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It happened so fast that he didn’t have time to retaliate.
Granted, Tech hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings. They were on Coruscant, on one of the safer levels and they weren’t on a mission. In fact they were shopping, a very mundane task that statistically had a very low rate of ambushes or even combat associated with it.
Apparently this was that point zero one percent chance outside the norm.
The thin grapple line wrapped quickly around his torso and arms several times. He barely had time to look from his datapad to the cord that was suddenly pinning his arms down before he was yanked backwards and off his feet. He landed hard on his shoulders but at least he managed not to smack the back of his head off the duracrete on his less than graceful landing.
He blinked up at the two men standing over him a bit perplexed. He’d never seen either of them before now nor did he understand why they seemed intent on starting something with him. They looked nothing like the pair of drunken men that had tried to pick a fight with Wrecker the previous night when they left Abe’s so this wasn’t some form of revenge driven attack.
“May I help you?” he asked even as he took in their appearance. Judging from the armaments and the armored clothing they were wearing, they knew their way around a fight but he highly doubted they were that experienced of mercenaries given their ‘attack’ on him.
“Yeah,” the one on the left said. He had brown hair and a scraggly beard that he was apparently trying to grow out with limited success. The visor he was wearing over his eyes was a haphazard jumble that Tech found himself immediately hating. He could have at least taken ten minutes to come up with a more streamline design for a HUD overlay without having extra wire sticking out at odd angles. It just looked messy and was downright unprofessional in appearance and the more he looked at it the more it irritated him. “Just shut up and sit pretty.”
“I assume you have a reason for this?” Honestly it seemed like a reasonable request given his current predicament. His datapad suddenly being plucked from his hand had him turning to the other individual with them behind the stall of the ‘market’ plaza that Wrecker had wanted to explore. The array of quint little tents with merchants hawking their wares had fascinated him and oddly enough Crosshair, who had immediately gone to one such tent that had an array of wigs and hats hanging out on display. “I beg your pardon!”
“Neat little minipad,” the other man admired his datatpad for a moment before he tucked it into the satchel he had hanging off his side. Unlike his companion he was on the opposite end of the spectrum when it came to hair. He was completely clean shaven from the top of his head all the way down to where the collar of his jacket started. He had a lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. “Think I’ll keep it as collateral.”
Tech raised an eyebrow at that, affronted at his presumption, “And what makes you think I would let you keep it?”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” The bearded man suddenly hauled him up to his feet. “You have bigger things to worry about than trying to take your little gizmo back, Caverston.”
Caverston? Well at least this helped to explain why he was being accosted. “I do believe you have the wrong individual.” The tent he had been hauled behind had a small slit in the back of it so that Tech could see the jeweler. Young girl, long black hair and pointedly not paying attention to what she could clearly hear behind her judging by how tense her shoulders were. Mostly likely threatened or bought into silence to ignore them, more than likely the latter if he were to guess. He wasn’t as good at reading body language as Hunter or Crosshair but she was clearly scared to turn around.
“Tch!” the bald man said in disbelief. “That’s what they all say.”
In all honesty it wouldn’t take much for him to deal with these two… gentlemen but the chance of collateral damage was too high if they could even use two of the blasters they were carrying somewhat competently. The percentage chance that the shopkeep would be injured caught in the crossfire was well above ninety percent. The fight would most likely spread into the plaza as well, involving multiple other civilians and causing more damage to the area before his brothers could provide assistance… which would only increase with their aid…
Better to let them take him somewhere less populated to avoid such a scenario.
“It is the truth,” he pointed out even as his bald headed soon to be kidnapper patted him down.
He easily found his blasters in the shoulder holsters under his jacket. He let out a soft whistle as he looked them over appreciatively. “Holy fuck you’re packing…” he handed one to his partner. “Here, we can each have one.”
Tech huffed, irritated. “Would you two kindly just take me elsewhere? I’d rather not involve anyone else in this.”
“Sure,” it was the last thing he heard as something smashed him over the back of the head.
Honestly, he had expected that but it didn’t make the strike any less painful.
