Firecracker

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vexen stretched out with her senses once more. Her eye sight still wasn't perfect, but trying to map out bland physical things like walls and floors with the Force was quite difficult. What she needed was a better vantage point to see what was going on. The entire reason for her being here was to observe safely and watch Jamie's back. The Alliance had a recon ship moving into high orbit to observe the situation, but that wouldn't do much more than get an idea of where the large scale troop movements were.

The soldiers backed off, leaving her hands bound. They gave her a good few metres of space. The one who seemed most capable of reasoned logic strode past them and passed the lightsaber in the hands of a duros. Chetro turned away from a table covered in flimiplast plans to face Jamie. He wore no insignia, but his black jacket seemed less worn than the clothes of the rebels around her.

He held the saber for a moment before placing it on the table behind him. He gave a slow nod before he opened his mouth to speak.

"If you can use that, then I imagine you allowed yourself to be brought here?" she might notice how close his right hand stayed to the blaster on his hip. Was this an ally or an assassin? he silently mused.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde nodded in response to the Duros assertation. Her hands, still in their restraints raised slightly, about even with the table. A small smile painted her face as a slight tug of the Force pulled the saber clear from the table and into her awaiting palm, however remained disengaged and likely to the relief of the dozen men who instantly raised their blasters towards her in response to her little display.

A small underhanded toss and the weapon bounced back onto the table beside Chetro, almost directly where it had been a moment prior.

After all, she wasn't looking to be shot just yet.

"I figured whatever I said would likely be disregarded until I could prove I was not someone else."

She flashed another smile before lowering her hands back down.

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vexen's sight was still poor, but the connection to the Force and her hearing were perfectly fine. The sound of five blasters being raised in unison and the tremor of panic were both obvious to the defel who had worked her way into a room down the corridor.

Whilst the first noise focused the senses, the slow lowering and the Eddie's of panic fading back into the ether were more subtle. Vexen tucked herself into a corner of the unoccupied room and waited.

"I don't suppose those are doing much good," Chetro laughed. He alone hadn't even flinched. He waved his hand and one of the rebels unlocked her cuffs. "I hope you've seen how bad things have become."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie nodded, rubbing her wrists as the metal cuffs were removed, smiling slightly to the man courteous enough to remove them for her.

"Thank you." She said, before turning her attention back to Chetro. "I have. Judging by how late I am, you probably already knew there were problems reaching you, the least of which was finding you." She glanced around the room at the number of soldiers who had brought her here. "Mortars and other exchanges tore through the streets the majority of the way here." The girl flexed her jaw, fingers pressing against her ears, the one with the comm permanently activating the device so that Vexen would hear the conversation, and, if desired, join her.

"It took time to get through the city. But your men were able to find me. Very accommodating." A warm smile graced her face as she addressed the man.

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"What can we do but fight harder?" Chetro asked with a pained smile. "Every day they bring in more weapons and more men. They've become more bold on shelling entire districts to try and route us out. They don't start offences on foot any more, they bomb us, then they send in walkers supported by gunships and soldiers."

There was a murmur of agreement from around the room. "We avoid them where they're strong, hit them where they're weak. But they keep plugging the gaps. I need the weapons to fight back."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"From what I've been told the Alliance is stretched pretty thin in terms of resources. With the tensions rising with the First Order, constant skirmishes on the boarder, and the continued appearances of Sith cells, certain things are more difficult to come by than others." Already she could hear the mumbling of disappointment surround her like a smothering blanket. It was better to be forward with the bad news and pad it with the good than to try and sugar coat it though. "I can't get you gunships and heavy walkers. There's just no way to get them in quietly."

That was the sad truth, but the truth nonetheless. "Weapons and explosives though? Those can be dropped in easily enough." They would have to scramble, moving quickly before they were picked up by the imperials, but they could be sent by an alliance ship. "But what if instead of destroying them, we simply disabled them? We might not be able to bring our own gunships and walkers in, but if we can repurpose theirs..." Her words trailed off, leaving Chetro to think on that for the moment.

