BDH - The Screaming Star Incident

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

I. Screaming Star

“Well?! Patch it through! Let’s hear it!”

“…ter Scream…dent ship Exod…the RMS Anth…moving in to a…lease respon…possibl…if able.”

“Thank the force! Open a channel!” Excitedly the Bothan turned almost seemed as if he was going to ignore them until, suddenly, he turned back. “Gareth, get another team together. Take some of the techs with you to see if you can’t get that door open.” Turning back to the comm., he nodded to the man there to try getting a reply back to whatever ship had hailed them.

Sam had been very quiet while the staticy signal had come through, trying to piece it out in her mind. The ship name she’d thought had been said sounded familiar…almost too familiar. Sev’s station? No way…that can’t be right. Still, she could have sworn. Shifting her Shutzhund around in her grip, she looked first from Bauth to Gareth and back again before glancing around the large room at the number of beings within. Only a handful of them looked to have any sort of combat training or be a guard of some kind, more than not seemed to be squints—tech officers, engineers (the ones who had made it out anyway), mostly those who seemed to be used in running the ship.

She sighed a bit and looked to Gareth again. The klatoonian didn’t seem pleased at the prospect but waved for Sam to follow him as he started through the milling crew as they either went about their business watching the declining readouts or tried to get the ship (or each other) patched up. “How much training did you get, brown shoe? “ Sam could only try not to glare at the man because of the derogatory term. They didn’t have time for arguing…

”Enough. Long past basics, if that’s what you’re getting at. I’ll be waiting at the door. Get your men ASAP. We don’t have much time.” She didn’t even wait for his reply as she broke off and headed for the blast doors, finding a fairly unoccupied section of wall. Half watching the klatoonian go about gathering people, she looked in the four enclosed slots on her belt. Two incendiary rounds, one smoke round, and one GIMPSE round…not much help, but still. Sighing, she took the single smoke round and loaded it into the underslung launcher with a slide and click. She’d just have to be careful with this round…save it until (if) they really needed it.

“S-sir!”

Sam, like most of the people in the room, looked up at the dismayed cry…the devaronian hurrying over to a man no older than 20. “Sir…I just noticed…another of the hatches has been breeched!”

I sure hope it’s the cavalry…

“Gareth, go get those men! Hurry up about it!”

“We need to stay here and protect…”

”Just do it! Who knows how long it’s been breeched by now…”

”It could be a boarding party from the military,” she said quietly to Gareth as he, and about nine others, came stalking up to her. Or, more appropriately, they came stalking up to the door that led to the rest of the ship.

“In either case we should be here.”

”I agree, but let’s wait in the hall outside. If someone’s coming we’ll have a better chance at hearing them or seeing them than we will in here. The hall can work in our favor if we set ourselves up properly, and if it’s marines we’re all better off.”

He seemed to consider the situation a moment before nodding just slightly. “So what’s the plan then?” The other men with him seemed to inch closer, making her feel mildly claustrophobic for a moment as she thought things over, counting the number of ‘squints’ versus those trained to wield weapons.

”Seven to four…okay, here’s the plan. Techs will stay in the very back, between us and the blast doors. Four armed will remain standing in front of them…spread out to the width of the hall. It isn’t that wide, so there shouldn’t be much space between you. Three others will kneel in front of them to fill the spaces, I’ll take point…I have a suspicion about this navy ship and if I’m right there are friends on the way.” I really, really, hope I’m right and not just having a case of wishful thinking. ”We only have a little while to wait before we have no other choice but to leave and try to get those men, though…so let’s hope that, friend or foe, whoever it is gets here fast.”

Gareth seemed hesitant about the idea, though whether it was because of the plan itself or because of having to leave at some point…she just wasn’t sure. It didn’t seem to matter, though, as he punched in the code for the blast doors, the twin sets (outer and inner) hissed open, followed by the regular bridge doors. The guard there nodded slightly to them as they passed through into the darkness of the hall outside, the doors (all of them) closing and locking behind them again and leaving only minimal light in the hallway.

About ten feet along it, Sam stopped them with a hand, took five more steps out, and took a knee. With a nod to Gareth, she kept an ear and an eye out for any sound or movement as the man got his men set up swiftly. After the initial shifting of gear and movement of bodies the hall fell deathly silent once more as she glanced down at her wrist for the time. For ages it seemed that the ship was still as death itself, only the Indian night noises…those ominous creeks and groans of the ailing ship…able to be heard. Every once in a while the barely audible sound of someone shifting around behind her had her tensing and listening harder for something she wasn’t sure was there, or would ever be there. If whoever it is is military, they’ll come here first…I know it. I just hope they’re military. Well, she only partially wanted them to be military. She certainly didn’t want to go to jail, but it was preferable, she supposed, to the alternative of pirates.

After about ten minutes of waiting, she glanced back to Gareth…he seemed to understand: they were out of time for waiting. As he started to move, however, Sam held up a fist swiftly to stop him. That same hand opened and paused beside her ear. Something had moved…was moving still. It was barely more than a whisper of material and gear and (she could have sworn) the very faintest hints of an actual tone of some kind…a pinging or…or…she couldn’t tell, it was far too quiet. My imagination maybe…can’t think of anything that would make that sound… How could she know it was the sound of a SNARL pinging into three people’s ears?

Slowly, gently, she pulled the shutzhund more tightly to her shoulder, one finger softly pressing the safety off before nudging the fire setting to burst. The quiet click was loud to her ears in the relative silence and heightened sense of anticipation, adrenaline coursing through her blood. With agonizing care, so as not to make a sound, Sam twisted her arm about in her rifle strap to keep it out of her way…and attached to her. Another moment crawled by excruciatingly slowly before something clattered and pinged loudly on the floor a few feet in front of her.

Grey eyes swept to the sound, her whole body tensing and ready to fire, spring away, or both…

A bulle—?

“Six five, report.”

She nearly jumped at the sudden voice from the shadows, her voice reacting before her mind caught up.

”Sir!?”

The confusion was evident (if only just slightly) in her voice, initially because of her immediate reaction…then because of whose voice it was. The men behind her had shifted, tensing…a feeling she didn’t need the force to sense any more than she needed to look behind her to see that they were pointing their weapons in the direction of the disembodied voice. Standing immediately, she lowered her weapon and turned to the others. ”Take it easy guys…the cavalry’s arrived.”

She was grinning even before he appeared around the corner, followed in short order by Hunter and Archer. Oh how she had to restrain herself from attacking each of them with hugs…it was not a simple task. ”If it isn’t my three favorite people in the galaxy!” Propping her rifle over her own shoulder, she closed the distance to Sev enough to reach out a hand and give him a solid pat atop the shoulder and a squeeze of her hand before withdrawing it and beaming at the other two. ”First off, I’d think you were getting used to meeting me under odd circumstances, secondly I was hoping it’d be less than years but yeah…I’m sure as hells glad it’s you fellas.” Glancing back over her shoulder at the group behind her, she chuckled a little and shook her head as she turned to ‘open up’ the space between Sev and the crew that was with her.

”Ah trust thus es et? Are there any more survivors?”

“Slow down, slick, just who the hell are you anyway?”

“Republic marine, Sergeant Sevchenko, we’ve come tae get ye off thus heap.”

”I did tell you the cavalry was here…and no…there’s more, maybe 20 or so, in the bridge behind those blast doors and there’s talk of more trapped in the engineering section. We were on the way to them when you boys popped up.” Glancing over at Hunter, she gave a quirky smile and a little chuckle. Considering who and what he was, there was little doubt he’d been the one to get them here…likely in record time, too, with those SNARL scopes. Shaking her head a bit and smiling, she waved Gareth forward. ”Sev, this is Gareth, head of security for the ship. Gareth, this is my CO…well…was my CO, anyway.”

As the klatoonian walked over, he eyed Sev’s bearing and outfitting before shifting his rifle over to one hand and extending out the other. Sam, however, was eying the time. “Good to have some help…this all of you or there others? I don’t wanna leave the bridge with so little protection…there’s no way of telling if the privateers that did this are still around or not.” Sam shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and subconsciously rechecked her weapon before shifting the flight helmet just slightly. “Still, we’ve got to get our men out of engineering.”

”Soon as possible, too. Apparently this ship has a shelf life of 30 minutes before it goes rotten, and we’ve lost t--” Her words were cut off by a sudden trembling through the ship, her eyes going wide. ”I sure hope that isn't something new going wrong...”

[Latus]

As utterly pleased to see Sam as he and the lads surely were, he couldn't help but desire that it had been under a more pleasant circumstance. Even as introductions were slung around amongst the group heads he couldn't fight a sense of rising unease. His free hand did not hesitate to shake that of Gareth as he knew fairly well that Six-Five would not associate with undesirables by choice. Not only that but if there was even a hint that they were pirates she would not have vacated the derelict fast enough. He couldn't help but shoot his old wingmate a smile. She corrected herself before Sev needed to specify former CO.

“Good to have some help…this all of you or there others? I don’t wanna leave the bridge with so little protection…there’s no way of telling if the privateers that did this are still around or not.”

Hunter was the one who moved of the three of them at the mention of pirates. It had been something he tended to be protective of when it came to Sam. Reaching up he slid the SNARL back over his eyes and quietly moved back up the darkened hallway.

“Still, we’ve got to get our men out of engineering.”

As Sam spoke again the feeling of unease struck Sev again, more powerful this time. Taking a shallow breath he glanced back to Archer and quickly to Hunter who was quite a bit less visible in the darkness. He was about to speak up, reply, when the ship shuddered. It was barely noticable but the Sergeant was immediately on edge.

In that instant Archer leaned in and whispered. Sarge?

Aye. Turning quickly back to Gareth he stepped closer, his countenance taking on a much darker shade. Archer turned as well, moving down the passage back toward Hunter. Before he could speak, the static broke over his coms and he paused. It was broken up slightly but enough of it got through.

"Sergeant, we've got pirates coming out of the asteroids and heading toward your current location. The Anthelion is moving to intercept. Haste is advised."

Roger, Sevchenko out. Sev straightened, slipping his rifle into his free hand. You won't have tae. Get all yer men ready tae move an contact engineering. We've go' minutes before those privateers make ae second appearance. His voice was sharp and authoritative, hinting at the urgency of what command had just said to him. They had to move fast. Someone needs tae move th' survivors tae th' drop-shuttle fer extraction.Stopping for a moment he opened his coms to Archer and Hunter; they had to hear this, too. Archer, ye're gonnae accompany them an make sure they make et safely. Gareth, tell yer lads en engineering tha' we'll come get them, et's likely no' safe movin' aroond thus ship oan yer own. Sam, Hunter, th' three o' us are gonnae go get th' crew en engineerin' an bring em' up tae th' shuttle safely. Es tha' clear?

From the end of the hall he smiled as Archer and Hunter nodded, he knew he didn't have to tell them twice. Archer's expression was a little unsure but he had an idea as to why that was. He hoped that no one would argue what he said. From the urgency in command's voice he was willing to go out on a limb and say “the sooner they were off the ship the better.”

“Yeah, sure. We have a number of security who are armed and they can help provide cover until we get to the shuttle. Also, I'll send two of ours with you to show you to engineering. I'm sure you could use the extra muscle.”

From the end of the hall Archer sighed quietly in relief. He didn't like the idea of escorting a gaggle of unarmed civilians back to their ride alone and with a few extra men sticking with Sev he hoped he wouldn't have one of them coming home in a body bag. And we'll hold the shuttle until you get back, Sarge. He added with a complete lack of levity.

Hunter gave a grim nod beside his wingmate and turned back to the hallway. His SNARL was momentarily quiet but every now and then it would have tiny pulses of a singular pheromone that seemed to suggest one owner. His eyes caught it again but his body didn't move at all in response. Eyes narrowing, the Echani's mental guard and reaction preparation rose that much higher as his eyes scanned the hallway. It felt as though someone was looking at him, watching him, and waiting.

