Warrior ◊ Star Wars

chapter eight; when rathtars get loose

"Wait, WHAT!" Finn exclaimed as he followed Solo, Mara unpleasantly surprised at what she just heard, or that was one way to put it," Did you just say Rathtars?"

The group had started back towards the entry door of the Falcon, BB-8 rolling beside them. Finn was still pretty flustered, fear worming its way into his voice," You're not hauling Rathtars on this freighter, are you?"

"No," Mara answered for him, adding a little pitch to her voice for effect," He just said Rathtar because why not. He's really hauling blase tree goats."

He shot a 'not helping' look her way while Mara bitterly smiled back his way. As the exited the ship and onto the larger freighter, Solo checked the panel closest to them, checking the manifest records and cameras, "I'm hauling Rathtars. And by the way, you don't haul tree goats, no good on the market-"

"Whatever, I don't care about goats. What's that ship approaching us?" The blonde pointed to one of the screens of outside the freighter. The man grumbled, recognizing the slashed markings on the hull.

"Oh great, Gauvian Death Gang. Must have tracked us from the Natoon." He quickly left the cameras, striding off with the questioning two behind him. Mara let her eyes linger on the screen, seeing the ship from multiple angles. Memories danced in her head, reminding her of a time long, long ago.

From when she seriously wounded a few of them. Boy, she really hoped death gangs didn't hold lifelong grudges.

Running to catch up, Mara went deeper into the heart of the ship. Age had not served it well, old busted pipes leaking on her head as she caught up with the others. The steel creaked under her, and the blonde wondered how such a beat up ship could hold such huge beasts.

"What's a Rathtar?" Rey was right on Solo's heels, curious about whatever Finn was so scared of. The man replied blatantly, but anxiousness made its way into his tone.

"They're big and they're dangerous."

Informative, Mara thought.

Finn turned his head to Rey," Ever heard of the Trillian m******e?"

"No."

"Good."

Chewbacca roared something, seeming to chip into the conversation. Rey gave him a questioning but bewildered look while the blonde kept walking, getting really annoyed that she couldn't understand a word the wookie was saying.

Hoping to inform her friend a little more about the pretty much suicidal nature of what they were walking towards, she basically just told her what the thing was, "Imagine big tentacles that move really fast and have a thing for human flesh."

Rey's face remained mostly stoic, but then turned from a thinking look to an annoyed expression," Well that description helps rest my conscious."

Mara shrugged," Happy to help."

Han continued down the corridor, not facing them as he talked," I got three on the way to King Prana."

Finn, who was acting quite terrified, gulped," Three? How did you get them on board?"

Actually a logical question. Mara had been wondering the same. Rathtars don't just hop into crates and wait to be loaded.

"We used to have a bigger crew." The older man kept striding, pace quickening as large doors came in sight. Chewbacca grunted in agreement, or maybe he added to the conversation.

BB-8 knew what the wookie said, beeping, That's comforting.

Mara then was partially glad she didn't know Wookish, or she'd be more anxious than she already was.

The went around one more corner before Han stopped in front of them. He nodded towards the wookie, who knelt down. A rusty squeak echoed through the ship as a hatch in the floor opened, barely wide enough for a human to squeeze through," Get below and stay there until I say so. Don't even think about the Falcon."

Rey observed the small hole, looking at the droid beside her and knowing he wouldn't fit," What about BB-8?"

"He stays with me until I get rid of the gang, then you can have him back and be on your way." Solo said, pointing back down to the hole in the floor, knowing they had a limited amount of time before the freighter was boarded," Now get down."

BB-8 looked up at Mara, skeptical of his position while the confrontation went down. The blonde also felt uneasy, being on a ship with huge beasts and old enemies not really her ideal way of finishing the overly hectic day. She'd owed it to Dameron to keep the droid and his contents safe. Sure, Han Solo was a pure legend walking, but she had just met the man. Trusting him just because of his reputation was a bad call.

