2 Chapter 2 - Escape.
If you want to read up to 10!! chapters ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Currently updating twice a day on patreeeon.
——————————————————
[Sion Wells. POV.]
[One week later]
Sweat dripped into my eyes, stinging them as I hauled another crate of illicit blasters onto the skiff. My muscles ached, protesting the relentless labor, but I didn't slow down. It had been a week, a whole week since I'd opened my eyes to the twin suns of Tatooine and the slimy face of Gardulla the Hutt.
Things were still bad, but at the very least I was no longer the maid of that disgusting slug. I had been promoted due to my physical prowess, or that's what the bot said…
Though the term promotion felt rather empty when I still got paid nothing.
"Move faster, human!" a Gamorrean guard grunted, shoving me with the butt of his vibro-ax.
I bit back a retort, knowing better than to mouth off to Gardulla's goons without a way to actually fight back. Instead, I shifted the weight of the crate and pushed on. The Hutt's palace loomed in the background, a sprawl of stone and metal that became my world, my prison.
"Careful with that," a Twi'lek handler warned as I loaded the cargo. "Those blasters are worth more than your life."
"Thanks for the reminder," I muttered under my breath, setting the crate down with a thud. Honestly, if I didn't have this shock collar, I would've shoved my boot so far up his alien ass that I would've left an imprint on his head.
As I reached for the next box, my hand brushed against a small, metallic object hidden beneath the tarp. Curious, I palmed it discreetly, slipping it into my pocket when no one was looking. It was a datachip, small, easily overlooked, but potentially valuable.
If there was something I had learned in my short time here, it was that anything could be useful.
I waited until my shift ended, ducking into the shadows of an alleyway between two massive sandstone walls. With trembling fingers, I retrieved the chip and held it up to the fading light, [Discarded Datachip]. The risk of stealing from the Hutt was insane, if discovered, I would die, but I didn't have many options, the system wasn't giving me anything.
Any quest I completed, had the same reward, not dying, Meaning that if I wanted to escape, I couldn't rely on anything but my own wits to do so.
"Could be nothing," I whispered to myself. "Or it could be my ticket out of this sci-fi hellhole."
Back in my quarters, a cramped space I shared with other slaves, I slid the datachip into a battered datapad I'd salvaged from the junk pile. The screen flickered to life, revealing a series of encrypted files. I wasn't the best when it came to technology, but I knew enough to recognize shipping routes and transaction logs for black market goods.
"Fuck," I exhaled, realizing the potential of what I'd found.
The information was a goldmine, especially for someone like me, trapped in the belly of the beast. If I played my cards right, I could sell these details to the right buyer. A few discreet inquiries, a silent exchange, and I'd have credits flowing into my hands. Credits meant power, means to bargain, maybe even a chance at freedom.
But… How did Gardulla, a criminal overlord, overlook this?
It felt far too easy…
"Be smart, Sion," I counseled myself, hiding the datapad under my thin mattress. "Gardulla can't know."
Working for the Hutt was slowly grinding me down, but if this datachip wasn't a fake… then it was my glint of hope in a sea of sand and servitude. Tomorrow, I'd make my move. Tonight, I'd plan.
"First week down," I said, determination hardening in my chest. "Won't be a second."
[New Quest: Earn your freedom!
Objective: Find a reliable buyer for the Datachip.
Reward: Your freedom, 7,000 Credits, ???.
Penalties: Death.]
I could almost laugh at the quest notification, after a week of nothing, now the damn system gave me a quest. I suppose it's better now than never.
——————————————————————————————————
In the morning, a warm wind carried the scent of sizzling meat and baked bread into our sleeping quarters. My stomach rumbled at the smell, but I pushed away the hunger. I had business to take care of.
The marketplace was a teeming mass of bodies under the glowering eyes of Gardulla's guards. I navigated the throng with single-minded determination. I needed to find Squibb.