Sev himself was edgy, cursing that he was here and not out flying cover for the ship. The thoughts conflicted with the fact that Sam was with them though it was that fact alone that overrode every regret that he had in boarding. He would think of a way to get the “known Republic fugitive” away from the Anthelion when he had a free moment to spare. For now, it was time to move.

Right, an thanks Gareth! Archer, move out now; we'll cover you down the first hall but then you're on your own; Hunter.

The pip over the coms was the only response and Sev almost smiled as he looked at the bridge crew who were quickly making their way out into the gangway.

Sam, switch to com frequency niner-one-six; let's go. Jennings! He had called over the coms, the monkey on the other end squawking in a mere terse moment later, the com signature speaking to Sev, Archer, and Hunter on closed channel.

Wings?

Radio silence es pointless; keep us updated. Sev's voice was even but tensed.

You got it, boss. Three corvettes, fighters all distracted at current.

Cheers. Raising his rifle he moved down the hall with the bridge crew flanking and nearly filling the hallway. Within only a moment they had reached the intersection and, with a quick look and his hands gripping his rifle tightly, Archer turned down the hall, his rifle raised against his shoulder. By that time Sev had stacked on Hunter and waited for the bridge crew, followed closely by their two man security team, to round the corner and move quickly down the hallway. The sergeant hoped that the small shuttle would fit them all.

As the small group made its way out of sight Sev moved to the opposite corner to cover them more efficiently as Hunter continuously scanned his chosen corridor. It wasn't long until Sev could not see movement down the dim hallway. Nodding he sighed and turned back to Sam. He had to say it.

One o' these days, lassie. Ae vacation oan some quiet ro-


Boarders, one of the corvettes just broke off from th- oh frell! Incoming fire sarge! Brace y-

Sev had only an instant to react before the derelict shuddered violently causing him to blink once. By the time his eyes had opened again the lights had gone out. On instinct he reached up and pulled down his SNARL, his eyes lit once again by a black and white outline of the dark passage.

Hunter was forced off balance by the shaking and he stepped back, riffle barrel dropping, turning slightly as his boot shifted and hit the metallic walkway hard serving to stabilize him. However, something shifted in the darkness. He almost heard it, almost saw it, but most certainly felt it in a way he could only call instinct, one hunter to another. Twisting backward he dropped his right foot away and feinted, rifle barrel coming up as his hand dropped to the secondary trigger below the barrel. The first thing he heard of whatever it was sounded only feet away. His face curled into a grimmace as something dug into his upper arm painfully. Adrenaline sang in his ears as his rifle barrel continued its pathway upward unhindered until it connected with something soft and solid. Without a moment's hesitation his finger depressed the trigger, the rifle kicking violently with the flash and report only slightly muffled by the body before him. In the flash Hunter could barely make out the face of a hideous looking humanoid covered in fur.

Sev almost jumped at the deep baritone sound of Hunter's shotgun going off but merely swivelled his gaze toward the flash, his free hand moving up to turn on the flashlight to the left of his rifles barrel. As the beam of light lanced forth it fell on Hunter standing over a broad but short humanoid that lay prostrate and motionless, a blade gleaming cruelly in its paws. Sighing Hunter turned, his face stern and cold.

Defel. Hunter quickly nudged the being with his boot, the massive pool of crimson seeping from its perforated chest leaving no doubt about its mortality. He paused as Sev's light froze over his upper arm, exactly level with his heart but laterally right by a mere six inched. Turning away Hunter stifled a small cringe. Its shallow. We need to move now, Wings.

Aye. He said, allowing himself to hesitate for less than two seconds. We cannae waste any more time. Lads. Stepping around Hunter and waiting for the security guards to take point he raised his rifle to his shoulder and moved quickly but cautiously down the hallway in front of him.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Note: The two Gareth sent with them can die or not as we see fit, as well as any of the other guards…though I sort of want Gareth to make it through this lol.

---

From the smile, to the visible unease etched lightly into the postures of everyone around her, to Hunter’s partial departure, she managed (barely) to catch it all in her awareness. The mention of pirates still being on the ship wasn’t news to her but she was trying desperately not to let the knowledge eat away at her mind so it being brought up again certainly didn’t help any. The sight of the triplet of scopes did explain a few things, though…and hopefully that meant they’d have a bit more of a heads-up on any creepers that tried to cross paths with them.

With the ship jittering beneath their feet, she shifted her rifle in her grip so she could more easily shoot from the hip if necessary. Right, because that’ll really help stop whatever’s making an entire bulk freighter jump around. Good job, Sam, good job. Grey eyes flickered from Sev to Archer and back again as she shifted her weight anxiously. The blond didn’t like waiting around like this. Especially not right now.

Rolling out both shoulders to help release some tension as Sev turned back, the movement of Archer in the direction of their stoic echani friend’s position told her action (in some form) was imminent. There was a pause, though…a subtle posture that Sev took on that brought her head up just a bit further, watching him about as attentively as a trained kath hound watching for its next command. What’re you hearing, Sev? she wondered, eyes narrowed slightly behind the HUD visor of her helmet.

“We can’t contact engineering, that’s the problem. Contact was cut about five minutes before she showed up and they’re stuck good in there. We don’t know what’s going on down there any more.” Other than that, however, he made no motion to argue the instructions, instead turning to his men and clarifying the plan, five of them moving from the back of the group to go and get the remaining crew from the bridge.

Sam, on the other hand, nodded once and gave a crisp ”aye, s--” her voice cutting off the ‘sir’ before it could fully formulate itself. Habit was a difficult thing to kick, apparently, even after so many years. It made her shake her head ever so subtly. She immediately felt a bit foolish, but attempted to shrug it off mentally…after all, there were more important, and worse, things to think about than old habits. As Gareth returned from getting his men moving, and had informed Sev of the rest of the limited security team, she chewed the inside of her bottom lip.

Pirates…why did it always have to be pirates?!

The sound of the heavy blast doors of the bridge opening behind her in the darkness, followed by the swift movement of people, had her tugging at the straps of what little gear she had on in anticipation of work to be done. Soon enough the bulk of the crew (what was left of it anyway) was shifting around anxiously (and to her, rather more loudly than she would have liked). Gareth’s men were half decent, spreading out around the less combat-experienced crew to herd and protect them as much as possible through the halls.

“Right! Archer, move out now; we’ll cover you down the first hall but then you’re on your own; Hunter, move out. Sam, switch to com frequency niner-one-six; let’s go. Jennings!”

She only gave half an ear from there as she flipped swiftly through the closed com channels to the correct one, her ear suddenly blasted by Jennings’ voice. What she heard Sam suddenly wished she hadn’t as a wave of sickness and fear threatened to seize her up. Instead that terror manifested itself as a strangled little sound of surprise and dismay, barely audible but there was no doubt that her com mic had picked it up. With a determined mask of concentration etched on her features through an iron will to keep her phobia under control, she stayed tight to Sev’s five o’clock while her stomach attempted to twist itself into knots and sent her heart into fitful bursts of racing. It would be alright, she tried to assure herself, Archer and Hunter and Sev all with her? The crew would be A-okay, and no pesky pirates would stand a chance….still, there had been that shadow…

The thought of it lurked in her mind like a bad dream…like the nightmare that had woken her up earlier.

She suppressed a shudder as she paused beside Sev, back pressed to the wall and peering down the long hallway that they had just moved through. There had been more along that hall, past the corridor to the bridge, which had formed a T section. Who knew what might have been lurking that direction, and while Archer, Gareth, and the rest of the crew moved along toward the shuttle that had brought them, she wanted to be sure that nothing came sneaking up behind.

For a long moment there was quiet as the five remaining listened and watched, the twi’lek male and cathar female Gareth had sent with them all eyes and ears for anything that might go ‘bump’ in the night. It had been so still, after a moment, that when Sev spoke, Sam, already long past the point of being ‘edgy’, nearly jumped out of her skin as his voice broke over her com. Her head snapped in his direction and she gave him a frustrated and flustered look before it turned to one of pure confusion. Finally she rolled her eyes at him and managed a ghost of a smirk…until Jennings piped up again, just moments before the ailing freighter shook violently.

With her back already against the wall she managed not to stagger around, but she did manage to knock her head back against it as well, rattling her up a bit through the helmet as the lights went out. There was a slight sound of stumbling, a hiss from the cathar and a soft litany of twi’leki curses. Something brushed past her with a rush of wind, eliciting a hiss of surprise and a recoil that had her rifle barrel sweeping out to defend without risking injuring one of her own. Meeting no resistance with her rifle, she slapped a button on the side of her helm and the world lit up in dim, grainy, green, white and black as the night vision (such as it was for this HUD) worked to show her the world again. Sev’s shoulder and side met her eyes as the sound of scuffling reached her ears and her hand moved to turn on the small tact-light attached to the top rail of her rifle.

She did jump at the sound of Hunter’s shotgun reporting, the sound more of a cacophony in the tense confusion and darkness.

Both twi’lek and cathar had their blasters leveled in the direction of the sound, their backs as close as possible to each other and the wall nearest them. Two lights flashed on, Sev’s already trained in Hunter’s direction and Sam’s sweeping the area at large to be sure there wasn’t any danger coming from either of the other halls before she finally moved around Sev to see what had transpired.

”Sweet Via…”

“Defel.”

No shi—”So that’s what I saw earlier…likely what brushed past me just now too…Goddess.”

Her eyes swept from the glistening blade up to Hunter and she frowned.

“It’s shallow. We need to move now, Wings.”

She shuddered slightly, fighting back another urge to be sick…or seize up…or both. Still, as much as she hated to admit it, and as much as she wanted to play doctor, now was not the time. ”He’s right. If there are…” her voice faltered, ”are more of those…things…or any other…pirates…around, they’ll come here first. Besides, we’ve 25 minutes left.” Turning back to the cathar and twi’lek, she nodded slightly.

“Aye. We cannae waste any more time. Lads.”

Without another word between them the cathar woman slid swiftly out in front, followed closely by her twi’lek counterpart, the beam of light from the flashlight in the cathar’s off hand sweeping along the corridor before them, her blaster pistol held steady atop her wrist for better aim. The green man crept along close at her 7 o’clock, the red streak of his laser sight glittering with the particles of dust and debris that had been shaken free and were floating through the air. Sam, pulling her eyes away from the umbral form sprawled along the floor, pulled the familiar schutzhund stock tight to her shoulder as she followed the others through the maze of hallways, her light adding to the others as they moved.

Keeping almost abreast with Hunter as Sev and the others moved along before them, she felt the need to say something. To thank him. For what? Doing his job and not letting himself get stabbed? Right. Good thinking Samantha, hells teeth. Still, as soon as she caught his eyes moving back in her direction, she’d nod to him once and offer a weak smile. That would just have to do for now...the dangerous creaking and groaning of the ship, not to mention the occasional trembling of it as the battle raged outside, made other things priority. Priorities like avoiding tripping over a coil of split wiring, or not staggering into the back of Sev or the side of Hunter as the ship shook violently once again.

It didn’t help that everything seemed amazingly still and silent in the halls around them.

Every cross section they came upon was treated with the same caution, and every cross section was the same thing…empty, devoid of life or light that might make things difficult for them. It made her itch in the worst way, and finally she piped up. ”I’m glad for the fact we’re not being swarmed, but it makes me itch just as much…” she muttered softly over the com, glancing back over her shoulder. ”This is more nerve wracking than playing ‘catch me if you can’ with a fleet of Imperials.” That was something she had very recent first hand experience with, too. For a long moment she was silent as she paused and turned to look behind them when they came to the next intersection, scanning with her light to be sure nothing was creeping up behind while the others checked forward.

”I’ll take you up on that vacation, by the way…still owe you one. Oh, and Athar says hello.”

She hoped that last part at least earned a snicker.

A swift, double, sweep of the cathar’s light indicated the direction they were heading before the grim twi’lek took the lead around the corner and down the new passage. Not even a quarter of the way down the hall, however, both of them paused, the green humanoid shifting his rifle over his shoulder as he pried open a large panel in the wall, exposing a relatively narrow shaft and ladder.

