Impact

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

He was hurting. Pretty bad. Shit.

There wasn’t time to dawdle, however, or fuss over him. It was too dangerous right now. They had a mission that had slingshotted forward and they had to be able to see it through. Asmus’ tight grin and the subtle nod at the direction of the two men caught Kaile’s eye.

Well, that was one way. Her mind began to race. On what she could do. What she was able to. Following that line of sight and the memory of what Asmus had told her before clicked. A quad and the fancy Theed Hanger yacht. A bit too conspicuous… but, we are not being picky.

“Stay here.” Kaile suddenly said, unclipping her belt and moving to get out of the vehicle. “I’ll send you a message when you can come in.”

There was no time to waste. With Asmus shot and the way the Colonel was acting, it would be far too suspicious for them to go along with her.

“Just… keep a watch out.” she added, closing the door behind her and looking inside through the window.

“There’s a med-kit in the glove compartment.” brown eyes locked on green.

“Be careful.”
Then she left.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Are you hurt?” The elderly voice asked.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No need to be rude.”

Asmus ignored the colonel for now. He could only imagine that Kaile spent a life frustrated of every asset to be extracted was this dense. Did Hacken really know enough to risk this? Not that it had ever supposed to be this complicated. Vo would have made a risk benefit judgement if they'd known how bad it would be.

Asmus yanked open the box and pulled out the medkit. He slipped his blaster pistol free and put it in the well in the door within easy reach. He whimpered as he slipped the jacket off his shoulder. Some of the fabric had melted into tissue. The kit wasn't equipped for this. But a cheap kolto patch was better than nothing. He wiped the blood trails off his arm and looked to see what Kaile was doing.

 

[Kaile Vera]

“Okay..okay.” swallowing hard, Kaile set off at a brisk pace over towards the hanger. Right, okay, you can do this. Oh, stars this had to turn into an awful muck. A part of her wanted to hear back from Vo, but she knew that it would be some time before the Sullustan even would receive her message. Then on top of that, they were now on a fluid course. Anything could shift from one extreme to the next in a matter of seconds. The longer they remained here, on the planet, the higher the risk to their lives.

As she neared the pair, Kaile set her shoulders. Go time.

“Excuse me!” she cried out, her voice a sing song despite the rushed aura about her. Definately a noble, Kaile thought. High up there. Well dressed and his beard was perfectly brushed. They were nervous, alarmed. The sudden attacks had made them both decide to leave the planet as fast as they could.

“What do you want?” impatience had made the Naboo merchant a bit too harsh.
“Sorry, “ both hands came up, and Kaile slowed her pace. “But they are summoning all civilians towards hanger Besh for their safety.” she gestured, pointing down over towards the right. Would they believe her though?

[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus pulled his blaster across his lap. He hadn't even checked if it had a stun setting. It did. He flicked it on. He'd never shot anyone quite that close before. Just inches between the muzzle and the man's back. He laid the jacket over the blaster. If he had to he would stun the owners and get going.

“You're both with…”

“Shh,” Asmus responded.

“She can fly that thing?”

Feth it all would he shut up? “I'm the pilot. Just a pilot without a ship.”

“And she's the operative. Is she good?”

“Be quiet. And she's brilliant.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

They were not buying it.

Even it she wasn’t a Lorrdian, Kaile saw it in the man’s eyes. In his stance. In the way wariness and disbelief made his posture change. Oh, stars was nothing going to go to plan?

“Don’t lie to me you little--”

“Sorry,” was the only warning they both got. Kaile drew out her Moph stun blaster with a quick draw. The eyes of the two men went wide with fright, only for their bodies to flop down onto the ground a second later. They made a heavy thud, twin stun bolts at a strength to knock them both unconscious for at least three hours. Immediately, Asmus would see a strand of words drift over the lenses again.

[ Come on! ]

Bending down to a knee, Kaile quickly went searching through the man’s pockets. Her head kept glancing up, keeping an eye out for any security. This was far too open. Too easily for someone to spot them. Damnit.

Not the sort of extraction she wanted to pull.

Finally, her search led towards the small card the taller man had held in his hand. He’d been aiming to get into the ship as fast as possible. An expression of victory spread across Kaile’s face as she held it up.
“Got you.”