Before Mara could object, Finn spoke again," What about the Rathtars? Where are you keeping them?"

As if dramatically on cue, the small yellow window behind them shook. A huge eye peered through it, catching all but Solo and Chewbacca off guard. Mara breath left her as she bit back a scream, taking steps away as the monster looked directly at her.

"There's one," Han commented nonchalantly, finding small humor in the three's surprise. Finn jumped right down the hatch, wanting to escape the Rathtar's gaze as quick as he could.

Rey was about to go down before asking," What are you going to do?"

"Same thing I always do. Talk my way out of it." Though his voice was steady, his rapid hand movements gave him away. The wookie noticed, growling something to his companion.

Solo took offense to Chewbacca's statement, defending his negotiation skills," Yes I do! Every time."

Before Mara followed Rey to hide, she determined to stay above the flooring. She knew these guys, and a wookie and an old man wouldn't keep the gang at bay. The blonde stayed up to make her case," I know the Gauvian gang. Words won't keep them for long. You'll need a backup before even start to negotiate."

The old man seemed somewhat taken back by the woman's defiance, but seemed to really not show interest," And I assume you think you'll be good in a fight? This is coming from the kid who threatened me with a useless blaster."

"Good point," Mara agreed, hoping her siding with him on her rash actions would sway him," But give me a real one and I'll make sure you won't die."

Han was starting to really find Mara a pest," I don't care what you can do with a gun. Now get down and let me handle this-"

"I don't care that you don't care. I promised BB-8 I'd protect him, and forgive me for not trusting an old man to do the job." She snapped, cutting him off. Solo's face tightened as she smirked, daring him to try and make her abandon the droid. Before the two could exchange any more remarks, one of the vaulted doors opened by itself.

Han, not wanting to deal with the blonde anymore, pointed at Chewbacca. The furball nodded, grabbing Mara and forcing her down the hole in the floor.

"Really!" The blonde whispered-yelled in an effort for the coming company not to hear her," The wookie? Seriously?"

Chewie simply dropped her down the hatch, pushing her head to force her into the confined space. After he quickly closed it, Mara cursed as the wookie went to Solo's side. Crawling over to Rey and Finn on her hands and knees, she heard another vault door open. Un-rhythmic boots clanked yards away from her, differing greatly from that of stormtroopers. The steps stopped, one pair walking forward in front of the rest.

"Han Solo," A lone, accented voice pierced the thick tension, oh-so-very familiar to Mara. Bala always had a flair for the dramatic, "You're a dead man."

"Bala-Tik." Han greeted, his tone casual and welcoming, trying to act genuinely surprised on their arrival," What's the problem?"

Bala, who seemed to be in more power then the last time Mara spoke with him, judging by him being the only one in the gang talking with any authority, called the elder out," The problem is that we loaned you 50,000 for this job."

While Mara struggled to get a glimpse of both parties above her, Rey's whispers to her voiced her own thoughts," Can you see them?"

She shook her head, straining to look through the mess as wires above her. Barely being able to even see BB-8, she answered quietly, "Nope."

"No," Finn replied as well, using ushered hand motions to tell them to move forward. While Solo tried to stall and the Death Gang maneuvered around his tangle of words, the three beneath the floor crawled over to better see their adversaries.

More words were tossed back and forth while Mara looked through the panels directly under Bala-Tik and his men's feet. Studying their weaponry, they proved to have not upgraded their standard guns that the blonde vividly remembered.

"They have blasters." Rey breathed beside her, as if having sufficient guns was a foreign concept. Mara sighed, remembering her friend had never Ben outside of Jakku in years.

Finn also shared Rey's astonishment, "A lot of them."

Then Mara scowled," Well, they aren't called a death gang for no reason. Now let's get out from under them before they notice us."

Beginning to crawl again, more chatter related above them. The infamous Han Solo seemed to be losing the dispute, his swindling not quite working," I never made a deal with Kanjiklub!"