“Engineering is almost directly below us, two levels down. The doors will be in sight as soon as we get out into the corridor there,” the woman announced before biting down on her flashlight and slipping her pistol back into its holster. Seemingly fearlessly she slipped herself into the space and started down the ladder, followed by her companion…

[Latus]

As the voices rang over coms and the soldiers checked that they were alive and well Sev placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, her comment from before about the Defel, the shadow, suddenly seeming that much more pertinent.

Any boarders tha' dun go through the hull will find th' occupied boarding zones tae be well beyond their reach. We boarded en ae Skipper an' they dun detach until theyr'e good an' ready.

He was of course talking about the small unarmed shuttle they took. He hoped it would stand up to the chaos outside. Their escape hinged on it. Plus, he had to get Sam's mind back on their current mission; out of the fire and back into the frying pan, as it were. His former wingmate was deathly afraid of pirates, a phobia that she had never been able to get rid of, and that only made the situation worse. When a soldier was not at his/her best mistakes were made. Sev doubted that he needed to worry about Sam's fortitude in this situation but... well, he had a personal vendetta against her particular phobia.

Call it instinct.

Despite the injury to Hunter, his friend and wingmate, Sev knew that they needed to press on. The echani was a tough soldier and he knew that but it didn't keep the Sergeant from having to repress a mote of worry. Glancing back down the tunnel after Archer, his other charge, he was again forced to quash a feeling of worry. With a light shake of his head he steeled himself, stood straight, and allowed the derelict's resident guards to take point. They knew their own ship better than the boarders, after all, and it would not do to have them lost, wandering around aimlessly as the ship came apart around them. Chuckling lightly he shook his head again; another thought he needed to keep out of his head.

I'm sure to have an aneurism soon...

Stepping into the dark hallway behind the ship's guards he motioned for Sam to follow him, Hunter taking up the rear, a metallic tone striking as the 40mm shell of the echani's shotgun hit the deck only to be replaced by a new one. And indeed stress had taken hold, combat stress grew as his muscles tightened and his eyes moved this way and that as they moved down the darkened hallway. His SNARL spiked and pipped every now and then but nothing remained constant enough to make his believe that something was hiding in the darkness waiting for them. Sev paused for an instant as Jenning's voice broke over the coms again sounding much less deathly frightened but still on edge.

Sev, the Anthelion is moving to cover your position. She's drawing the fire of all three and its getting kinda rough over here. The boarders are running from the fighters, it doesn't look like they are finding any hard points that aren't being covered. Copy?

Aye, lad. Moving tae secure th' rest o' th' floaters; out.

Copy... osik. Brace yourself Sarge, another scattered volley...

This time when the derelict shuddered Sev was much more prepared to brace himself on the wall, holding out an arm so Sam could steady herself as well. He shot her a smile from beneath his visor as he raised his rifle again and kept moving foreword. Finally they reached a corner and their Cathar and Twi'lek guards turned down it into another shorter hallway; the monotony didn't do much for Sev's stress level. When Sam spoke, though, it certainly had a calming quality to it.

”I’m glad for the fact we’re not being swarmed, but it makes me itch just as much…” she muttered softly over the com, Sev smiling at her in an attempt to keep her morale up. ”This is more nerve wracking than playing ‘catch me if you can’ with a fleet of Imperials.”

Aye. A' least th' company es bett'r.

Hunter chuckled from behind them, his rifle and shotgun barrel aimed to the rear as they quickly continued onward. As the group slowed next to an unusual patch of hull Sam spoke again.

”I’ll take you up on that vacation, by the way…still owe you one. Oh, and Athar says hello.”

Ah'll take yeh up oan tha'. An make sure yeh return th' favor tae Athar when yeh see 'im next.

With a low shriek of metal on metal the hull plate slid inward, showing an access ladder that dropped away into the darkness.

“Engineering is almost directly below us, two levels down. The doors will be in sight as soon as we get out into the corridor there.” The Cathar quickly crawled into the darkness quickly followed by her Twi'lek partner. Turning back to Hunter he nodded before slinging his rifle over his shoulder and moving over to the ladder. Looking up he smiled at his friends as he stepped over the thresh and onto the metal bar of the ladder.

See yeh oan th' oth'r side.

As Sev vanished into the darkness Hunter moved quickly to the opening and put his back against the wall, looking at Sam.

After you, Bomber. I'm right behind you.

Below Sev's boots struck hard on the metal bars as they descended further and further into the bowels of the great freighter. After what felt like hours he felt his boots strike on a solid deck which suggested that he had reached his destination. Slinging his rifle back to ready he looked around the room he had descended into. It was hardly that even; just a thicker hallway capped on the far side by a thick bulkhead door, a small amount of light thrown off by the panel beside it. Slowly and carefully he moved toward it as he heard Sam hit the deck behind him until he was standing in front of it. He finally realized why engineering was likely cut off. The panel sparked and pipped, the readout red with an image of a lock on it. Turning about he looked over to the Cathar and Twi'lek who were conversing intently with each other.

So... do you have th' codes to that door? It was the Twi'lek who responded, speaking in heavily accented basic. Behind them he saw more than heard Hunter hit the deck and straighten up behind Sam.

“Yah. The input is not being accepted though. Someone or something locked the system down tighter than ev'n I or Gish'a can crack.”

Hunter, getting the idea let his rifle fall, his hand moving to his pack as the meaning of the words hit home. Sev realized what he was doing and spoke, stopping him.

Hold on, lad. We dun know where th' engineers are behind tha' door. We cannae breach unless ets absolutely necessary. Pausing he looked from one to another until he came to Sam. Lass, do yeh think ye can slice et?

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

“A’ least th’ company es bett’r.”

Sam managed a chuckle at that comment. ”You have no idea,” she muttered in return, catching a hint of Hunter’s chuckle from behind. As Sev gave his reply to her comment on vacations she couldn’t help but smile. Who knew when or where they would be able to take said vacation, but Via knew they’d both need it if things kept on like this. ”Yeah, I’ll tell ‘im for ya.”

Sam peered dubiously into the dark passage as the hatch opened and the cathar spoke, she and her companion both vanishing into it in short order. With a fortifying breath she slid her rifle over her shoulder to rest against her back as Sev went as well. Shaking her head minimally she moved as one with Hunter toward the hatch, her eyes sweeping the area once as he spoke. Nodding, she slipped into the small shaft seemingly fearlessly, twisting so that her boots caught on the rung before taking one step down and minding her head.

The oppressive darkness and occasional shudder of the freighter, the still silence of it save for slight creaks every now and again and the sounds of the others, had her heartbeat in her ears as they descended. Still, she was very aware of the movement below and above her, careful to keep her distance from Hunter and Sev so as not to tread on, or be tread upon. Time seemed to crawl and speed up in intervals as she eyed the time on her HUD, not wanting to linger on this ship longer than necessary knowing that time was running out until full systems failure. Finally she could hear the sounds of the others reaching the deck, her own feet touching only a few moments later. As she moved out of the way of Hunter and joined the others, her rifle resting across her torso as she pulled it around, she saw the reason why Gareth had wanted them to take one of the squints with them.

She sighed.

Hunter reached for his pack.

”Hold on, lad. We dun know where th’ engineers are behind tha’ door. We cannae breach unless et’s absolutely necessary.”

Even before Sev’s eyes reached her she knew it was coming…

”Lass, do yeh think ye can slice et?”

Rubbing one cheek with the backs of her knuckles she moved forward to look at the mildly sparking consol and flicked on her tact-light to get a better look. The slight pull on one corner of her mouth should have said it all to Sev and Hunter…she was doubtful. ”Well, I can try, “ she murmured so as to keep their presence as undetected as possible. ”I’m not Cipher, though. I do lock picking, slicing isn’t my forte. I could just lock the whole thing down perma-good,” she admitted, looking over at Sev from where she was squatting to be eye level with the panel.

Standing, hands resting lightly on her rifle, she looked around the area carefully through the currently light-enhancing HUD visor. The thick door had a vent above it and a metal panel toward the center that seemed to be able to be opened or closed from the other side…it made her wonder. Turning back to the others, she looked at the two guards. ”Is there another way out of there? I know I heard some speculation that the engineers were being held…and I can’t think of a reason why they wouldn’t come out on their own if there was another way.”

“The other side is blocked by structural damage, but they could have cut their way out of this door by now. That’s the troublesome part.” The twi’lek nodded slightly in confirmation of Gish’a’s words, the cathar giving the door an annoyed look. “We don’t know for certain what’s on the other side and we don’t have the tools to cut through without risk.”

Sam nodded thoughtfully, turning back to look at the panel with a mildly dubious look as she considered the situation. Finally, after hooking up to the panel with her datapad and ‘taking a look around’ at the encryptions, she knew this was going to be difficult…and very likely beyond her skill level. ”Times like these I wish I had a dro—wait a minute…” Pulling out a small device that looked like a cross between a holographic transmitter and a datapad, she pulled her own datapad free and stuffed it back into her belt.

Moments later a small blue display pixilated itself into existence above the device in the form of a regal looking echani woman who looked profoundly confused for the fraction of a second before her expression melted into one of calm neutrality once more. “I hope there is an explanation for this Miss Bomber, you are considerably off schedule for your task,” she said simply. Sam merely nodded.

”Of course, Havanli, but later…I need to crack this lock ASAP. We have people on the other side and…”

“You do not have Diana?”

”What?”

“Your ship’s readings indicate that you are in easy proximity of…”

”No. No Diana here. Look can you open this lock or not, Havanli? We’re on a time limit.”

Sam wasn’t sure what the GAI was talking about with ‘Diana’ but she was pretty sure it was a familiar…and she had the sneaking suspicion that it was the familiar that had been assigned to a certain naval captain. Like Sev and Hunter’s captain…she’d been watching the feeds for that meeting and it wasn’t easy to forget any of the little FIDES droids. Maybe she was mistaken but she’d been quite sure that ‘FIDES 19’ (who seemed to have an attachment to the name Diana), had been given to a female officer in the navy, and that the Anthelion had been attached to said woman…somehow. Mentally she shook that all off, but had cut Havanli’s comment short to try and avoid any questions for the moment. The Echani queen, however, seemed surprised and a bit miffed at the actions…though she didn’t speak on them.

“I’m fairly certain I can, but I must see the information first.”

Sam wasted no time in hooking the device into the panel, grey eyes watching the information flicker past on the small screen of the device faster than any human mind could interpret.

“Give me thirty seconds.” Sam nodded and looked over at the others with a shrug and a little, almost guilty, smile. Havanli was as good as her word as the screen on the panel flickered and shifted from red to green. The door release clicked but the door remained shut. “Entry code over-ridden…new code: 1783A5. I expect a full report as soon as possible.”

Nodding again Sam watched the image flicker out of existence once again as she unhooked the device and slid it back into her belt as well. Glancing back to Sev, she reached for one of the small cylinders on her belt and looking for the go-ahead (or not), the smoke grenade canister obvious once her hand touched it. The nod he gave was all she needed as she pulled the canister from her belt, her other hand tapping in the new unlock code. Pulling the pin once the code was inserted, she rolled the canister toward the center of the door where it began expelling the white colored smoke. Ticking down three counts with her fingers, she’d press the button to enter the code and unlock the door, the heavy barrier hissing open…

[Latus]

As Sev paused, the group of soldiers and security waited with baited breath as their resident hacking “expert” addressed their latest hurdle.

”Well, I can try, “ she murmured, Sev stepping foreword to take a look at the console in question. ”I’m not Cipher, though.”

Tha's wha' we get fer sendin' 'im back with th' bridge crew. Jus' do what yeh can. Lass.

At that very moment Archer had stepped across the threshold of the Skipper, the few members of bridge security holding at the entry point against any followers. Before long the seats were filled and Archer had returned to the gangway to hold the position and wait for what he hoped was the sounds of his wingmate's boots right behind him. Sadly, the only thing in his ear was the proximity alarms from the shuttle and bits of space debris striking the creaking hull of the derelict.