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Move quickly, stay behind me,” Asmus called. He'd seen those flashes so someone else might have. He kept the jacket folded over his right arm. His left shoulder and the patch were visible, but it was less conspicuous than the blaster he was holding.

“Hey! You!”

Oh damn. It was the same security guard he'd been talking to earlier. The friendly one who had just been glad of a chat. Asmus was so happy the blaster he'd stolen had a stun setting. One more blue flash was hardly adding to the chaos now.

“Sorry,” he mumbled to himself as the guard crumpled up on the floor. “Go, quick.”

Asmus slowed at the bottom of the ramp and let him go. As the colonel climbed in both Kaile and Asmus watched for danger from the top and bottom of the ramp. Asmus backed up the stairs and slapped the button to close the ship.

Shiny on the inside too, a little voice said. “Strap in!” He yelled at Hacken.

He abandoned the blaster and dashed for the cockpit, feeling the tug at his shoulder with each step. “Let's do this,” he said to Kaile. One switch sealed the doors, another turned on the shields. He pulled on a headset and set to work on the navcomp. This was going to require precise timing.

“Anything from Vo? If they haven't given a rendezvous, we'll choose one.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

“No nothing yet.” Kaile replied, coming to a near breathless stop just off to the right of the pilot. Her chest was sawing back and forth, beads of sweat rolling down her temples and her cheeks. Asmus wasn’t the only one slamming himself down into a seat; Kaile was right behind him in the navigator’s chair.

Theed Hanger design. Almost like the J-Type and the K-Type. She’d flown these before, but some of the buttons were off and misplaced. Well, she wasn’t here to fly it -- that was Asmus.

But I can set navigation.

“Not yet.” the Lorrdian managed to pant out, wildly bringing up the nav computer to check to see just where they could go. Everything was on automatic. They couldn’t stop to think.

“Gorram it.” there was a security code required to unlock the nav system.

“Give me a bit - “

“We need to get out of here now!” Hacken had not taken to Asmus’ direction and decided to follow them into the cockpit.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Colonel, I highly suggest you strap in. We’ll be taking off momentarily… and I'm prone to pull stupid tricks.”

“What?’

Was he in shock? Asmus’ usual cheery demeanour was being stretched. Especially as he'd just been shot. “Sit. The. Fuck. Down.”

Wide eyed, he found the nearest seat. “Goodness,” Asmus said with a shake of his head to Kaile. “Can you give me a time window on those calculations?” On his display were some basic statistics on the weight and thrust of the craft. He nodded. They were good numbers.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


It was so strange to hear Asmus react like that. Then again, he'd been shot. Everyone's nerves were on edge, and the risks seemed to be doubling exponentially. His cheery demeanor was bound to take a hit.

"One minute, maybe less," Kaile replied, focused entirely on the NavComputer. Adrenaline made her fingers tremble a bit, and she had to remind herself to try and calm down.

Taking her small datachip, she inserted it into the open slot. A small holoarray displayed a screen over her wrist.

Out in the hanger, Stormtroopers spotted the prone bodies of the noblemen and the hanger security. Feth, feth, feth!

"Come on...."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

“A minute…” the tone of his voice had changed as he settled back into his seat. “I can work with that. Hacken, please lock your seat in the forwards position. The inertial dampeners might not like this.”

For all the pain and the worries, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. For the shock as seeing what Kaile could do… This was his place. This was his part of the endeavour. He only hoped the idiot they'd picked up actually knew enough to make it worth the risk.

If the stormtroopers hadn't heard the engines warming up. A few red boots splashed across the shields. His left hand smoothly pushed forwards and the vessel purred as she accelerated forwards. Almost immediately he pulled back and angled them up. All would be pressed back into their seats as the engines were pushed beyond their recommended limits for long term health.

A beep. A scan and identification. “Give me a countdown please.” His left hand moved to the hyperdrive lever over his head.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


“Comeon, comeon…” Kaile uttered under her breath. Her fingers flew over the holodisplay, the slender hacking device allowing her to slice into the NavComputer.

“Fifteen seconds.” the espion shouted out, frantically trying her best to get beyond the security protocols. Just a little bit more --

[ Access granted.]

