Near the Koornacht Cluster, TOTALLY MONDAY EVENING [FT]
Time passed, clothes were changed, vomit was cleaned up, and Jarael told a story to everyone on the Cargryph team.
"When I was very young, I attended a school on a planet called Osadia. It was run by a kind man named Antos Wyrick, who trained us both mentally and physically to be the peak of what we could be. But peace at the Osadia Academy didn't last long. Master Wyrick was away on a trip when the Crucible came. When Dace Golliard and the Skreapers came. Our parents did what they could, but Golliard captured a lot of us. I don't know what happened to anyone else, though."
"When the Crucible brings you in, you have to learn to fight quickly, or else you'll never survive. And like Goethar said, once you start to prove yourself in duels, you might get chosen for another role. Eventually, I fought my way into training the other slaves. I did what I could to move them along into dueling rings, just because it was better than whatever else they could have been forced to do. And then, when I'd reached my limit, Camper rescued me. I'd been in hiding since."
*****
Later, the Hot Prospect arrived at a transit hub near the Koornacht Cluster. There, they met up with a large freighter ship to transfer the slaves so they could go somewhere safe.
"Lucky your freighter captain friend happened by, Zayne," Gryph said as the slaves and captain went back into the freighter. "I wouldn't have wanted to haul all that company around. Not for free!"
"Yeah. Lucky," Zayne said, waving to the captain. Zayne hated hiding the fact that it was Oojah's grandfather, part of the Rogue Moon Project. But the time wasn't right to confess that secret just yet. "He's headed out to a refugee center anyway."
"You're lucky I don't send the two of you with them!" Gryph said. "Scamming slavers? Have you lost your minds? You don't con marks that can fight back! Not behind my back! And Jarael, the ex-slaver! I should've known something was up when Goethar Kleej spotted you and ran off. Anyone else here got a secret past? Is Rohlan really a Bith bandleader using us to get to his next gig?"
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, Gryph," Jarael said. "I never wanted to think about the Crucible again. But now, I can't stop thinking. I saw Master Wyrick's school burned, adults killed trying to save us. Then the rest of us, ground up in their pointless 'training.' Zayne's right. I have to do something before another family is destroyed. Like mine was."
"I... suspected something troubled you," Rohlan said. "But I wanted you to tell me in your own time. I am honored you did. My aid is yours in anything. Especially if you think your fellow settlers remain in Crucible hands."
"Maybe," Jarael said. "We were split up so long ago. But during the battle, Golliard told me about people I left behind. Who would know I was still alive? Or care? And where did he hear I'd come out of hiding?"
"Good questions," Rohlan said. "We will ask this Crucible when we find them."
"Whoa now, slow down, Jarael," Gryph said, correctly sensing that he was losing control of the situation. "Believe it or not, I sympathize. Slaving's a sorry business to get caught up in. But I never heard of this Crucible bunch before a month ago. And in my line of business, that means stay away. People who cross them vanish. Nobody's seen Jervo Thalien, and he's a gas giant! We could be next to go!"
"Forget it, Gryph," Zayne said. "We're doing this. You can come along or work your next con alone."
"Democracy is going to ruin capitalism," Gryph said, dropping his head into his hands.
"Don't worry! The Crucible knows less about us than we know about them," Zayne said, putting a comforting hand on Gryph's shoulder. "Wherever Golliard went, we'll find him."
[OOC: Epilogue! The first part is me explaining stuff shown in flashbacks. The second part is all from The Reaping Part 2 by Miller and Dazo.
Um. Apparently I missed this last post on Monday. Time travels differently out there. Ahem.]
"When I was very young, I attended a school on a planet called Osadia. It was run by a kind man named Antos Wyrick, who trained us both mentally and physically to be the peak of what we could be. But peace at the Osadia Academy didn't last long. Master Wyrick was away on a trip when the Crucible came. When Dace Golliard and the Skreapers came. Our parents did what they could, but Golliard captured a lot of us. I don't know what happened to anyone else, though."
"When the Crucible brings you in, you have to learn to fight quickly, or else you'll never survive. And like Goethar said, once you start to prove yourself in duels, you might get chosen for another role. Eventually, I fought my way into training the other slaves. I did what I could to move them along into dueling rings, just because it was better than whatever else they could have been forced to do. And then, when I'd reached my limit, Camper rescued me. I'd been in hiding since."
*****
Later, the Hot Prospect arrived at a transit hub near the Koornacht Cluster. There, they met up with a large freighter ship to transfer the slaves so they could go somewhere safe.
"Lucky your freighter captain friend happened by, Zayne," Gryph said as the slaves and captain went back into the freighter. "I wouldn't have wanted to haul all that company around. Not for free!"
"Yeah. Lucky," Zayne said, waving to the captain. Zayne hated hiding the fact that it was Oojah's grandfather, part of the Rogue Moon Project. But the time wasn't right to confess that secret just yet. "He's headed out to a refugee center anyway."
"You're lucky I don't send the two of you with them!" Gryph said. "Scamming slavers? Have you lost your minds? You don't con marks that can fight back! Not behind my back! And Jarael, the ex-slaver! I should've known something was up when Goethar Kleej spotted you and ran off. Anyone else here got a secret past? Is Rohlan really a Bith bandleader using us to get to his next gig?"
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, Gryph," Jarael said. "I never wanted to think about the Crucible again. But now, I can't stop thinking. I saw Master Wyrick's school burned, adults killed trying to save us. Then the rest of us, ground up in their pointless 'training.' Zayne's right. I have to do something before another family is destroyed. Like mine was."
"I... suspected something troubled you," Rohlan said. "But I wanted you to tell me in your own time. I am honored you did. My aid is yours in anything. Especially if you think your fellow settlers remain in Crucible hands."
"Maybe," Jarael said. "We were split up so long ago. But during the battle, Golliard told me about people I left behind. Who would know I was still alive? Or care? And where did he hear I'd come out of hiding?"
"Good questions," Rohlan said. "We will ask this Crucible when we find them."
"Whoa now, slow down, Jarael," Gryph said, correctly sensing that he was losing control of the situation. "Believe it or not, I sympathize. Slaving's a sorry business to get caught up in. But I never heard of this Crucible bunch before a month ago. And in my line of business, that means stay away. People who cross them vanish. Nobody's seen Jervo Thalien, and he's a gas giant! We could be next to go!"
"Forget it, Gryph," Zayne said. "We're doing this. You can come along or work your next con alone."
"Democracy is going to ruin capitalism," Gryph said, dropping his head into his hands.
"Don't worry! The Crucible knows less about us than we know about them," Zayne said, putting a comforting hand on Gryph's shoulder. "Wherever Golliard went, we'll find him."
[OOC: Epilogue! The first part is me explaining stuff shown in flashbacks. The second part is all from The Reaping Part 2 by Miller and Dazo.
Um. Apparently I missed this last post on Monday. Time travels differently out there. Ahem.]