-Break-
Tech woke up a short time later, even more irritated than before and now with a headache on top of it all.
Lovely.
He took a moment to blink the fogginess from his eyes. Minor concussion but he couldn’t have been out for more than fifteen minutes. It was enough time for them to move him but not too far from the plaza. Even though he was in the back of an A-A5 speeder truck it didn’t appear as though they had time to go anywhere.
What they had had time to do was ensure that he was secured even better than before but he wasn’t sure if they were just underestimating him or they had spent all of their credits on armaments. They hadn’t used binders but had instead opted to tie him up with a tightly woven rope by his wrists and ankles that were connected with a rope so that his shoulders and knees were flexed around behind his back. The thin cord grapple line was still around his upper arms but now he was completely wrapped in a net from head to toe and was tied off to a bulkhead so that he was partially lifted off the floor.
Odd setup… but he had to admit it was an effective way to restrain someone.
Tech allowed himself a few minutes for his head to clear. The truck was silent so he assumed that his captors were elsewhere and not yet onboard. He tested his bindings but they didn’t give an inch nor did he have the necessary room to free his hands by dislocating his thumbs and sliding them free of the ropes.
Now, Tech could officially say he was annoyed.
As if to add to the annoyance, Hunter’s voice suddenly came over his comm, “ Alright guys, funs over. Orders came through. Rendezvous over next to the Pearl Street entrance, next to the tent that has the… rectangular flying things over it .”
Well this was a fatal flaw of theirs that he was going to ruthlessly exploit. While searching him they had missed the thinlit com that was tucked beneath the temple tips for his civilian glasses. Really he was kind of impressed that his glasses had stayed on throughout this entire escapade and they hadn't thought to remove them.
And of course now, his dignity was going to suffer a major blow.
He closed his eyes, briefly lamenting the loss of his pride. Knowing his brothers they weren’t going to let this one drop for a while but really when it came down to it he couldn’t justify the loss of civilian life just because a pair of incompetent individuals mistook him for someone else. Tech sigh, tipped his head to the side enough to activate the comm so he could talk to his brothers. “Those are known as ‘kites’ Hunter. A traditional toy for children on numerous planets… And I will not be able to join you there I’m afraid. There has been a bit of a misunderstanding that has led to me being detained by a pair of individuals.”
There was a noticeable pause on the line before Crosshair came over it somehow managing to sound like he was the one who just admitted to being kidnapped in a single word. “ What? ”
“Yes, I know. However, between the estimated causality rate within the plaza had I chosen to resist, I couldn’t justify not letting them restrain me and remove me from the premise,” he huffed haughtily right back at Crosshair.
“ Whoa wait,” Wrecker sounded like he was in the middle of laughing as he gasped out. “ Are you saying you were kidnapped? ”
There was no way to get around it. “In laymen’s terms: yes.”
The noise that came over the line was clearly muffled laughter from at least two sources. Tech resisted the urge to thump his head against the wall. Honestly it would do him no good, was purely an emotional response and his head hurt enough as it was.
“ Do you know where they took you ?” Tech rolled his eyes. Even Hunter sounded like he was highly amused at his situation.
“Unsure. They knocked me unconscious behind a jeweler booth on the north west side of the plaza and have moved me to an A-A5 speeder truck that is currently parked somewhere that I suspect is nearby. I believe they threatened the shopkeeper into silence. Tall girl with long black hair wearing a bright green dress with silver trim and a turquoise sash.”
“ Are you okay? ” Crosshair asked, somehow still sounding the same but with just enough of an edge in his voice that Tech knew meant that the individuals who grabbed him were ‘in for it’ as Wrecker would say when Crosshair caught up to them.
“I am suffering from a mild concussion.” He paused for a moment before adding as an afterthought. “They took my blasters and datapad from me, please don’t damage them when you engage them.”
“ No promises ,” Crosshair hissed. “But I’ll make sure to replace them if that happens."
“ Can you get yourself loose? ” Hunter asked immediately after that. He sounded distracted. Given what he had told them for a location, Hunter was most likely tracking his scent to his current location.
Of course now, he had to admit his predicament which only added to his annoyance with himself.