"In the meantime...What do your supplies look like?"

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Chetro held his arms out wide and shrugged. It was a difficult question. They hardly had an organised logistical supply chain.

"If they managed to really box us in and cut us off... We'd probably have enough for two months. Power backs and gas we're well stocked on. Food and medical supplies are more scarce.

"What are you thinking of? Ion mines? I haven't got men trained to operate walkers. But I imagine the Alliance has resources to help in that regard. Even technical manuals would help."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Would the alliance manuals help with imperial walkers?" Jamie knew very little about piloting, so she wasn't entirely sure if they would help at all. "If so I can get some transferred down without much fuss."

She gave a quick nod. "But more importantly if the food and medical supplies are what's needed then I can get that." Jamie actually did have a plan for that sort of thing. "We make three drops, two are decoys. The third will have your supplies. This will split their forces up enough that you should be able to get your men to secure it before they can."

From there they could start to deal with the root of the problem. "As for the actual fighting, yes, I was thinking something along the lines of mines, something that can disrupt their walkers and power grid. Perhaps you don't need an army the size of theirs, but a bit of cover, some disruptions in their systems, and a chance to take this Moff out of control."

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

One of the soldiers who had manhandled Jamie back to the HQ had gone for a smoke. He stride out into the night, confident despite the sounds of battle reverberating through the city. Another cell was still trying to finish the battle Jamie and Vexen had witnessed.

He found a quiet spot and lit the stick, putting it loosely between his lips. Standing his rifle on its butt and leaning it against the wall, he took a long, satisfying drag. He didn't hear the shadow creeping up on him. He only felt to burst of pain as something cut his trachea in one motion.

---

The deathtrooper set his long rifle on its tripod. The thermal scanner gave him a good indication of where all the people in the building were, but he needed to identify Chetro. The others were moving in now from different directions. One of them would get eyes on the Duros and then his shot would cut through every wall between them and out a significant dent in the rebellion. Imperial intelligence had increased the threat of the Alliance getting involved so eight teams of deathtroopers has been despatched this evening. Two for every high priority target.

"Hi."

The trooper nearly leapt from his skin. There was a flash of blue and everything went dark.

"Jamie, we got a problem."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The exchange of words between Jamie and Chetro was going rather well. Jamie could secure food and medical supplies, and perhaps some training manuals that might translate, at least well enough to manage the imperial walkers. All they would need to do is ensure they got to the drops before the imperials did. A bit of a task in and of itself, but doable still, especially with Jamie, and Vexen's help.

Her dialog with the Duros was interrupted though by the voice in her ear. The familiar whisper of the Defel speaking.

Jamie paused, unsure of quite how to respond. If it was a problem big enough that it needed her attention, it was likely to affect everyone.

"Chetro, I apologize. We may all be in danger right now. I had a partner tail me just in case things here went less than satisfactory. I need you to trust me and listen to whatever instructions I give in the next minute."

Without waiting for the response the blonde turned her head slightly away, pressing her finger to her head. "What is it, Vexen?"

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vexen had taken the binders the deathtrooper had carried and started to cuff his hands. She wished she wasn't still seeing that corona on her eyes. It forced her to tilt her head to the side and back to spot the encroaching troopers with her peripheral vision.

"Black stormtroopers moving in on your building. Three across the street from the front door. Three in an alley two buildings over west. Another two on the roof east. I don't know if there are any out the back. I'll try and find the best way out."

Vexen turned her attention to the two on the roof. She'd sensed something amiss and headed out from the HQ, only to find one of the Rebels lying in a pool of his own blood. Stupid, should have stayed outside and kept watch from a distance.

Three quick steps and she gathered the Force around her to sail over the empty street. The two deathtroopers were crouched at the edge of the their rooftop, looking for a way to make an ingress into the HQ. They whispered to each other in their oddly scrambled voices.

Even as a faint silhouette they couldn't miss her approach. She landed softly into a roll, snapping free her stun batons.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The Duros seemed entirely taken back by the words he heard the young blonde spit out in that moment.