"Tell that to Kanjiklub." Bala-Tik fired back, and the sound of another vault door opening filled the underground space. Footsteps made the panels above them groan and creak while what Mara perceived to be another ten men awaited on Solo's right.

"I think our company just doubled," Rey whispered beside her, stopping her moments to listen. Mara nodded, gulping a bit at the grim odds they'd have to face to get out of the freighter alive.

"Hi guys!" Han greeted, Chewbacca giving an unconvincing roar.

Finn looked back at the two girls behind him, giving them a look of disbelief," Did he just say 'Hi guys'?"

Mara really didn't want to die today, but with the way things were lining up, that wish might not be granted.

The older man seemed to still be playing stupid, but the act was rapidly falling apart, "Well c'mon guys, when have I ever not delivered for you?"

A voice, either from the Gauvians or Kanjiklub, answered with decisive speed," Twice."

"Well," The blonde said to the two next to her," That's not working? Any ideas?"

While they grew tried to put their heads together on how to get out of the lower corridors of the freighter and escape with the others in tow, Bala spoke again," You know, the First Order is lookin' for a droid just like that one. And three fugitives."

That made them stop crawling, each of the stowaways giving worried looks to each other.

Darn it, Bala. You had to be a little twit.

"Rey," Finn spoke quieter than before, and probably with good reason," Is there a way we can rewire the doors to shut the gangs off?"

She thought upon it briefly, biting her lip while the gears in her mind turned to find a solution," Yes, but I'll need a control panel-"

"Like the one we just passed." Mara pointed to the left where a fork in the pathways had met, showing a quite obvious panel. Rey wasted no time in moving back towards it, Finn and the blonde crossing their fingers she knew exactly what to do.

The scavenger had already set to work on the panel, pulling out wires in a desperate attempt to try and save them. Mara's heart kept thumping in her chest, not wanting to be confined in the small space much longer. Her finger kept tapping, her very mind eager to fight and keep focus on their mission.

Perhaps just the presence of the Gauvian Death Gang wasn't calming her nerves. She hated when people had too much information on her, or when they had something to hold over her. The gang did, Bala in particular. There was a chance they probably didn't know she was still alive, but after the stunt she pulled back on Mandalore, Mara was sure she wouldn't be forgotten by them anytime soon. But they were in her debt as well.

"Got it!" Rey quietly exclaimed, connecting two wires together. The lights in the crawl space flickered and the sound of doors lifting being heard instead of closing. A beast roared from above, and it wasn't Chewie.

"Uh oh." Rey muttered, her face turning a ghastly white as the wire she was holding dropped from her hands," Wrong doors."

Mara actually took the time to face-palm herself. Fighting off the panic rising in the back of her mind, she murmured to herself against her open palm," Rathtars, mother-freaking rathtars."

First yells were heard, then more before BB-8 began to scream. Mara then remembered the entire reason she was in this situation in the first place. The nearest hatch was a few feet away, and the three had popped it open just in time to watch one of the death gang members get eaten alive.

Oh, the beast was a grimey one. It was covered in filth and slime, goo oozing from its pores. It's main body just seemed to be it's eyes, but the rest was incredibly long tentacles. Its eyes fixed on the trio, spinning fast to try and catch them. Mara acted as quick as she could, pushing Rey's head back under.

"Find another exit!" She shouted before she locked the hatch. Mara backed away fast, the Rathtar closing in.

Think think think think-

She leapt towards the keypad, which also meant going in the direction of the beast itself. Slapping her palm against the button, Mara went flush to the wall. The door closed, one tentacle being cut off in the process. The slimy thing squirmed for a second before finally completely dying.

Mara let out a huge breath, lungs finally being free of some of her anxiety. Then the monster pounded against the wall, making her jump slightly. She backed away from the wall, taking out her batons. Sure, the vaulted door would hold the thing, but both gangs were still on board.