Sev. We made it; no extra-normal contacts between there and here. By the look of things outside I would suggest double-time.

Archer gave a grim grin as he saw an enemy fighter bite it against one of the broken pieces of the derelict during pursuit by a familiar looking Varia. Slipping his SNARL over his eye he angled the rifle down the darkened corridor and sighed in a mixture of worry and nervousness; urging them on mentally he eyed the readouts... the vibrations and creaking were getting worse.


Roger tha' Cypher. Keep th' engine runnin'.

His voice was lower as Sam worked on the control panel hoping that it would not give away their position or, if it was already given, maybe suggest that there were fewer that were trying to breach the door. Stepping to beside Sam herself he watched her actions, always intrigued by the understanding that it took to slice some of these more complicated doors. As the Twi'lek outlined the likely egress routes available or lack thereof to those now confined within the engineering bay Sev turned his attention to his own readings, his coms and rifle readouts so nothing could or would get the drop on them. Not to be disappointed Jenning's voice broke across his earpiece sounding no less edgy than usual.

Anthelion is drawing the bulk of the fire and one of the corvettes has been neutralized; they are still fighting tooth and nail. Move, squad, the sooner you are out the better.

Aye tha' moth'r hen; workin' oan th' front door now.

Make sure someone's home before entering.

”Times like these I wish I had a dro—wait a minute…”

Sev smiled lightly at the small back and forth, glancing to Hunter he also saw that the stoic eyes were bright as well. The message between them was actually quite simple; breach carefully. As they watched, Sam opened up her own link to an outside source, a holograph that took the form of an echani woman... Hunter's eyes widened by a fraction of an inch. Sev didn't doubt that Hunter had thoughts about that form but neither did he question the curiosity that they both undoubtedly held about who the woman was in the first place. The brief back and forth between Sam and the echani “woman,” Sev had his doubts that she was actually a being, caught the sergeant by surprise. There was a mention of Diana and this immediately caught his attention; how would anyone know about the little droid which sat on the Captain's shoulders without knowing significantly more about their situation. The soldier said nothing, readjusted his rifle and stood back, Hunter and the ship's security looking on until a code was given to crack the door. Nodding to Sam he readied himself and took cover, motioning for the others to do likewise.

Whenev'r ye're ready, lass.

That was all the indication she must have needed as she tossed the canister grenade against the massive blast door, waited a moment for the cloud to billow outward, and hit the button to enter the code. With a shriek and a whoosh the light from the interior, low though it may be, shone through the ever blooming column of smoke. Glancing through the thinner column near the edge to Hunter he nodded and, reaching up, slid the SNARL over his eye and activated it, the infrared image breaking through the smoke with a high pitched whine. Stepping around the corner, gently placing his hand on Sam's shoulder, he and Hunter stepped into the concealing shroud of smoke.

On his headset he could see through the concealment quite easily, the forms of each one of the targets in his direct line of sight. Taking a shallow breath so as not to cough on the oil smoke he sized the situation as quickly as he was able. The engineering bay was cramped with not only the mechanics required to run the ship, cold from its barely idle use, but its floor was also littered with low crates, likely durasteel, some open and its contents upended on the gangway. Despite the chaos there were several forms moving around behind the smoke, blobs of white against a background of gray and black. He was about to count those moving around on one hand but the black objects they carried did not leave their intents to question; they were all fairly burly, three beings moving toward the door with their weapons ready. Glancing to Hunter he was sure his wingman gave a small nod before stiffening, both of them wrapping their fingers around their triggers. They waited a moment as the beings eyed the smoke, backing away slightly as the smoke likely spread into the engineering bay, one of the men coughing on a large lungful of oil-smoke; the Sergeant smiled slightly as they lowered their weapons.

The smoke flashed, then flashed again as the rifles roared in controlled bursts, the enemy targets dropping one after another, their rifles striking hard on the metal floors. Not waiting for the bodies to stop twitching Hunter and Sev pushed in and took cover on the flanks as their boots clanked over the spilled contents of the boxes. As the other members of the derelict's security rushed in and took their own cover Sev leaned around the corner, his rifle barking again as one of the pirates rushed accidentally to his death as he was not fully aware of the soldiers that had breached the door. Pressing his com button to his chest he spoke to Sam and the others.

Move en now. Glancing to Hunter he took a deep breath and leaned out, rifle bared. Covering fire! While he didn't intend to really hit anything his rifle rattled burst after burst, pinning their enemies down with bursts of fire that pinged and ratted as the rounds hit and ricocheted off the harder beams of the ships superstructure. Hunter, picking his shots more carefully, made sure that none of them made a move until Sam and the others actually made it to cover.

Cringing, Sev had to repress a crafty smile; four of their targets were already neutralized. With the three of them working as one, himself, Hunter, and Sam, the engineering bay would be theirs in no time and they could be off this heap.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

“Tha’s wha’ we get fer sendin’ ‘im back with th’ bridge crew. Jus’ do what yeh can, Lass.”

That’s about all he was going to get, but luckily Sam had a habit of having tricks up her sleeve that turned things in her favor…in true Corellian fashion. Havanli had been her Ace in the Hole this time around, and it worked beautifully. She hadn’t noticed Hunter’s look, or Sev’s surprise at the name drop…that, or she ignored them. Whatever the case she wasn’t deterred from her work with the GAI on getting the doors open. As Sev and the others got to some of the minimal cover, stacking up near the door, she nodded to his words and gave them that extra bit of cover that could make all the difference in breaching the door into potential enemy territory.

Enclosed spaces were always a pain…luckily the crew had the Sevens on their side.

That made her smirk deviously as she shifted her rifle around again ad got a good grip on it. The cathar and her twi’lek companion looked to her and Sev as the doors hissed open swiftly. Holding up a fist for them to freeze she glanced up at Sev as his hand rested on her shoulder for half a moment as he passed her around the corner into the smoke cover. With a thumb and finger grip on the front of her flight helmet, she made sure they were watching her as she waited for a cue from Sev or Hunter…their eyes through the smoke. For a long, tense, moment everything was quiet on their side…only a few dull footsteps audible from the other side of the smoke, a choking cough…then the unmistakable bark of the SM-82s could be heard and seen like thunder and lightning through the dissipating cloud of smoke.

There wasn’t going to be much cover left if they didn’t hurry it up.

Reaching back to her belt once more she pulled another small canister from her belt and waited…

“Move en now. Covering fire!”

The first word was all she needed.

”Two-fer out on Three…” came the short reply in warning. ”Two…one…out!”

Leaning around the corner she lobbed the canister deep into the engineering bay, twisting back around as she closed her eyes and covered an ears, letting the Shutzhund drop on its strap as the bright flash and near deafening bang caused shouts and screams of dismay and pain inside. Ears still ringing, she had a hold on her rifle and swept through the smoke in less than a heartbeat. Hot red bolts erupted in short bursts as her eyes barely caught sight of a man on the upper deck of the bay, trying to recover from the stunning effect of the flash-bang. That was the good thing about Sam’s phobia…if she didn’t have time to think about it, she could overcome it. It had happened before, and that was certainly the case now.

Both Twi’lek and Cathar were after her swiftly, passing the Republic soldiers and heading toward the short line of bound or injured engineers and working on getting them free and out of the way. Sam took a sentinel position near by behind a haphazard pile of small crates and debris. ”Six-lead, we’re Ante up,” she stated over the comm, as she tried to ignore the feeling of nostalgia and sighted on another man across the way from her who was trying to be slick enough to get past her toward Sev’s position. It didn’t work too well. ”We’ve got injured on this side. Escorts are trying to evac them and the other engineers now. Are we going all in, or just suppression?”

Even as she asked the question the blonde had to turn at the sound of swift movement at her 8 o’clock. With a slight strain on the skin of her shoulder she had twisted enough to get her rifle the right direction even before the rest of her followed, a quick depression of the trigger forcing the stout alien there to duck behind cover again and rethink his strategy before he ended up without a head.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

"Two-fer out!"

Cringing Sev took cover instantly, glancing over he noticed that Hunter instantly had done the same. The two-fer clattered across the floor as he braced himself for the commotion, knowing that the flash bang was likely to sting his ears. The explosion was just that but with his eyes closed the affect was less on them. Springing up from behind cover he saw several pirates fall back, blaster rounds in their lapells. Sam's comment brought a nod and he glanced over as the security moved around to flank and get to their engineer comrades.

Pick yer targets an cover. Flank in an try tae pin them doon! We can lock 'em en when we leave.

Clicking his coms once in affirmative Hunter shifted around, moving behind cover around the side he quietly chose his times and, with single movements, popped out of that cover to take his shots. Though he didn't hit them directly nor with much frequency he had managed to flank the pirates, making it that much more difficult for these beings to actually make their move.

---

Pipping an affirmative into the com, she slunk toward the pirate that had tried to get past her, the Shutzhund's green bolts keeping the creeper pinned down. With the man's head having just ducked back behind his cover, she stood and swiftly covered the distance, the barrel of the rifle angling over the crates and sending him to the afterlife. With that immediate threat to the engineers taken care of, she hit a knee just in time to allow a stray volley of fire from the pirates to strike just short of her.

"Moving first round into the hall..."

"Copy that. Covering first evac....keep 'em pinned," Sam announced over the comms as she crept toward the main walkway for the engineering room. Sev and Hunter were as good as their word, having routed the majority of the pirates in the room away from the prisoners. Standing, she stepped fully into the line of sight and swept the upper walkways for movement, taking a knee for better aim.

With no immediate movement, she gave a swift nod of her head to the two crew members so they could get the engineers moving. Eyes darting around the area, she barely caught the first signs of movement along the upper walkway, her rifle sweeping in that direction.

---

As the security crew moved under their expert care, Sev and Hunter kept their eyes open for the smallest sign that the hostages were not safe. Thankfully, both of them were quick on the trigger that, within several more kliks, they had dispached another two pirates under their combined gunfire. As Sam moved up, not targetted by any visible tangos, both Sev and Hunter slid their SNARLs low to scan for more. After several moments of scanning, nothing showed up.

Move th' first group out, now. Ye're headin' fer th' fore port docking arch; get oan an wait fer ou- At that moment another great shudder ran through the ship, several of the plates creaking, buckling. Sev's eyes went wide as a foot wide hole was torn in the plating beside he and Hunter; a number of smaller, lighter crates sucked in to partially block the hole. Jennings! Wha's goin' on oot there?!

On the Frigate, the bothan's cheeks paled beneath his fur. The Corvette had misaimed a round and it had knocked a massive piece of scrap directly into the derelict; he confirmed several hull punctures.

I have a feeling you will want to get out soon, boarders. The derelict just had its life support compromised!

Nodding Hunter stood, urging Sev out and behind the engineers.

Go now.

Nodding he stepped quickly and soon he was out in the hall behind the others. A ping of his SNARL made him spin about and he saw it, the outline of something on the catwalk... with something in its paws. Raising his rifle he made short work of it as it brought its weapon up, causing the pirate to fall from the walk itself.

Hunter, go now. I'll cov'r ye're rear. Sam, quick march, follow them.

---

She didn't twitch so much as a muscle as she watched the upper walkway...knowing that she'd seen -something- moving up there. Her breath came in short bursts as she held her ground, tense and ready. "C'mon you frel--"

"...Ye're headin' fer th' fore port docking arch; get oan an wait fer ou--"

As the ship jolted and shuddered, Sam was just barely able to keep her ground, her forward foot sliding out and away from the knee she was settled on in order to keep her balance. The sound and feel of hissing air informing her of something far worse than whatever was crawling around upstairs.

Her eyes swept toward Sev and Hunter, looking to make sure they weren't in serious trouble when...well...they really could be in serious trouble if they didn't all get out of here right now. She didn't even need to know what had happened, Jenning's voice almost (-almost-) ignored. Getting to her feet, she backed down the corridor, only turning once she saw Sev and Hunter coming her direction.