"Got it. Stay safe." She said back into the comm. "Chetro we have company. Imperial death troopers. I'm guessing they're here for you specifically."

The man snapped his fingers, the others quickly readying themselves and checking their blasters. "Is there anywhere in the building that is more easily defensible? Basement or something perhaps? The fewer routes in the better." The group needed to move quickly before the enemies breached the building. How they found Chetro Jamie wasn't sure, perhaps she was tailed without noticing, but how Vexen hadn't seen either was a mystery. "Stay away from the windows." Chetro said in a hushed tone, gesturing with his hand and pointing towards the doorway where a staircase led down to the lower floors. "There's a basement with a sewer hatch we can use. Your friend will need to find their own way though, I'm afraid."

Jamie quickly shuffled out behind Chetro and the others, calling out to Vex once more as she moved. "We're heading to the sewers, can you make it to a hatch somewhere from one of the alleys?

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She heard the words, but did not respond. She darted to one side faster than the first Deathtrooper could react, his blaster bolt cutting through the air just under her arm. That first shot was enough to alert all the other deathtroopers to what was going on. Vexen didn't know what was happening elsewhere, but she heard more encrypted chatter and blaster fire. Her stun baton came down to slap the blaster away, the shock travelling up the barrel to cause the trooper's hands to spasm. She kept that trooper between her and the second man, stopping him from getting a shot off.

The next strike from her right caught an elbow, then the left jabbed the baton for the head. The deathtrooper managed to lean away from the strike and drew a blade. His rifle clattered to the ground. Vexen was forced to make a decision she didn't like as the other trooper rounded on her with a rifle. A telekinetic shove sent him falling over the lip of the roof to land three stories below. Likely a fatal fall.

The remaining trooper came in with his vibroblade in a reverse hand grip. Vexen dropped her weight, letting the blade buzz through the air over her head. As he pulled back his arm for another swipe she closed in and leaped. She elbowed his arm out of the way and snapped up her knee to catch him under the chin. As he started to crumple she slammed both stun batons together on either side of his helmet.

Vexen finally replied, panting and short of breath. "Avoiding the sewer sounds fine to me."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The clanking of boots against metallic stairs rang out as a half dozen men stamped their way to the lower levels. An explosion would rock the building, the same floor where Jamie and Chetro had just been moments before. A bright, orange blaze with billowing smoke plumed from a window that a rocket, or grenade, or some other sort of explosive had blown out.

Thankfully the group was nowhere to be found by the time the deathtroopers had breached the room. All they would see is the charred desk Chetro had been sitting at moments before, while the echo of trampling feet in the distance rang out. It would be obvious where they had gone.

"There are two across the street, last I heard. Watch the front door as we pass beneath the lobby."

The warning came just in time, as they passed the hallway the two had just broken their way inside, only to be hailed by a wall of blaster bolts from Chetro's men. In here, they overwhelmed the imperials. That is, unless they brought more, or heavier weapons in at once. "There." The Duros said, pointing to the three by three hatch in the center of the floor as they hit the basement. "Get that off, let's move. You two, watch the door while we open this up."

Jamie lifted her hand, "I've got it." She said, that same hand extending towards the durasteel lid. A few seconds later and a heavy exhale the ring would lift free and clear. "Go. I will follow once everyone's inside."

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vexen felt the subtle eddies through the Force as Jamie called to it for aid. She filtered out the sound of blasters to hone in on the odd muffled noises the deathtroopers made. Vexen couldn't figure out why they didn't use encrypted radios to talk rather than scramble their audio.

Within her goggles her eyes widened. "Jamie, get moving quick! Repeater on the south side."

Three troopers were setting up an e-web on a tripod and training it on the lower floor. A weapon that powerful wouldn't just cut right through the building, it would bring the whole thing down with a good burst of fire.

Vexen raised her pistol and fired a few shots, but they went wide. One of the three shouldered his blaster and returned fire.

