Someone Has To Save Our Skins!
Posted on Sat Dec 11th, 2021 @ 11:46pm by Lieutenant Kor' de'leia & Lieutenant Melvyn Kosta & Flight Officer Tawshiikkyrr & Flight Officer Onyesonwu Zyd
Mission:
Scoundrels, Cuttthroats and Rogues
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Timeline: Day 2 at 2005
She wasn't pretty or always functional, but she was rough, tough and ready to roll (mostly and often with a little encouragement and several hours of hard graft.) She made a gentle whining sound as they were all surrounded suddenly by the rush and unpleasantly revolting stench of air and cesspit contents flowing swiftly upwards out of her way and then dropped like a literal stone from above.
A highly modified Corellian XS Light Freighter with more than her fair share of bumps, bruises and artwork, the Tobuk Chal Lanna had been Tawshii's ship for some time now. She was more than a ship. She was home.
The wookiee yowled in a mixture of happiness and horror as Haro dropped the Chal from a great and murky height into the depths of Nar Shaddaa's lowest levels. Tawshii moaned and howled even louder as his mechanic pulled a hard right (hopefully with internal help from Onye) and by virtue of the loaded atmosphere and a straining yaw to port, hurled Kor's stolen speeder into the cargo bay with a heavy dose of luck and disregard for ever using said vehicle again.
Chal then presented her backside to the Imp gunships and blasted upwards in an evasive spiralling move, dropping chaff behind her like she was offloading baggage before a raid.
Kor's head was still reeling a bit from preparing herself for a fiery high speed death from plowing into an Imperial armored transport, to being yanked to a sudden stop inside... a ship?
Who the hell would pick them up? A gutsy move whoever pulled it off. Her lekku whipped about as she quickly took in her new surroundings. Melvyn appeared as disoriented as she did. The walking furball however seemed oddly calm, if not pleased.
"Holy Frak. What just happened?"
At least visually unscathed by the rough ride, Tawshii responded with an enthusiastic rolling growly roar and vaulted from speeder to cargo bay floor to rapid forward movement in one smooth leaping slide. Kor's limited vocabulary had no trouble catching the words - 'rescue', 'friends' and 'let's get outta here' - in the wookiee's effusive reply.
If Melvyn had seen that maneuver coming he'd probably have jumped off the speeder before it crashed into the modified freighter. As it happened, an absurd amount of luck (and unexpected skill from whoever piloted the ship) allowed them to come to a halt in the cargo bay with minimal damage.
The relative silence, after the hiss of laser bolts and the whooshing wind, left Melvyn's ears ringing. He actually needed a few seconds before he could cautiously allow himself to believe that they were still alive.
"I'm not sure," he said in response to Kor. "I'm guessing whoever's ship this is they are..." Friends ? Allies ? "...probably not trying to kill us. Though after that last maneuver I might have to reassess."
He didn't allow himself to unwind, not yet. He'd been running on nerves for the past day and the moment he allowed himself to relax, he'd probably crash. While they were momentarily safe from the mess outside, they were far removed from being safe.
"Alive will do. Whomever they are...." Kor responded to Melvyn.
In the cockpit, Onye took deep breaths, trying to reclaim her calm after that intense rush of adrenaline-fueled maneuvering support. They'd done it - caught that speeder with Tawshii and two others in the cargo bay. Grudgingly, she said, "Nice flying, Haro."
Haro remained locked in position silently thanking any listening deities for their safe survival and tricky pick-up. He didn't speak immediately in response, but simply nodded, focused on his breathing and checked the controls. He wasn't taking credit, not yet.
They'd worry about damage to the cargo bay - and what Tawshii might have to say about it - later. Onye keyed in the appropriate parameters to the 'Chal's navigation computer. "Initiating jump to light speed calculations."
The proximity alert on the cockpit controls suddenly started blaring. A quick check of the short range scan showed massive ship of a distinctive dagger shape moving quickly to intercept them.
"Commercial vessel, this is the Imperial Star Destroyer Exterminator. By order of the Galactic Empire you will lower your shields, power down your engines and prepare to receive Imperial Interrogators. Resistance will result in your destruction."
Fear sent cold fingers down Onye's spine. "When Mustafar freezes over," muttered Onye in response. The 'Chal and her family would not be captured, not if she could stop it.