"Six-lead...mind the upper walk there's some--never mind."

The sound of shots behind her making her twist around again, mid-statement, only to see another defel fall from above. Supressing a shudder, she hustled up the hallway toward the engineers and their escort. As they entered the conduit they'd climbed down before, Sam paused, allowing the others to go first and waiting for Sev and Hunter.

"I hate to be the bearer of worse news, but this hulk looked like it was barely out of the gravity well when I got here...that won't have helped. We've got bigger things to worry about than life support."

With the last engineer having just vanished into the small space leading upward, she slid her rifle around behind her and started up as well. "I'll be splitting from you guys at your ride...I have the Ex about one level up slightly astern, and...no offense, but as much as I'd LOVE to come with you, I don't want to take a tour of your ship's brig."

---

Nodding at Sam's comment after he felled the being on the walkway he slung his rifle over his shoulder and hustled with Hunter out of the engineering bay. Waiting until the others had gone upward, followed by Sam and Hunter, Sev moved as quickly as his arms could carry him. Soon they were in the hallway above the engineering access. He had just gotten his boot to the walkway when the entire ship groaned and shuddered. Sam's comment about the gravity well... well, it may just come into play yet.

Not ae problem, lass. Et'll be ae tight fit en th' shuttle but we can get oot. Move quick; et'd not do tae keep Cipher waitin'.

On the shuttle, Archer was on pins and needles. The ship they were attached to was decaying in its orbit and it was nearly falling apart; that and they still had folks on the wreck.

Where the heck are you guys?

Not now, dear.

Frell Hunter, you're cutting it close. I think the 'vettes are targetting the wreck now!

Copy cipher. Double time, lads!

*Soon they were all but running down the corridor. The ship was still holding together but it was still holding up.*

---

She had clambered out as fast as she could, hands on her rifle about as fast as she could gain her feet, Sev and Hunter following hot on her heels. While the woman doubted anything was going to pop out and attack them now, she wasn't going to leave it to chance, her eyes and rifle sweeping over the area swiftly before moving after the gaggle of squints down the hall.

"Not my point...and you know that," she muttered to Sev in return. Her last worry was about space on the transport, but rather what would happen once they were all aboard the military ship outside...assuming they made it there, anyway.

"Where the heck are you guys?"
"Not now, dear."
"Frell Hunter, you're..."

Sam couldn't help but chuckle at Hunter's quip to Archer. Given the circumstances it was about all she could do besides keep up and keep an eye out as they doubled back toward the transport that held the rest of the crew. The shaking of the ship was only getting worse, making the group stumble over themselves and the debris that was litering the halls more and more as time went by. Aside from that, however, the group arrived safely (more or less) at the open hatch of the transport, they all worked to get the engineers inside as swiftly as possible.

---

Before long they made it back to the shuttle and, thankfully, Archer was already shifting the engineers inside. However, as more and more got their place on the shuttle seats and started to fill the floor at hand holds the bottom fell out of Sev's stomach. There was less and less room for people and, as the last engineer stepped in, Sev sighed. Glancing knowingly at Sam he motioned to Hunter.

Get in there, lad. They can take yeh; I'll get oot wit' Sam on th' Ex.

Hunter nodded but still couldn't help but worry that there was not much time left.

Move it, wings. Keep your coms open to Jennings' he'll brief you on any- he paused as the ship rocked again, violently this time. GO!

Turning, Hunter crammed himself into the shuttle and, nodding, closed the door. Pausing he braced himself against the bulkhead.

Cmon, you lead I'll follow. Ah'll work somethin' oot wit' our Captain.

---

Sev's stomach was the only one that was on a one way ticket to their toes. Correction...hers hit a sickening rock bottom somewhere in the region on her abdomen and proceeded to twist itself into knots. There wasn't going to be room enough....she was already planning on leaving, but Sev...

Glancing over at him, she gave him a slight nod, acknowledging the look in his eyes as another jolting shudder rocked the ship, forcing her to steady herself with a shoulder against the bulkhead.

"Get in there, lad. They can take yeh; I'll get oot wit' Sam on th' Ex."

She nodded more firmly toward the Echani, her face set in determination, and more confident than she felt...not even her eyes gave that away, however. The ship rocked again and she braced herself once more as Hunter crammed himself inside.

"C'mon, you lead I'll follow..."

Despite herself, Samantha grinned.

"Lets go..."

The words were firm and direct, but left something unsaid...it wasn't important right now anyway.

Turning she moved at nearly full speed down the hall, ducking around loose wiring and panels and moving as swiftly (and carefully) over anything on the ground as possible as she worked her way back to the Exodus.

"Down this ha--"

Her words were cut short as the ship began vibrating dangerously, nearly causing her to loose her footing as the ship shifted and tilted slightly, nearly knocking her into the corner of the hallway she'd meant to turn down. Steadying herself again, she was more than a little happy that the vibrations had stopped, but..."That isn't good..."

---

The soldier forced the worry from his mind as he focused on moving quickly and making sure not to fall from the violent shaking. As they moved downward, the hallways filling with loose wiring and broken bulkheads, Sev's ear remained open for Jennings who's warnings were sure to follow after he realized that the one boarder had been left behind.

...On the shuttle, the clamps popped and the small boarding boat slid away from the derelict pieces coming loose and air shooting single streams of white into space. A section broke apart, pieces scattering in the void.

Jennings, keep a line open to Wings! I want to make sure he gets out of there.

Sure. Switching channels he called to Sev. Wings, how is progress?

Well enough. He steadied himself again as the ship rocked. Wha' aboot out there?

The corvettes are ignoring the derelict; its caught in the grav well. You are plunging toward the planet. I suggest you get out of that mess before the whole ship breaks up!

Aye. Ah hae ae ride. Set a line tae th' captain aside. Ah'll need tae talk to her.

When they finally reached the final hatch the derelict shook violently once more. A pang echoed from the hallway as Sev slid downward, closing the hatch behind him. From the other side of the hatch itself Sev heard a scream of steel and wires, his hands moving as quickly a possible to get down the ladder. Following Sam they ran down the last halls toward the Ex, the ship nearly tearing itself apart at the seams. Placing his hand on the door panel he punched the old code he knew and it slid open.

Lets go, lassie! No time to wait!

---

As soon as she was able to move again, that's exactly what she did. The ship wasn't waiting for them to get off in order to tear itself apart, and neither was the planet below. As they both all but slid down the corridor toward the next hatch where the Exodus waited, she felt (more than heard) the corridor behind fall apart further, and then the sound of doors closing behind.

Making a break for it, the two of them hurtled down the hallways, the eerie sounds of the ship and their own gear echoing along with them and sending Sam's heart into her throat. As they ran, Sam just barely managed to avoid a falling piece of wall indicating the direction of the hangar/cargo bay. Sev, being taller and with a greater distance for his strides, reached the hatch for the Exodus just moments before she did.

Sam didn't even wait to take the ladder down, instead just jumping and landing on the deck below before bolting toward the cockpit. Muttering to herself in Corellian, her hands flew across the dash, the sounds of the ship coming to life around them a blessing for her nerves....but....."Frell! No, no no...."

She checked, and double-checked, the readouts the ship was giving her. The docking clamps were looking bad...really bad...broken kind of bad. "Sev...? We might have a very big problem!"

As the hatch seal turned green, she didn't wait to try unlocking the trouble area, the engine already primed enough for her to feel comfortable. Dropping into her seat and ignoring the rifle still across her back, she watched the readouts....still no green on the docking clamps. Tugging lightly on the controls the Exodus shuddered....and stuck.

A second try and the same effect told her that this wasn't about to work.

"Frelling hells bells in a sith sauna! Sev, c'mon...we're out of here."

---

Bracing himself against the bulkhead again as the derelict gave another massive screech. Spinning around he tore headlong into the Exodus and up to where the bridge and Sam were sitting. Sadly, his stomach fell again as he heard Sam's voice swearing and saying no repeatedly. That was never good.

What? What es et? More good news?

Though his comment was almost joking the look on Sam's face and the readouts from the consoles told a different story; the docking clamps were broken shut... the Ex was stuck and, therefore, they were stuck. As she twisted the control stick, the Exodus straining against the derelict Sev steadied himself on the chair. She did this several times before she threw herself from the chair; saying they had to go.

What aboot the escape pods? That'd get us planetside...

No, that wouldn't work; not with the debris field plus the pods would have launched into the derelict. Of course, that would not work. Spinning around he followed Sam out into the hall, thinking of everything he had seen from the derelict.

Sam, there was a pressurized chamber with gear on some of these freighters; le's start there an hope th' bloody place doesn't fall apart oan us!

---

"Yeah. So much good news I can't contain myself...and the pods for the Ex won't work..."

She couldn't tell that he had already come to that conclusion, of course, hence her statement as she headed back down the hall and up the ladder, opening the hatch and hauling herself up into the Screaming Star once more.

"That would be great, Sev, but unless you know where that is..." She shook her head and looked up and down the hall swiftly, mind working doubletime to figure something out.

"Look, there's a cargo hold and hanger down this way. I saw the sign as it nearly fell on me. We might find something there."

---

He could only shrug, scowling at the concept of what theyw ere doing. The Exodus was Sam's love... much like his Warhawk was Sev's. Soon they were back down the hall and back up inside the screaming Screaming Star. He followed Sam up into the hall and looked down into the darkness.

Its down that way, lass. Cmon! Et should have ae hard room, should survive burnin!

Sev took off, running slowly enough to let Sam keep up and stay upright at the same time.

Jennings! We're taking toward a hard-room. The Exodus is out of the question. Stay on call!

---

Nodding in return to his reply, she bit down on her emotions...hard. Nothing good was coming from them...only painful memories and fear and...well, she was basically leaving her home, knowing she wouldn't see it again intact.

Taking off after him, the woman was finding it harder and harder to keep her feet under her as they moved, and what little sleep she'd gotten in the past day wasn't doing her as much good as it had been previously. As they moved down the hall, she barely caught sight of two, unlit, warning lights protruding from the wall and nearly sighed in relief.

Still, she knew they weren't out of the woods yet...

Helping Sev open the door manually, she slipped inside worked on checking the independent pressure systems as Sev got the door closed again. "Thank Via....something is working right at least! We're green with the pressure and atmo, Sev."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As they ran, the derelict still groaning in great protest, Sev's mind was on Sam, escape, the others outside who were still covering their comrades. Despite the fact that they found the hard room in condition green Sev's mind turned to concern; he knew that he would likely black out on burn-in. That was more of a problem than anything he could imagine at the moment but he shook it off. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

As they stopped outside the hard room Sam's comment calmed him from his own worries and he nodded.

"Aye; en wit' yeh." Placing his hand on the detection plate the door slid open. Hurrying in after Sam he chose a seat beside her and stowed his gear. He'd not worry about it if he lost them. His weapon and gear could be replaced; their lives not so much.

---

It was a relief to have -something- work properly, but that didn't mean that her stomach wasn't in knots. This whole situation was terrible. Really, really terrible. Moving to one of the seats, she adjusted what little gear she had on so that it could stay on her. The Shutzhund was only removed long enough to strap herself in and the safety double checked to be sure it was on and wouldn't be firing any time soon. Once that was done, the rifle strap was wrapped around her forearm once and held onto. At this point...all of her gear was priceless. Not that there was much of it that was bulky enough to warrant stowing. As Sev swiftly packed his gear away and took a seat beside her, she tried to give him a smile. It...sort of worked...but the concern kept the majority of it at bay.

"Some way to meet up again...." She'd huff a little chuckle and click over to the personal com. "You gonna be okay, Sev?"

---

With his gear stored, his rifle against his pack with the clip popped, he was quickly strapped into the seat beside Sam. Taking a deep breath he opened his coms one last time to Jennings.

"Going com-silent, lad. How is everything wit' th' shuttle?"

