, and she knew they could be deadly. Nothing the Imperial didn't deserve but if he was to die she'd rather it be on her say-so rather than by accident. That would be sloppy. "Think you can manage ?"

She came closer, taking in the fact that the twi'lek was now freed from the chair and held by Tawshii. The twi'lek and the human each wore one of those magnetic cuffs the bucketheads used on prisoners. "Can I keep the cuffs after I remove them?" asked Onye.

The request may have surprised Keskis but she knew Onye was not the kind to let anything go to waste. She bowed her head in acquiescence. She had no interest in keeping those barbaric restraints for her own use. "They are yours."

Kor gave the young woman a sidelong glance and slowly extended her hand. "You have done this before, right?"

"Don't distract me," muttered Onye in a warning tone. Not because attempting to communicate would make a difference one way or another to her proficiency, but because the twi'lek was still Keskis' prisoner and Onye didn't want to think of her as a person. From the endless pockets in her baggy overalls she produced tools and a telescopic visor, then she reached for the twi'lek's arm and examined the cuff, turning it carefully. Bucketheads used these cuffs on prisoners on a regular basis. She'd seen this type before. Onye fished a data transfer pad from another pocket.

She watched in silence as Onye studied the cuffs closer, glancing at the twi'lek to see if she betrayed any sign of worry or fear. Her life did hang in the balance, after all.

Gritting her teeth a little Kor waited for the shock that was likely going to blast through her nervous system. "No rush. Take your time."

Melvyn watched in silence as the female tech worked on Hera's cuffs. She looked a bit young to really know what she was doing and he wondered gloomily if, after surviving the last twenty-four hours, his fate truly was to end barbecued by Imperial tech. Their captors seemed far more interested in Hera than in Melvyn so they might not care that much about a bit of collateral damage.

Then again... that would still be better than being handed over to the Empire, so maybe he should hope for a swift (albeit unpleasant) encounter with fifty million volts.

Cuffs like these were costly, designed to be reusable. Onye connected her data pad to the cuff and stared at the tiny screen. "Got it." She sent the reset code. The cuff opened and dropped from the Twi'lek's arm. Onye caught it before it hit the floor.

Kor shook her hand, finally free of the damnable shock cuffs. She flashed her violet eyes at Onye as she was scooping up the cuffs. "Find job, thank you." she said in a surprisingly genuine tone.

Keskis glanced at Tawshii. "I'll leave the prisoner to you for now. Haro or PG can translate if necessary." While knocking out the Imp again was tempting she wanted him able and ready to answer questions if necessary, without having to wait another few hours for him to come round. And also, preferably, with his memory intact.

Discreetly she twisted her fingers into a sign. See if you can get anything else out of him.

Kor gave Melvyn a nod as she followed the Mon Calimari. "He's still of value to me, I would prefer if he isn't permanently damaged." she said to the wookie as she left the room.

The wookiee nodded emphatically and turned his gaze to the Imp and the Imp alone. Onye would fetch Haro, of that Tawshii had no doubt, or need to emphasize.