#aspacewitch

       The Trader’s Luck had left  Corellia’s  orbit  often, but it wasn’t quite as often        that they stop on multiple planets before returning to their base planet.    Han        was surprised, but curious.   Shrike and his wayward crew were up to... well,        something.        Normally he’d have to move cargo by now or go out begging,        but he’d  been  trapped aboard for the past two days without any word of what        their overall goal was. He wasn’t sure if he’d been to this system  before, but        it still dazzled him to press his face against the viewport.          He only knew         briefly what this was all about,     some  problem with ‘seppies’ trying to take         over their territory.     Han used the word ‘their’ lightly, for he tried to distance        himself from this entire gang whenever possible.        It was for his own good.        He knew he was better than the lot of them,     but he was still too young to be        taken seriously on his own.       If he could run away with Dewlanna, he would.        He was used for his skills as a swoop racer and pickpocket,           but no one        quite cared about him otherwise.       He envied those beyond this stupid ship.

                        The stars were beautiful.  They glittered before his very eyes,                         untouched by all who were revealed to their beauty. They did                         not have to  sit  on the  street for hours upon days begging for                         a few lousy credits.  They didn’t need to risk their lives trying                         to steal valuables from unlucky  offworlders  who were dumb                         enough to bring them  within arm’s length to the prodigy thief.                         They were forced into swoop racing to win money they never                         got to see a credit from.       They... they were the lucky ones.

            The human boy was talented,     he’d heard it among the whole crew that he’d wind             up giving Shrike a run for his credits someday.      Needless to say, he had a huge             ego for a seven year old.           His nose scrunched up against the viewport still, a              rough voice  called  as  he  was  snatched  up  by  his  hair  with  his  feet dangling             above the ground. “WHAH---!”  He screeched as he desperately kicked to feel the             ground once again. “Scruffy lil’ brat, what do you think you’re doing sitting around?”             Shrike’s voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to his ears,    but the blood that             rushed up to his head made his ears ring  loudly as  his  face  turned  red  with  it.

   “Lemme go!”       Han protested with his hands up at Shrike’s fingers,    desperately       attempting to peel them away from thick brown curls.    “I ASKED you a question.”        Shrike grunted at him. Han suddenly    felt his heart his throat as he was yanked closer.      “I was lookin’ at    something!”    Han stammered out his words before he was dropped    onto the ground.      Hands gripping at his own head, he bit his cheek    to distract himself from the pain. Just as he went to stand up,   there    was a swift kick  driven  into his stomach that sent him keeling over    with a pained whimper.      Tears threatened to fall, but he knew that    showing such weakness only meant something worse would come.    “Well, looking doesn’t get SHIT done.     Get goin’, we’re gonna find    the pirate scum and show ‘em what’s for.”     Garris Shrike was not    a man well known for his patience... or mercy.       Han only gave a    weak nod as knelt on the floor with his hands at his stomach.

                          Shrike  left  him  there when there was a call from one of his officers.                           Han  left  out  only a pained groan as he limply fell against the ship’s                           wall. His vision felt hazy, but he knew he’d survive.    He always did,                           even when he didn’t want to.    He realized there was blood filling his                           mouth just as it spilled over his lips when he coughed, having bitten                           his cheek and breaking through the skin.  Murmuring quietly, he got                           to his feet slowly  and  stumbled  down  the hall to  find Dewlanna to                           see if she could help---she was the only solace  he had on this little                           slice of personal torture. 

       He’d only found the  Wookiee  by the time he heard loud shouting from        the hallway again.   His stomach flipped and lurched, making him feel        more like he wanted to throw up than anything else. Dewlanna hurried        to help him clean up his   mouth the best he could with only a rinse as        the best thing she could offer. The medical supplies for the crew were        rather lackluster the way it was, but Shrike’s inflicted punishment got        no aid in the end.    Han scurried off before he could be missed by the        captain himself, showing up just in time. There was an uproar among        the crew---something about the Corellian  Trade  Spine hanging in the        balance against the Separatists and how they couldn’t let pirates take        it as well. Separatists? Pirates?     Oh no, why were they getting in all        of this?     As several of the crew members were commanded to their        positions,     Han felt himself be taken by the arm and dragged toward        the bridge by none other than Shrike himself,       “Listen, I have a job        for you and you’d better not mess it up, kid.”

                              After his ‘mission’ was spilled out to him,     Han was left... dazed.                               Hostage? What HOSTAGE?    This was the first he’d heard about                               some sort of prisoner aboard the ship.    Goes to show how much                               they’d told him. A blaster shoved into his hands,   he was shoved                               off to investigate the cells   ---    makeshift cells from the storage                               containers and shipment areas. Running as fast as he feet could                               manage to take him,       Han huffed and puffed with the throbbing                                pain in his stomach persisting.    He made it to the cell where he                               could only see the outline of a figure behind a red shield.        He                               looked up at the ventilation system above them before he took a                               shot at the metal grate,   watching the remains clatter to the floor                               before he took a running jump toward it.  He grabbed onto the lip                               of the shaft and climbed up and into the vent,    camping out with                               the blaster in hand.    He curled in against himself when the ship                               shook with the force of a blast,       worriedly looking down at the                                floor.        Protect the hostage at all costs... that was his mission.                               It was his only job to sit out of  sight  and  shoot  whoever  dared                               to step foot into this room.