Squibb was an unassuming Filordi with connections that reached into every corner of Tatooine. He was also one of the few beings here who didn't completely despise me. We shared the same slave brand; he was just more seasoned in this hell.
He had been one of the first slaves I had met, and one of the few that didn't mind saying how much he hated the big slug, so we bonded over that.
"Squibb," I greeted as I approached his stall, a mish-mash of spare parts and second-hand tech.
The Filordi looked up from the data pad he was tinkering with, eyes hidden behind thick goggles. "Sion," he replied gruffly, as if surprised that I would approach him. "How's the fat slug treating you?
"Same as always, but that's not why I am here, I've got something you might be interested in," I said quietly, cautiously scanning our surroundings for prying eyes or flapping ears.
One furry brow lifted skeptically, as if daring me to surprise him. "Go on."
I slipped out the datachip from my pocket and handed it over. Squibb scrutinized it for a moment before popping it into his own datapad and scrolling through its contents.
I watched him closely, my heart hammering uncomfortably in my chest. His face remained impassive during his review, giving no indication whether he found something worthwhile or not.
Finally, he looked up at me over the rim of his goggles. "Where'd you get this?"
"Does it matter?" I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.
His jaw tightened, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by a more serious one. "If you're messing with the Hutt's business... I know we both hate her, well… everybody does, but still…"
"I'm not," I cut in quickly. "Well, not in the way you're thinking. Just found it, thought it might be worth something."
Squibb stared at me for a long moment, then back at the datachip. He took a deep breath and leaned back against his stall. "This...this is dangerous stuff, Sion."
"I know." My grip tightened on the edge of the table.
"If Gardulla finds out..."
"She won't," I said, more to reassure myself than him.
He sighed heavily. "I...I might know someone who'd be interested in this. Discreet, has resources. But it's going to cost you a percentage of whatever this is worth."
"I can pay," I replied quickly, gripping my hands into fists. "Just...just help me, Squibb, with this we can buy our freedom."
"Alright," he finally agreed after another tense pause. "Meet me here tonight, after the market closes. Don't bring anyone else."
I nodded, thanked him and left him alone with the datachip. As I walked away from Squibb's stall, I felt a surge of adrenaline rush through my veins.
This was it. The first real step towards freedom.
[Quest Update: Meet Squibb after closing time.]
—————————————————————————————————-
That night as Tattoine's twin suns sank beneath the horizon and the last of the stalls packed up their wares, I slipped
through the shadows towards Squibb's stall, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum from a metal band.
"Squibb," I hissed as I moved into the dimly lit space. "You here?"
The Filordi emerged from the shadowy depths of his stall, his eyes twinkling with an unreadable light behind his goggles.
"Sion," he greeted, voice barely above a whisper. There was a certain worry in his voice that unsettled me yet increased my determination.
He pulled a datapad from within his ragged cloak and handed it to me. It was not the same one he was tinkering with earlier but rather a sleeker, more advanced model.
"The buyer agreed," Squibb said, breaking the silence that had settled between us. "He wants to meet tomorrow at sunfall, out by the Dune Sea."
I paused at that, the Dune Sea wasn't exactly what you'd call safe. I hadn't been there, but I had seen enough about it in the movies to know it was a dangerous place to be.
"That's..." I began, but Squibb cut me off.
"It's risky, I know," he murmured. "But this isn't exactly legal business we're dealing with here. He won't meet anywhere else."
I took a deep breath and nodded. Risky or not, this was my only chance at freedom, or a terrible death. Either way, I was winning.
"Alright," I decided after a moment, tucking the datapad into my pocket. "Tomorrow at sunfall."
"As for my commission, let's make it a… thirty percent," Squibb added, his tone firm.
I bristled. I had been hoping for ten, maybe fifteen percent maximum. "That's steep."
He only shrugged, his face a mask of faux innocence. "Dangerous endeavors demand dues."
I sighed. "Fine, thirty it is, anything to get out of that Slug's thumb."
[Quest Reward Updated!
7,000 Credits > 4,900 Credits.]