Haro's blood froze just as a certain hot and noisily approaching wookiee bundled into the cockpit behind him and Onye. The words leaving Tawshii's mouth were X-rated and wrapped with a level of frustrated emotion and pure emotional bile that neither human needed knowledge of shyriiwook to determine.
"We can make it," Haro said, teeth biting his lower lip so hard they drew blood. His gaze shifted briefly from the window to the wookiee, as Tawshii took his seat, hands rested on the levers needed to send them into that pre-initiated jump. "Right?"
No choice but to try. Returned Tawshii via a wailing grumbling mess of sound.
Nav computer calculations are in progress. signed Onye. She stared at the screen and added some eloquent non-verbal profanity as though that might hurry it up. Heart racing, she said aloud, "We should have the coordinates for the jump to light speed any second."
Looking around the hold they had been scooped into looked oddly familiar. Kor glanced quickly to find the welded durrasteel manufacturer's registry afixed to the bulkhead. "I thought so... Corellian. Smugglers are using these everywhere. I even sat in for a Sabbac game in one of these once transiting to Onderron. Let's go see who our hosts are.... C'mon!" she gestured to Melvyn to accompany her.
Melvyn hopped out of the speeder on only slightly shaking legs. Whatever was going on there had to be something he could do to help. Man the turrets, navigate, fix something. Anything but wait to die without doing anything.
"This the way to the cockpit?" he asked Tawshii, without really waiting for an answer.
He made for the door but before he'd taken two steps, he was overtaken by a surprisingly nimble wookie. Tawshii's growled comment could have meant anything - a suggestion ? a threat ? an invitation for tea ? - then he was gone, evidently well familiar with the bowels of the ship.
The circumstances hadn't allowed Melvyn a decent look at the freighter but it definitely looked Corellian in design. Not a surprise - Corellian designs had always been popular with outlaws of all shapes and sorts, because of their size, reliability and speed. Ideal choice for smuggling, be it goods, slaves or spices. Or rebels.
Melvyn had barely crossed the threshold when the whole ship shuddered and he only just caught himself on the door frame. Looked like they'd been hit, though the shields appeared to be holding... so far.
"Feels like we arent out of this yet." Kor stated as the inner corridor ring lept suddenly to the side. She caught herself against the bulkhead and regained her footing. "I'm guessing this is courtesy of your friends." she said to Melvyn.
"Former friends", he said pointedly. "As evidenced by our impending death." The ship shuddered again around them. "I hate when someone else is driving," he muttered. "Come on, let's see if there's anything we can do to help."
"You got it!" she called back pushing herself forward in the rocking cooridor.
With only minimal fumbling they made their way to the cockpit. It was perhaps not wholly surprising to find familiar faces there. The young man flying the ship was the one from the bar, clearly a long-time associate of the wookie. The young woman sitting in the navigator's seat Melvyn had never seen before, or at least he didn't think so, but some of his memories were so fragmented he couldn't be certain.
"Anything we can do ?" he asked. "I'm a decent shot."
The wookiee in the co-pilot seat yowled a clear warning, the words themselves hardly needed to convey his disapproval of this offer. Tawshii left Haro and Onye to translate.
Onye muttered, "Shooting at an Imperial Star Destroyer – great idea if we want them to blow us into space dust instead of capture us alive." But she glanced away from the nav computer display to Tawshii. It was up to the wookiee to decide if he wanted that ex-Imp in the 'Chal's laser turret.
The scope gave a clear view of a series of six blips suddenly shot out from the Star Destroyer. Everyone knew what it meant, but Kor shouted out anyways. "Fighters inbound!. I'll be in the dorsal turret." She immediately turned and headed for the central access tube to the gun batteries.
Onye watched the Nav computer's display, willing it to go faster. Then it was done. "Coordinates ready for jump to light speed!" she announced.
Kor slid into the gunner's couch on the quad laser and flipped on the targeting computer, the twin grids swung with her as she tested the weapon's servos. "Here they come!"
The growling sounds from Tawshii implied dark and unpleasant curse words and Haro winced as if they were about to get physical. Then a clear bark of an order hit both the young man and Onye's ears at the same time as the wookiee held his position, furry hands on his side of the controls, casual and ready.
"Punching it, Tawshii!" Confirmed Haro, in case anyone missed it or misunderstood, and the Tobuk Chal Lanna lurched into an obvious road of a forward channel formed by the blurred mass of distant stars aiming them towards an infinite point.
Everyone onboard felt the g-force as the ship shifted from normal to hyperspace.