"Which direction are you heading?" She asked as she changed position to try and get a better shot in.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Go!" She shouted, hearing Vexen's warning in her ear. The men wasted no time, sliding down the ladder without touching a single rung. She heard the sudden whir of the weapon and then the terrible power of the weapon rocked the building, threatening to knock Jamie off her feet. Backing quickly to the opening in the floor she allowed herself to fall the eight or so feet into the hole before the blaster fire tore through the room they had just been in.

The blonde looked ahead to see Chetro already moving his men through the tight space.

"We're moving..." The girl looked down at the device on her wrist. "South-West."

The sounds of the heavy gun tearing the building apart echoed through the tunnel as the group moved.

"Everyone made it, hopefully the imperials don't have this tunnel patrolled or surveyed. Are you okay?"

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vexen turned and ran from the edge of the roof. Several more red bolts lanced through the air over her head. With a run up she leapt for the next roof before flattening herself down once again. She crawled to the lip of this roof and took a look down at an eerily still scene. Dust and smoke wafted out of the rebel hideout. The blasters had fallen silent. She picked out several black-clad troopers advancing on the building from different directions. The repeater had done its job, entire sections of the walls were falling away but it seemed to be structurally sound.

"I'm okay. They're heading into the building now. Might have some after you if they find the door. Hold on."

Vexen heard the whine of repulsors. She rolled onto her back and looked up. High above was an imperial gunship. That wasn't good. They would almost certainly have sensors that could spot her on a rooftop.

"The streets won't be safe, they've got a gunship in the air over us," Vexen whispered as she crawled away. "I'm getting some cover."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Great." Jamie cursed. If that was the case they would have to find some place incredibly discreet to exit the tunnel. That was likely to be even more difficult if the imperials had a layout of those very same tunnels. "Get hidden. Stay out of sight. I'll see if we can find somewhere inconspicuous to surface and meet up. We need to get a message to the Alliance for supplies."

The blonde rounded a corner with the group, a long expanse of duracrete surrounding them as they trudged through a few centimeters of water beneath their boots. "Chetro can't retake the city with what we have." They had to get drops over rebel controlled territory, territory that seemed to be fading with each passing day.

"We're on a time clock."

Jamie shouted up ahead to Chetro while the Duros spoke quietly to his men. "We're gonna have company soon, heads up. They're coming in after us."

[member="Vexen"]

 

[Vexen]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vexen reached a stairwell. Obviously there had once been a room that it had led up to once. Now it was just a rough opening in the roof, presumably from a shell.

It was hard for Vexen to imagine that there were civilians and a functioning spaceport so close to this level of destruction and violence. The defel imagined there were a lot of orphans in the city now, hiding in the back streets and sewers as she once had been. She made a mental note to discuss promoting aid with Micah.

The gunship whined and there was a series of dull thuds. Flares. They descended down from the ship and burned brightly from the streets and roofs.

The sound the deathtroopers made drew her attention. She couldn't heard that they were saying, but she could see them in the street below waving to one another. They placed a metal box down on the road. Four sharp whizzing sounds as they seemed to screw it down. Then they ran.

"Jamie! I think they're blowing their way into..." Vexen dropped away from the window as the shockwave hit.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Vexen's words were drowned out by the echo of the blast that followed. The blonde shuttered her eyes for a brief moment, feeling the debris of sand and soot fall from the tunnel above her. Everyone froze in place, feeling the vibration travel throughout the entirety of the passageway. It came from behind her, though the tunnel was still dark. Perhaps they had blown their way through just around the last bend. "Go!" She whispered in a worried tone.

"Keep moving. We can't stop. They're coming. They know we're down here."

Her eyes peeled open once more as the shouting of voices rang out louder and louder. They were gaining on them. The group wasn't going to make it out to the surface before the deathtroopers caught up.

Jamie stopped in her stride, ushering the others to keep moving. "I'll buy you time. Get to the surface at the far end of the tunnel. I'll meet you there, watch for me somewhere safe."

The duros stopped to argue, but Jamie's harsh stare was all it took to understand she wasn't changing her mind.

[member="Vexen"]