“... I am unable to free myself. Instead of using the traditional binders, I am in a rudimentary net with some flexibands pinning my arms to my side and a rope is binding my feet and hands together behind my back.”
“ Can’t you just cut yourself free ?” Wrecker asked.
Tech sighed, both from having to repeat himself and the teasing he knew was going to be coming. “I am not carrying a knife.”
“Tech!” Hunter sounded both disapproving and admonishing at the same time. “Why aren’t you carrying a knife?! ”
“ And you claim to be smart .”
Tech felt an eyebrow twitch at that. Of course Crosshair would have to throw his two credits in too. “They searched me. Very thoroughly despite their incompetence. I doubt even if I had a knife that it would still be in my possession.”
“ Oh my word this is rich,” Crosshair snorted over the comm between them. “ Why did they kidnap you? ”
Tech glowered at the far side of the truck’s cargo area. “A case of mistaken identity. They called me Caverston and ignored me when I told them I wasn’t.”
“ You let yourself be kidnapped by people who couldn’t even tell who you are? ”
Before he could reiterate why he hadn’t engaged them, now thoroughly annoyed with Crosshair, Hunter spoke up. “ Do you know where they are ?”
Pulling himself back to assist as much as he could in his rescue, Tech just made a mental note to get back at Crosshair at a later date for his comments. “I am unsure of their location. As I already stated, currently I am in an A-A5 speeder truck that is parked somewhere I haven't seen them since I woke up.”
“ Are you able to disable it?” Hunter asked, clearly running judging by how his voice puffed lightly with each word over the line.
Tech sighed and turned his head to look at the back wall, wincing at the motion and wasn’t quite able to mask the small sound of pain that escaped him. “I am unable to reach the power conduits on the back wall.”
“ How badly are you hurt?” Crosshair suddenly asked. Obviously he hadn’t masked it as much as he had hoped if he had picked up on it. Hunter would have undoubtedly heard it too then.
Of course it was also a viable question. “Enough so that I am unsure if I’ll be able to walk back to the ship and maintain my balance but not serious enough for me to believe that I am at risk of any debilitating side effects.”
There was a wordless growl over the line and Tech just knew he would have a little bit of vindictive pleasure when Crosshair caught up to his two captors.
Speaking of, Tech heard them talking as they walked up to the truck. “Speaking of; they’re back.”
“ Leave your comm on, ” Hunter was quick to say. “ But don't let them know you have it.”
It would be the easiest way to track him if they didn’t manage to stop them from leaving. “Acknowledged,” he whispered so that it was masked by the swish as the truck’s side door opened.
He needn't have worried, his captors were too busy laughing about something as they stepped into the hold. The bearded one was clapping the bald one on the shoulder as they entered the space. They barely gave him a second glance as they started for the cockpit.
Great. If they took off this was going to drag out longer than he had thought.
As if reading his mind, Hunter suddenly came over the channel. " Brace yourself. Hard contact in five."
Tech couldn't really brace himself well in his current position but he could at least make sure that his head didn't bang off the bulkhead behind him. Neither of his captors seemed to pick up on his shift as they punched the code to enter the cockpit. Tech was fairly certain that they hadn't even realized that he was awake.
The door had barely shut behind them when the countdown hit one and what felt like another speeder truck slammed into the side of the one they were in.
The door next to him bowed inward with enough force that the whole truck tilted in the opposite direction at about a forty three degree angle to the horizontal plane. Almost immediately a drop back down to land in the ground with a heavy thud. Tech had managed to brace himself but he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as his captors hollered and swore as a reaction to the sudden strike.
Of course Wrecker wasn't giving them time to recover. While there had been a surprise element to the strike, t was more so that he could get a grip on the speeder in case they decided to make a run for it. It also allowed him to put a hand through the door enough so he could grab it and rip it from its track.
Which was just what he did, letting Hunter and Crosshair into the space.
Crosshair was the first in, moving quickly to put his back to the wall next to the cockpit door, making a point to be between them and Tech.