The coms crackled a moment before Jennings responded.

"They're back in safe, Sarge... I'll wait for your voice on the ground."

Sev was forced to swallow hard, and chuckled softly.

"Th' latter will happen vereh definitely."

Clicking off his coms he leaned back as Sam spoke, the ship rocking and jarring as an unsure smile spread across his face.

"Ask again en... a few ticks. Watch th' altimeter, will yeh lass?"

---

Looking over at him, she nodded slightly, giving him a pat on the shoulder. This, she realized, was going to more difficult than she'd anticipated....not that crashing in a ship was ever easy. That thought, in fact, earned a chuckle....or two...and an almost impish smirk.

"Sure, I'll keep an eye on it. But hey, didn't I warn you not to get into this situation previously? I mean the whole 'crashing a ship' thing? Though...at least you've got an expert with you this time."

Sam gave him a little wink from behind her HUD. Speaking of HUDs, she turned her eyes over to the readout panel. So far no readings on altitu--no wait. As if in reply to her thoughts, the freighter shuddered heavily....and then kept at it. A blue set of numbers appeared on the panel and Sam's stomach siezed up for a long moment.

"We've hit entry....Angels 150"

---

Glancing toward Sam he leaned back and took a deep breath. This was going to be a very rough entry and Sev was honestly not looking forward to it. As he looked up at the altimeter still not reading anything he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. The derelict shook and rattled, the hard room screaming in protest.

He didn't know how much time it was before he heard Sam's voice but he guessed it was some span of solar cycles. His consciousness was in and out but, with a great deal of effort, he managed to pry his eyes open as the g-forces of entry strained against the micro-grav created by the hard room. Sam's voice echoed across his consciousness... Angels 150... 150.

"Waiting... for... below... Angel 40..."

His eyes swam open and looked across the room and glanced to Sam, his eyes stopping on her.

---

The look he'd be met with was one of hard determination, masking the concern, which in turn masked the fear she felt underneath it all. Her heart seemed to be beating rapid-fire and skipping beats all at once, and her stomach was in a knot that she didn't think was going to come undone for a while. She just hoped the room....and Sev....held out long enough to...no. He'd be fine...they both would. In the end, she'd nod stoutly and give him a determined smile.

"I know. Just stick with me 'til then, Sev."

As the moments flickered past, her eyes watched the blue readout with a stern sort of resignation. It was an all to familiar expression on her face, an all to familiar set of emotions, for an all to familiar situation. Consciously she controlled her breathing, working to keep herself calm and clear headed as she searched the room for instructions on where to bail when the time came. Finding a metal plate on the wall, she read the list printed there....no parachutes in the room, which was unfortunate, but there seemed to be a hatch with them somewhere in the cargo hold. That, at least, would take them in the correct direction.

"Angels 80. You still with me?"

---

Despite years of military training, nearly two decades of piloting, reentry still brought out the worst in him. His breath was ragged, his arms flexed and tensed, hands grasping at his pants as his head whipped back and forth in discomfort. Sam's comment and question barely registered but he forced a nod. Consciousness was a fight but he managed to look around the hard room in some small detail.

"Still... 80... chutes?”

He didn't see any. Hard rooms were usually stocked with enough for the whole crew but he didn't see any! They were close to the core of the ship, the cargo hold, but it never registered that they would be anywhere other than where they were.

---

Cripes. She had known that reentry was bad for the man but....this was very possibly worse than her pirate phobia. That....was severely disconcerting. His question, what there was of it, took a moment to formulate in her mind, but she answered swiftly once it had.

"Bail out point is in the hold. 'Chutes are there....or so says the wall."

There she was, trying to lighten the mood...not that it was easy, or that her words would be effective. It didn't seem like much would be effective to get Sev through whatever it was that was eating at him right now, but trying to think of something helped the Corellian focus and keep her head clear...in the game. Finally, she reached over and gripped one of his hands, the muscles at the corners of her jaw hardening in determination just before she looked back at the altimeter.

"Angels 60....."

Time couldn't seem to make up its mind on if it was going to fly past them or crawl like a snail and it wasn't helping her...either of them...at all. The numbers kept ticking down on the altimeter and finally she decided they shouldn't wait any longer.

"Come on, Sevchenko, we're going. Now."

Unclipping herself and slinging her Shutzhund over her shoulders, she cursed the poor planning of this ship. The altimeter reading was 48,090.

---

Sam's comment, the number 60, and her insistence that they were going all blended together. His mind was still reeling, his consciousness threatening to leave him if he were to try anything but, a quick swimming glance at the altimeter showed that he didn't have time to dally. Slowly unclipping himself he snagged his rifle and stood, bracing himself against Sam and the wall.

"Are y' sure yeh can trust th' wall? Et's got ae rattish... look to it."

Groaning he staggered toward the door. Thankfully the cargo hold on the map was not far away. The designers must have taken the need of hard room survivors to get to the chutes into account. Shaking his head he was out the door before too long. However, with a shudder the ship rocked heavily and his consciousness threatened to leave him, his body thudding against the bulkhead, his rifle clattering to the floor. Putting his now free hand to his head he shook it and groaned deeply.

---

Sev's attempt at humor was heartening. At least he was cognizant enough of what was going on to make try for some banter...that meant that there was hope. Right now, she was surviving off the stuff. As he leaned against her, she made the attempt not to stagger under his weight as she opened the door.

"Well, I don't feel like sticking around to question it right now, so I think I'll take my chances."

As they headed out the door, she was forced to shift her weight to balance out the incline (well, more like decline) of the ship in its descent. Her boots slid a bit on the deck and she had to readjust her footing....a thud near by, however, had her glancing over to where Sev....should have been. Looking down, she caught sight of him on the deck. Stooping a bit, she gripped his gear and tugged upward, sending pain through her shoulder as he found his feet again.

"Mind yourself. Use the wall....now c'mon."

...boy was she glad they'd left the hard room early.

Thankfully, it took them very little time to get to the cargo hold and with minimal incidents but....what she saw inside was....well, it was chaos. Boxes and crates and heavy drums of liquid (thankfully not flammable by the looks of it -- there were no warning symbols posted on them) were toppled all around the place after breaking free from their restraints...

....This....wasn't good.

---

Beneath the fear, beneath the welling darkness that threatened to consume his consciousness, beneath even the self preservation desire that Sev was so fond of, there was something that was infinitely more important to him. As Sam lifted him to her shoulder Sev's eyes wandered down to look at her. There was so much that his fear wanted him to say, there was his determination wanting him off her shoulder, and the darkness merely watched as his psyche struggled with itself. But for now, his consciousness merely put one foot in front of the other as they worked their way out of the hard room, Sev using his rifle as something of a crutch.

"Sorry lass..." He grunted, trying unsuccessfully to shift more weight onto his own two feet. Every time he attempted it the darkness would threaten to consume his mind. "Can't do thus... alone."

As alone slid from his mouth they stumbled into the cargo-hold and Sev's eyes wandered northward. The hold was cargo-strewn, everything chaotic as the ship continued to shift and groan. On the other side of a single force-barrier Sev could see the planet rising up to meet them and the darkness surged; his entire form slumping as his eyes averted. Trying to keep himself awake he set to trying to find a chute-rack; something that would definitely save their lives.

Here, there... nothing. In his state, however, he could not see everything. Turning to the wall he motioned to it.

"Leave me there, lass... we've a few angels left before the green zone... I..."

Pushing himself off her he fell, almost fully, into the wall as his rifle clattered away from him. It took a few moments but he was able to right himself.

"I can work toward the jump... hatch." His eyes closed again before swimming open. "Go, ah'll be... uhgh..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She…they…didn’t have time for this. Sam understood the man with her had trouble with burn in, that something had happened in his past and he suffered some sort of consequence for it, but now wasn’t the time for it. As the hulking freighter moaned and creaked in its death around them, grey eyes caught on her former CO…her friend…someone who meant more to her than either of those combined. Sev looked like he was struggling to keep focused…at the least. ”Move your arse, Sev! This way!” She hadn’t a clue what they were going to do, but he wasn’t giving any ideas and time was something they didn’t have much of so she was about to get very creative.

The angle of decent the freighter was taking made sliding across the hangar-turned-cargo bay the primary means of movement, two sets of boots skidding and shuffling toward the wall and the piles of toppled cargo against it. Half bent back and with one hand near the floor, she glanced back toward Sev who seemed to be having a more difficult time. Dammit, I hope we make it through this…c’mon Seven’s luck. Her eyes swept the wall they were headed toward for any signs of an emergency exit…a light, a sign, some paint…”HAH! C’mon! C’mon!” The yellow and black paint on the hull was good enough for her, but just in case it hadn’t been, the odd layering of the cargo in that area was. Lower than most in some places, higher than most in others…Via please let that be a ha--

That thought cut off at the sound of a half panted grunt near by and Sev sliding further into her sight a bit too swiftly. Dropping to one knee and a hand while using the outstretched leg as a brace, she twisted and grabbed his vest roughly, working to help stabilize him. Glaring, more in determination than anger, she looked from him to the wall and set her jaw stubbornly and hefted herself up again, not once letting go of him. ”Come on Sevchenko!” He was far too heavy for her to carry, even if she had to (thankfully she didn’t…yet), but she wouldn’t be against dragging him if it came to that. Luckily some part of him was still conscious and with her so she didn’t have to do all the work.

”I’ve crashed once already and lived…”

The sudden loss of traction of one of her boots had her growling as the ankle of her stable leg twisted uncomfortably before she recovered. Another few sliding steps and they’d reached the wall, Sam moving to get Sev propped up against some of the crates of cargo that had stacked themselves there when their restraints had broken. Getting a grip on his vest with her other hand as well, she glared into his eyes, hoping to get him to focus in on her instead of whatever it was that had him struggling to stay conscious. ”Now focus in and stay with me, because I can’t do this without you. You hear me, Adamar? I’ll be damned if I let either of us die in this, got it?! So pull it together!”

Not once could she remember calling Sev by his first name alone…not once…but today was as good a time as any to rankle him if that’s what it did.

At least it would get some kind of reaction…and right now, any reaction (even anger) was a good one.

Turning her eyes away from him, she glanced to the cargo that stood in their way of a path out of this death trap. Steeling herself against the frightening and painful memories of her own past, she let go of her grip on Sev and moved the couple of feet to her target. Bracing herself with one foot partially against the crates, she shoved the first of the cargo crates out of the way with her shoulder. As it toppled aside, Sam hardly gave it another glance as she set to work on the rest, her thoughts running circles on the question of what would happen if they managed to get to the door. It wasn’t as if they had parachutes! Still…there was a door here…there had to be something around to make a hasty escape if there was a door to make said escape through. Maybe it was an exercise in futility but it wasn’t in her to give up.

The Corellian woman was…more than a little relieved…when her ears caught the sound of more toppling cargo and she glanced over to the sight of Sev helping shove more of the items blocking their path out of the way. With both of them working the area was cleared in…well, there was no ‘good time,’ really, since it was all borrowed time…but they weren’t flat yet, so she was pleased. What pleased her even more was what else they found besides the door.

Goddess, thank you! A parachute’s never looked so good!

[Latus]

“Adamar… now tha’s ae blast from yest’rday…” Sev forced a chuckle as he braced himself on the wall. He was still there and he would not stop being there if he could help it. Nodding at Sam’s command he heard more than thought as something ran through his head… I’ll have tae… make her clean latrines for ordering her commanding officer… “Shift some ae… thus clutt’r an yeh may find ae chute, lassie.”

And despite his pained expression and the sounds of shrieking and groaning metal all around them he did his best to do the same as he moved toward the bay access door. The containers were not that heavy and reminded him some of the engineering debacle they just got out of with… Hunter. Cringing he allowed an image of Hunter to spring to mind. Ah’ll survive thus. Ah’ll survive fer all o’ em. Pulling himself upright and avoiding the sight beyond the bay he continued to move forward, dragging himself with great stress and strain along the bulkhead.