Running feet pounded against the rusted floor, the blonde readying for her strike. Her grip loosened when grey hair came into sight. She held down her batons, making sure not to put Han Solo on edge more than he probably was right now.

"What the hell just happened?" The older man roared louder than the wookie behind him. The blonde combed one hand through her hair anxiously out of habit, still hearing the beast banging against the wall in the other room.

A stressed sigh escaped her lips, facing Solo while shrugging," Rathtars got out...."

Whilst the two stared at each other, still processing the situation at hand, Chewbacca gave a warning growl. Three Kanjiklub members turned the corner, holding vibro-staffs. A purple aura emanated from the metal, hinting at it's energy.

One, whose face was heavily scarred, spoke first. His English was broken, his accent seeping into his speech," What is this Solo? You cheat us and try to kill us-"

Han tried to crack a friendly smile, one of his hands falling down towards his hips," Look, please, this is all a big misunderstanding."

The three members didn't look too convinced. Now the blonde eyed the competition, wary of who would pull the first move. If the first went for her, she'd lob the back of his head. If two jumped her...

Mara had begun to formulate a semi-plan of sorts, preparing for the inevitable circumstance to come. Han simply stayed calm, a smirk crossing his face," Now, this is me trying to kill you."

His left hand flew to his blaster, a shot firing in record time. Mara was actually astonished at how fast the gun had appeared in the geezer's hand. One shot to the throat and the Kanjiklub member dropped to the ground like a mere pebble.

Mara would've congratulated the legend coming to life before her eyes, but that's when the man in front of her charged at Solo. With a step to her right, her batons met the vibro-staff. It crackled against her metal weapons, her not feeling the immediate shock her enemy's staff was supposed to hold.

"Huh," The blonde's teeth were gritted, her arms bracing the batons against the stick," I didn't know these were vibri-resistant. Would've hurt a lot if they weren't."

The attacker yelled out some kind of war cry in his native tongue, pulling back to go in for another blow. While Mara swung her weapons forward to block the strike, Chewie engaged the other man.

The Kanjiklub members weren't trained with staves, that's for sure. All her attacker did was try to beat her from the front, a useless technique against a woman who knew how to block. Metal would clang against metal, Mara ducking now and then. Finally deciding she'd had enough time toying with him, the blonde blocked an incoming blow with one baton, going for the jaw with her other.

This didn't strike him off balance first, but Mara's boot went to his chest. Pushing him back, she hit him mid-fall. The man stayed down, eyes rolling back into his skull.

Mara smiled, twirling her weapons round about through her fingers. Spinning on her heel to face Solo, she kept a grin on her face. The older just uttered, "Huh, sticks. Never would've guessed."

Walking away from the scene, she scowled from behind him, expecting at least some form of recognition for her good work," They are called batons!"

Chewbacca mumbled a growl, the tone sounding very complimentary. Mara gave a fake surprised expression, touching her hand to where her heart was," Why thank you, Chewie. At least someone appreciates my art form."

Fast-walking down the corridors, the three heard more cries of pain and anguish, shutting a door whenever they heard screams down the hall. Solo had just vaulted another door when he asked an obvious question he probably should've mentioned a few minutes ago," Hey, where are your friends?"

Mara answered with no hesitation, "Still under the floor."

She had been listening to every single yell of terror since she'd come through the hatch in the floor. She knew Rey's yell well, and she'd heard Finn scream several times since she'd met him. Neither of them had met a Rathtar yet.

But wait a damn minute.

Mara's eyes widen, pressing her lips together before taking a deep breath, holding in an outburst. These two myths in front of her had screwed up, big time. Trying to calm herself down, she let out the air she'd been holding, "Where is my droid?"

She was met by silence. Han had frozen in his spot. Chewbacca was being Chewbacca, standing there and watching while he observed the two exchange glances. The wookie growled something indescribable, but it didn't break the locked gaze. Mara's glare was one that could shred you with just a single look, but Solo was more dumbfounded about how he even lost the astromech.

"Whoops."