Hunter was the next in. Moving to be directly in front of the door to the cockpit. The clamor on the other side announced when it was about to open and Hunter used that to his advantage, timing it so that his fist was connecting with the bald captor's head at the same time that the door swung open. It was a bit of a cheap shot on his jawline but considering Hunter had decided not to use his vibroknife which he was clutching in his other hand, Tech guessed that his captor could count himself lucky in that aspect.
His other capture managed a wordless cry of surprise before Crosshair shot him with a stun bolt. Surprisingly restrained for him. Judging from the way he had been acting on the comms Tech would have expected a headshot from something a little more violent than his pistol.
"Clear," Hunter said, getting all three of them to stand down.
Crosshair immediately turned and dropped to one knee so he could look Tech in the face as Wrecker peered in through the hole in the wall where the door had been. While Crosshair did a quick medical evaluation Hunter began patting the two men down. Tech was relieved to see he removed his datapad from the satchel but Crosshair put a hand on his chin and pulled his head to the side to better see his eyes.
"Definitely a concussion," He said, sounding less than impressed. His eyes didn't move as he smirked at him, "And they trusted you up well."
Tech huffed, "Yes, I will admit I am highly unimpressed with everything involving this scenario at the present moment."
Wrecker laughed, "Well that's what happens when you get caught Tech! Especially since these guys don't even look like they have anything to do with the war!"
Hunter knelt down in front of him, smiling softly as he held up his knife. "Tech, this is a knife."
Despite the pain it generated in his head Tech rolled his eyes. "Yes, Hunter. I know."
"Well did you also know how good a knife is at cutting you free from net, ropes, and grapple lines?"
"Yes Hunter," he grumbled as his older brother did just that. The ropes and netting had barely fallen away from him when Wrecker reached over and heaved him upright. He wobbled and would have fallen if the larger clone hadn’t quickly wrapped an arm around him to support him.
Crosshair made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat. “Let’s get you to the Marauder.”
“Uh… what about those two?” Wrecker asked jabbing a thumb in the general direction of the cockpit even as he turned to lead Tech back to where they had left the ship parked.
“Oh I’ll deal with them,” Tech said, holding a hand out. “Hunter, let me see my datapad.”
Crosshair snorted in amusement. “Let me guess… they’re wanted felons?”
“Hardly. Too obvious…” Tech had to squint to see the screen, not wanting to admit how the brightness of the screen was bothering his head and eyes. “However numerous traffic violations against them as well as aiding and abetting several other criminals will do nicely. They may not have much in the way of jail time but the financial burden will more than make up for that.”
“Ooohhh,” Wrecker said appreciatively. “Playing dirty there, Tech. I like it.”
Tech hummed at the compliment. He was distracted as he was hacking into and started creating falsified reports on the two individuals in the Coruscant Security Force databanks. After a quick review he would put through an an anonymous tip on the CSF hotline so that they would come through and pick them up before they woke up.
"Speaking of playing dirty," Crosshair said slyly as he looked knowingly at Hunter. "Did you get that little jade necklace specially for Brie?"
Even distracted as he was, Tech could tell Hunter blushed. Still he was quick to deny it. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"
Crosshair chuckled, "Don't try lying to me Hunter. You know I can tell you are."
"Aw, you bought Brie a necklace…" Wrecker leaned over him a bit to better see over Hunter's shoulder. "Can I see it?"
Hunter's face was the same color as his bandana. "I didn't buy anything."
"Hunter, it's carved into the shape of a skull…It's kind of obvious who would give her something like that."
"I'll keep an eye on security cameras, Crosshair." Tech promised off-handedly as he finished falsifying the reports on his kidnappers. "As soon as I see Brie wearing a carved jade necklace that's in the shape of a skull I'll let you know so we can confirm that Hunter did indeed give her a necklace."
Hunter sputtered something but Tech was already deep enough in the security grid that it would be easy to verify if he had bought a necklace at the plaza. It would only take a moment to check. Then he would have leverage to get Hunter to put a requisition form in for the new advanced security center he had been wanting to install in the Marauder.
Really, as embarrassing as this incident was, Tech had to admit this was a good way to turn it back around to his favor... even if he would probably never live it down.