He could hear Sam shifting the containers on the other side of the bay but took little notice. He was moving and despite everything else that had happened and the derelict that was falling apart around them he was keeping the darkness that shrouded his mind in check. He was moving, he was surviving, he was not going to give in to the irrational fear and psychosis that had plagued him his whole adult life.

He was overcoming.

Slowly his body shifted more upright as his muscles responded more readily to his commands, his movements coming slightly faster as he slid objects out of the way. He noticed a readout on the wall that gave their Angel status and, with a smile, he realized they had time. Time! If Sam found a chute they could make it… no, they would make it. As he made the door he stopped, steadying himself in the frame as he looked a moment for his rifle; realizing just after that it was gone and he would never see it again. Grimly he looked up at Sam, the expression on her face less hopeless.

“Find something Sam?!” His voice was strong, more like normal. However, it was not to last.

The derelict was slowly breaking apart around them. The blast doors were sectioning off the derelict as plasma erupted all across the hull. The inertial dampers were shorting and the cargo hold instantly erupted in intense turbulence, throwing everything back into chaos. The darkness which had been so controlled only moments before suddenly surged and Sev was forced to his knees as his eyes slammed shut. A groan erupted from both the ship and Sev himself as the dampers seemed to right themselves if only slightly. The descent was now uncontrolled, the microgravity fighting the G-forces on the ship’s exterior for control as the cargo slid hither and thither around them. Sev looked up, trying to find Sam, trying to get her sit-rep but another jarring blast rocked the ship around them and his eyes were forced over the hangar door. That was the last straw. The darkness welled up and Sev fell, born downward by the cold harsh dark of unconsciousness.

“No! Not like this. Not… like…”


Within the recesses of his mind something ignited active. Some primal essence beyond his consciousness rose up from depths that some would say contained the very heart of a person’s force sensitivity. Sev had never been force sensitive, he’d had himself examined for the armed services, but this was not the force. It was… different.

In his mind’s eye the darkness parted to a silvery light that shone dull at first before growing in brightness and shine until it drove away the darkness as he stood bathed in its formless beauty. As he stared the monochromic light began to take form, shape, and soon he stood before a great tree of incredible height and width which radiated the beautiful light that still held back the darkness. The soldier did not know what it meant but he found himself drawn to it, the odd sight seeming to be inviting him ever forward though not a word was spoken. He could hear music off in the distance, something with drums, fiddles, and flutes that seemed to grow louder as he moved ever closer. Soon he stood within arm’s length of the tree and the music played ever onward, the beat accelerating. He hesitated, now knowing what this could be, if it was the indication that he was perhaps dead, getting ready to move on to the next life. He thought of Sam in that moment, afraid that he would never see her again…

But the music seemed to pulse with a reassurance that he would see her again, that all he had to do was touch it and they both would he safe after all. Despite his reservations he reached out, letting his hands brush the bark as the light grew to envelop him, drowning his fears and doubts in silver light.

In the cargo hold things were no better and, in whatever position he had ended up, Sev lay helpless as the ship continued to shudder around them. However, all across his back his muscled rippled and twitched as long forgotten blood surged upward. The weight that he had carried all his life, the dense musculature and bone, shifted and almost in pain Sev cried out as the change came upon him for the first time in his life. This type of trigger was not usual so the shift was certainly not comfortable as he squirmed and twitched, the cloth around his shoulder blades tightening as it tented across his back around two points.

For the first time in his life, Sev was finally realizing his Rilan bloodline as the long dormant change raced across his body.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sam allowed Sev to do what he needed. As long as she was working…fighting…to keep them alive things could work out. He would get himself together, she had confidence in that…even if it did waver now and again. She’d never seen him like this before, after all, and it was a frightening situation to realize it. As she tugged two of the parachutes that she could reach free of their holders, she nodded to his question from behind over the rising noise of the dieing ship.

”Got the ‘ch—uta!” The mangled huttese curse was brought about by the sudden failing of the ship’s dampers, causing Sam to drop roughly to her knees and almost slam her head into the corner of a crate. That would not have been good, and luckily she stopped it from happening by twisting to the side and landing hard on her left shoulder instead. It hurt, but it was better than landing on her right one. With a growl she struggled back to her feet and hooked her arms into the straps of the parachute, not bothering to clip it yet. She had Sev to worry about. He had sounded better off, but she wasn’t going to take that for granted.

Turning, what met her eyes was, if possible, even more frightening…

Sev was sprawled across the deck, face down and tumbled up beside several crates. ”Sev!...Sev?! Frell!” As swiftly as she could, she made her way to where he was and started to kneel down. Her motion halted, however, as he twitched and cried out in pain…and that wasn’t the only thing. Something was happening with his back…protruding from it, but she couldn’t see what. At first she’d thought it was something he’d fallen on…an injury…but there was no blood, and as she reached a hand out, he twisted onto his side, curling slightly into himself. There was nothing there to see…to fall on…no blood…no injury…nothing. Things only became more frightening and bizarre as his skin’s very color began to change. His skin, his face, even what little hair he had seemed to be….different.

”Sweet Via….Sev! Sev what the…sonuva…”

She just didn’t know what else to do for him. Lost as she was she could only think of one thing to do, and even that was more instinct than though. Dropping the free parachute, she knelt on one of the straps to keep it near by and pulled her boot knife free. In only a moment that knife was hovering near one of the bulges at his back. Steeling her nerves, she cut through the fabric as best she could without doing any damage….but what met her eyes there….

Grey eyes widened and she gasped at the sight of what came through the slit in the fabric of his tactical vest and uniform. If it looked like anything she could possibly think of…it looked like a wing! More sure of herself this time, she slit the other side open and there was the matching wing, if that’s what it was.

”Sev….what the…grrr…Sev! Sev pull it together!”

[Latus]

As the ship continued to fall apart around them, Sam and Sev were still in the same place, the latter continuing to convulse on the ground as his mind remained in a state of continuing stasis. His body on the other hand was shifting from the normal Sev to something that not many would still consider human. His hair color was changing as it lengthened, thickened around his ears and down his neck. His skin began to take on a silver almost metallic tint that somehow kept an organic look to it. The hair across his head slowly began to change colors as his back twitched, his wings finishing their emergence from his shoulder blades, the secondary shoulders covered with the same auburn and silver color that now covered his head. The feathers across his newly massive wings were patterned much like a great bird of prey but retained much of their color across the back. The undersides of his wings were mostly the bright silver with auburn and bronze highlights. Finally, all across his body a fog, almost imperceptibly, rose from his skin and saturated the inch or two of air nearest his body. It was gold speckled through with silver, the former slightly brighter than the wing highlights and the latter a brighter tint than his skin.

And, with that, Sev’s body stopped convulsing, his muscles relaxing as the massive wings flopped over across his back and draped across the cargo containers nearest to him on each side. His breathing eased as, despite the stressing nature that surrounded them, both his body and mind became at ease. Behind his mind’s eye each of his senses slowly awoke before finally he could hear Sam calling his name and his eyes shot open.

What happened?

As quickly as he could he had pushed himself back upright and was soon staring Sam in the face. His eyes were a swimming mixture of auburn, golden, and silver and shifted much like the aura that surrounded him but, though his senses were still numbed, he could tell something was different. Sam’s form was surrounded by a strange colored fog but it was not something that seemed wrong or dangerous. In fact... in retrospect it had been there the whole time. There was something about the fog that was almost as familiar as Sam herself; heck, it was as though he had forgotten to take off his SNARL and was seeing the glow of infrared. However, this was a beautiful mix of gold and gree, something that he would have always attributed to his friend. He sshook it off and Soon he was to a knee and though his balance felt off he did not care… he was just happy to see the face of the young woman again.

“Sam… I thought… Ah thought ah’d never see yeh again.”

At that moment the ship shuddered again and Sev shook himself out of it, looking down at the parachutes that Sam was clutching.

“Tha’s something. Cmon, we’ve only a few angels tae th’ jump!”

As Sev rose to a stand he knew something was strange. His balance was significantly different and though he had to shift forward to keep himself upright he somehow felt lighter in the limbs and trunk. Shaking off the feeling he took one of the parachutes and motioned Sam to move.

“Go. Quickleh!”

Whatever it was, he’d deal with it out more on the ground.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((Modified for better flow))

---

This wasn't happening...

As she watched this new (and almost foreign) Sev, Sam almost felt like crying. Whether it was for good or bad reasons she wasn't even sure. Thankfully, she didn't cry, she just knelt there...staring... pale...transfixed. His first words to her, after a long moment of just looking at each other, found her laughing once or twice, a tear actually escaping one of her eyes as she attempted to keep herself from throwing her arms around him. His comment about 'having a few angels' until they needed to jump very nearly had her cackling with hysterical laughter. Instead the desire was almost instantly suppressed as the ship shuddered again and she was reminded of the situation that had the typically 'cool under fire' woman mere inches away from a panic attack.

"Yeah...well...we have at least one angel more than I expected..."

The quip that followed held only a hint of amusement but was, more or less, deadpan and found her standing with him, holding out a hand as he looked...off balance.

"Easy there....those things can't be helping and....frell...how are we gonna get this parachute on you now?!"

The thought wasn't a fun one.

Well, somehow they had managed to survive this long…and somehow they even managed to get Sev and those…wings…of his into the second parachute harness with some extreme negotiating of the straps and the soft, warm, feathery appendages. After all, who knew if Sev would be able to even use these new wings, let alone control them enough to reach the ground safely. Between the crippling fear she was fighting back and now this….this new…discovery…about Sev (she still couldn’t shake the angelic image off), Sam was finding her actions to be more and more reactions…actions without thought. It was the only way she could function properly right now, by trying to think as little as possible and just act.

Via help me…Sev’s a frelling angel…

The thought came even as she grunted heavily as she pressed down on the latch to the door, which started to come open…and stuck. Shoving hard downward once more her shoulder twinged painfully. A frustrated roar and a swift boot to the hull had her thinking just a bit more clearly through the pent up emotions as she moved to try the latch once more. The heavy rustle of feathers had her looking up as two more hands grasped the thick metal latch with her. With a calming breath, she nodded slightly. Okay…together, then. A heavy push from both and she heard the latch grind, squeal a moment, then felt it pop open. She didn’t need to tell him that they wouldn’t have much time once they jumped…they both knew. It frightened her, jumping like this, with parachutes that were who knew how old or when they’d last been tested, but they didn’t have a choice. Even with the fear, however, she managed a flicker of a smile.

”Y’know…if I have to jump, Sev, I’m damn glad I have you jumping with me. You may not be a deity, but an angel will do just fine. Though…I may still have to shun you for not telling me back on Tatooine.”

She was razzing him again, of course…mostly.

Sam did mean her first sentence with excruciating honesty.

”Ready?”

Ready or not, she let go of the latch handle, braced herself as best as she could, and shoved against the door with a boot, allowing it to fly open and slam back against the hull. The rushing roar of the wind had her grimacing a bit, her heart rate jumping as she fought back the memories again. Half a moment she closed her eyes, shook her head sharply and opened them again before getting as close to the door as possible and glancing back up the hull so she’d be aware of how far out she had to try and jump to avoid slamming against anything.

Oh I don’t like this…

With a glance to Sev, she set her jaw and nodded, speaking over the wind and through her comm. to him. ”Right, let’s do this, Sev. You’re out first, no arguing.” Considering his troubles staying conscious earlier, she wasn’t about to take the chance that she’d jump and he wouldn’t be able to make it out. She wasn’t going to like this, but she sure as hell would like the consequences of staying even less, so she didn’t have to worry about herself.

Once Sev was out, she crouched, muscles coiling like springs, and dove out herself, bringing her out somewhere beneath her friend.

The initial feeling of utter weightlessness and rushing air stole her breath…and not in a good way. The sensation was terrible, but she worked through it, fighting the muscles of her body to take in the cold air. Her HUD visor blocked the air, making it easier to see…as well as giving her the necessary, but unwanted, information concerning her fall. Silently she counted the seconds as she reached for the ripcord, the hulking mass of the freighter passing swiftly through her peripheral vision. The air stream from it battered her at points, making it risky to open the ‘chute, but there wasn’t an easy way to get away from the turbulent air. It was a risk she’d have to take. Arching her body so as not to flip on deployment, she pulled on the ripcord and was dismayed to find the action was met with heavy resistance.

…Osik. Really?! A second hard tug and again…nothing. Ten seconds…too much time! Both hands gripped the cord and tugged…and finally the ‘chute deployed. Glancing over her shoulder when the customary pull of canopy opening didn't slow her descent, only one word was uttered…

”Frell.”

Her voice was remarkably calm for the situation she found herself in.

The mess of tangled lines and rolled up material was not what she wanted to see. Without thought, she worked to get hold of her breakaway handle and reserve ripcord. Grey eyes flickered to the readings along her HUD and her heart rate spiked uncomfortably. Goddess…”Mind yourself! Breaking away from primary ‘chute, don’t get tangled!” With a painful tug and extension with her right arm, the breakaway handle came off, the uselessly tangled primary coming away with a slight jolt of force. In an instant her left hand tugged the secondary ripcord as the last of the hulking ship passed through her vision.

For a moment she feared another tangled parachute from the last of the buffeting air…

She needn’t have.

As the cord pulled, she glanced over her shoulder to an even more frightening scene than the previous malfunction…

…Nothing.

You have got to be kidding me...

She felt the pit of her stomach dissolve into nothingness as realization swiftly coursed through her. The ripcord was loose. The pin had been pulled and the reserve should have deployed, but it wasn’t. There was nothing left to slow her fall. In an instant a multitude of thoughts and emotions attempted to gain precedence, but over all there was one thing she could think of. ”H-hey Sev…” Futilely the stubborn woman’s mind attempted to design a way to miraculously escape death’s clutches yet again…but all she could see was the day she’d nearly died. Maybe this was how she was supposed to…No. I’m not supposed to die like this! Via, please…not like this.

”…So I…uh…I owe you a vacation, you know...”

Would it hurt?

Somehow she doubted she’d feel much after slamming into the ground at terminal velocity.

Somewhere in the background she thought she caught Sev asking about her reserve…sounding anxious, worried…maybe it was just her mind. She was having difficulty discerning right now.

”The next time you have a couple days in port, I…I expect to know about it and…”

If she could just get the ‘chute out somehow…

Maybe she could pull it?

Reaching around, she attempted to get a grip on the reserve pouch.

Oh how she missed the front reserve ‘chutes of the military…

Again there was that barely registered…or was it partially imagined?...questioning from Sev. How could she honestly answer him? Real or imagined questioning, she was in denial herself and trying to keep her mind from going down a path of thought she wasn’t ready to follow. If she couldn’t admit the reality to herself, how could she admit anything to him?

”…and I expect to have a full day with you. No guys…just us…okay?”

Sam was struggling to keep calm…any kind of calm. Her voice wavered as tears were fought back and she attempted to keep a semi-steady breathing pattern. The Screaming Star impacted the ground below with an impressive amount of force, accordioning in some places, shattering in others and exploding outward around the engineering sections…sending large gouts of flame blossoming out or upward with the screeching of twisting metal. Shutting her eyes tightly, Sam forcefully fought back the urge to be sick, sniffling once instead and taking a shaky breath.

”Promise me, alright? We both need a vacation, and I wanna make it up to you. My treat. No arguments.”

She couldn’t reach a damn thing to help get that secondary ‘chute out, so she stopped trying, instead focusing on attempting to keep control of herself. She hadn’t gone down making an emotional fool of herself in the ‘hawk and she wasn’t trying to now. Yes she could tell Sev what had happened, but chances were he knew already. Chances were he’d deployed and there was no way he could do anything to help, let alone reach her in time to try…and even if he had, there was always the chance that it would only result in both of them becoming jelly on the ground.

”Y’know Sev...I think today was the first time I ever called you by your first name. Hope you didn’t mind too much…”

...Not much time left now....she thought, eying her HUDs altimeter. Sniffing a time or two more, she let herself hang in the air calmly…numbly...

After a moment that seemed like an eternity, she sighed heavily across the comm…ready to face the truth of the matter fully. Shielding her mic from the rushing wind she spoke up again…her voice just as calm as she’d been on Corellia. ”This reserve isn’t gonna pull, Sev…can’t reach it to force it and I really doubt you could reach me to help this time. I figure you already knew but…it needed to be said.” Another half-heart beat of silence. ”Guess I’m done avoiding the truth…just glad you’re here.”

[Latus]

He moved, acted, with great purpose as they took to the jump hatch of the derelict as quickly as they could. Sam commented but Sev really didn’t hear what she said in that instant; they had much more important things to worry about at present. As he extended the harness in preparation of donning it he had to pause as if considering some mystery that he never had to solve before. Sam’s second comment also failed to reach Sev as he slipped his arm through the first piece of the harness, slinging the pack onto his shoulder. As he flipped the heavy pack around the wings on his back pulled in as tight as they were able, allowing the other harness to slip across the other side of his body.

It was almost instinct that drove him then. He could speak, he was self-aware, but his mind did not accept what had happened to him as an actual change. He saw his frame and hair in the reflection of the room, the color change to his skin, and the very obvious mist that seemed to surround Sam as well as her comments about angels despite the fact he didn’t react to it. It was a self-defense mechanism that he would deal with soon enough. With the chute connected he turned to help her, hefting the massive pack onto her slighter frame. Before long she was geared up and probably being more comfortable than he with the pack against her spine.

With that done, Sev pulled the dive mic across his face and moved toward the door where Sam was throwing her weight against the release as the derelict gave another shudder. Through the window Sev saw that the burn-in was over and the ground was rushing up to meet them. Strangely, his body did not rebel against him. This only steeled his conscience as he reached the door and placed a hand beside Sam’s on the latch. Pulling at the same time the hatch popped and Sev held on..

Pausing and looking at Sam he returned the smile he saw, adding a sympathetic nod… he was about as enthusiastic about true free fall as Sam was.

”Y’know…if I have to jump, Sev, I’m damn glad I have you jumping with me. You may not be a deity, but an angel will do just fine. Though…I may still have to shun you for not telling me back on Tatooine.”

”Ah’m no angel, lassie. Ah’m jus’ ae soldier who wants tae see ae civilian survive a truly dire situation.” Her next question was unnecessary because he had to do this, ready or not. ”Aye.”

Sev released the door as Sam did, the piece of bulkhead flying outward as Sev grabbed the bar beside the door which was now violently pulling the air from the derelict. Looking at the ground, the hulk of the ship falling with them he shuddered in anticipation. He’d never feared vertigo but for some reason now he felt very comfortable with what was to come. At Sam’s comment about Sev out first he nodded and, taking a step back, he threw himself from the derelict.

Follow me… Sam.

The rushing air, the stinging cold assaulted Sev’s face as his body sprawled in the air, watching the derelict go down away from him. It was descending faster than he and it took a moment before Sam was seen emerging from it. Tilting himself forward he sped his descent just slightly so he was closer to her. A smile crossed his face; they were in the open air and they had parachutes. His HUD pinged to life across his eyes and he looked back toward Sam.

”Test, lassie.” His mouth-mic seemed to be working so he continued to watch his altimeter as the number quickly dropped. His eyes locked on Sam, watching her as she worked with her harness; he had no plans to pull his chute before he saw hers. As the elevation ticked rapidly down her chute continued to not deploy and his stomach dropped… which was difficult at several thousand meters altitude. He heard her voice saying that she was going for her breakaway and secondary chute.

”Roger, lass.”

Tilting himself back he watched the tangled primary fly away from her form and he cursed to himself. Cmon, Sam. Go fer tha’ secondary. After several seconds… nothing.

“H-hey Sev.”

No… ”Lassie, hold on!”

”…So I…uh…I owe you a vacation, you know...”

Twisting his body he struggled to angle himself down toward her. His mind was clear, everything was vibrant and visible… and Sam was at the center of his vision. As much as he struggled he was having a very hard time aiming himself.

”The next time you have a couple days in port, I…I expect to know about it and…”

”Don’t you give up on me, lass! No’ now! Listen to me Zhaftig! Tha’s an order! Snap oot’ o’ et!”

”…and I expect to have a full day with you. No guys…just us…okay?”

He was struggling harder now, his eyes not leaving Sam. Even as the derelict struck the ground below them followed swiftly by the Exodus Sev could only look at Sam, his form wandering all over the sky as his altimeter pinged the green zone for his own pull. NO! For everything he was, everything he knew, fear was growing by leaps in him.

”Promise me, alright? We both need a vacation, and I wanna make it up to you. My treat. No arguments.”

Sam… Sam. I am here.

On his back his wings slowly unfurled to gently cut at the wind across his back. They only extended slightly beyond his gear but as he continued to look at her he slowly and accurately homed in. As he stared he watched her get closer… closer as the ground continued to grow below them.

Y’know Sev...I think today was the first time I ever called you by your first name. Hope you didn’t mind too much. This reserve isn’t gonna pull, Sev…can’t reach it to force it and I really doubt you could reach me to help this time. I figure you already knew but…it needed to be said. Guess I’m done avoiding the truth…just glad you’re here.”

He was close. He was so close. He reached outward as his form closed on Sam’s, his own face nearing her.

I will not let you go. I cannot let you go.

He didn’t speak… it was something else. As his right hand closed around the breakaway controller across her shoulder, his left moved to lift her eyes to look at him.

”You mean too much to me, lassie. Ah’ll not let you go just yet.”[/b]

His forehead touched her as his hand yanked the breakaway and release. From her back the chute erupted and Sev smiled, his hand moving to his own primary release. Grasping his own he waited one more instant before pulling his own chute, the g-forces pulling heavily on him as, looking up, he saw his own chute fluttering.

Sighing he knew… they would be all right.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Something foreign….words…something that was almost audible, but very clearly Sev, had touched her mind…

At first she’d thought it was her fear or some strange imagining, some part of her own mind, that had brought the words to the front of her mind. She’d ignored them at first, saying what had needed to be said and struggling with herself to accept what appeared to be her fate this day. It was a painful struggle…so emotional for her that it seemed to hurt physically. If there was anything she didn’t want, it was for Sev to be forced to see…this. Once already he’d had to leave thinking that she likely hadn’t survived, and that had been in a fighter. He’d known….had likely seen part of it, the fireball that her fighter had become, but he hadn’t been so close….wouldn’t have had to deal with something so….

She stopped her thoughts there. They weren’t helping anything and—

I will not let you go. I cannot let you go.

--and that was not her mind. She tensed for a long moment, feeling like one giant knot of muscle and emotion. That was most certainly not her thoughts…but it wasn’t (she thought) something audible either. But then what….?

”Sev…I…”

Something jostled the faulty pack against her back, making her hiss slightly as it jostled her shoulder in turn. That, however, was one of the furthest things from her mind as her peripheral vision caught sight of her own personal angel…no matter what he thought or said to the contrary. The touch of a gloved hand brought her eyes to him, locking there for a moment.

”You mean too much to me, lassie. Ah’ll not let you go just yet.”

Her eyes closed for a moment against the welling of emotion before she was able to look at him again. Nodding slightly, she managed a little smile as the front of his helmet touched hers just moments before the tug of opposing forces hit her hard. Half a moment later and a sizeable span of material unfolded just below her.

Relief…

It was more than relief, but that’s all she allowed herself to acknowledge at the moment as they hung there, the ground rising steadily but no longer with life-stealing certainty. The silence hung there with them for a long moment as she fought to hold herself together for just a bit longer. It was an uncomfortable companion, Silence, but there was one thing, at least, that she could say to ease it….

”Heh…not an angel? I don’t know about what you call them, Sev, but people who save lives like that are considered ‘angels’ in my book…” she paused a moment, smiling slightly. ”Thank you…”