“Got it!” she cried out, bringing up the display and overviewing the selections. Nothing back from Vo yet. They had to go somewhere.
“Kayri. We can go to Kayri.” big brown eyes swiveled over to Asmus.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Perfect, I'll bring us out early just outside the system and we can get a pickup. Just let me get more clear of the planet.” There was an optimism in his voice and he shot Kaile a wide, grateful smile. Entering hyperspace was a risk profile now. Too close and they risks ruining the jump, too late and they risked getting...

“This is Imperial Cruiser Absolution to shuttle DX three four one. You have not been cleared for launch.”

“Shuttle DX three four one, there's a situation on the ground and we're removing a VIP from the danger,” Asmus replied, stalling for time. He could now see the cruiser on the scopes. It wasn't in their path, but it was close to it. The atmosphere was such a think blanket, it wouldn't take long to break free.

“This shuttle has been reported stolen. You are to cease ascent and return to ground.”

“Understood Absolution. We shall comply.”

“Shuttle, I can't help but notice that you've not slowed down.”

“That is correct Absolution I am awaiting coordinates for a new landing zone. I'm not returning my VIP to a warzone.”

“Cut the shit please. We have launched fighters and will intercept if you do not change heading.”

“I understand that and will comply. Where am i setting down?” He looked at his instruments, looked at Kaile. Time to go.

There was a pause. Every second counted. “Our TIEs will escort you. Come to a stop and await intercept.”

The corner of Asmus’ mouth twitched up. “Bye.” He pushed the lever forwards and the sleek shuttle leapt away. “Ha ha oh!” His triumphant laugh became a pained chuckle. He physically slumped in his chair.

His left hand reached out, fingers doing a little walk across the controls bank between them. His hand was caked in his own blood, but it reached for hers and grasped it gently. He turned his gaze towards her, trying a brave smile. He nodded at her. They'd done it.

“Colonel we're clear. Would you mind checking that medbox for painkillers?”

The question seemed to rouse Hacken, but instead of going back to the medbox he leaned over the pair to look at the screens. And their hands.

“Huh. Are you two like that spy couple from that film? True Lives was it?”

Asmus rolled his eyes. “It's complicated,” he said. Not in a way that suggested complicated was bad, just that it was. “Painkillers please.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile couldn’t help the brief smile that had mirrored the one Asmus gave her. Her hand squeezed his own -- at least until the Colonel came in with his odd commentary. Heat flushed her face.

It nonetheless startled Kaile. “I’ll get it.” she added abruptly, moving to stand from the navigator’s chair. A scan of her eyes went from Hacken over to Asmus.

“Odds are that this ship has a better medkit. I’ll go looking for it.” the adrenaline was still pumping hot through her body, making her fingers tremble slightly. Asmus was still hurt, and they hadn’t heard back from Vo. Not to mention, just what leaving how they did would affect them all.

“This isn’t a holofilm,” Kaile said firmly, attention once back on Hacken. “We barely left with our skins intact.” a pause and then a turn towards Asmus. “Sort of.”

A curt nod and then Kaile spun on her heel. Getting that med-kit was the priority.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Hah!” Asmus tried to laugh at the joke. He wished he could be the clumsy sidekick who dropped a blaster and watched it accidentally shoot all the bad guys. He figured it would hurt less.

It seemed the Force didn't want them to catch a moment for more than a second or two together. His left hand suddenly felt empty and he withdrew it back to his lap.

Hacken had taken Kaile's departure as a signal to stay. That was, in Asmus view, just brilliant. “Are we meeting an Alliance fleet?”

Asmus shook his head. His tapped a few buttons to look busy. The engines had tripped three warning lights by being pushed so hard. “Just one vessel. If she got the message she'll overtake us at lightspeed and be waiting there.”

“Oh, what class is she?”

“Classified.”

“Right. Of course.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Stepping out of the cockpit brought the reality of the situation to the espion that they had ‘commandeered’ a rather luxurious vessel. Whoever the bearded nobleman was, he traveled in style. True to Theed Hanger ingenuity and design, the ship was styled in sleek, smooth lines and plenty of chrome. Soft, supple beige leather seats. Trim white and grey walls. Everything was so… clean.

It was a stark contrast to the sweaty, mused, and a ruffled Lorrdian stepping into the lounge.

“Shiny,” she managed to say, fingers flexing back and forth as they curled and uncurled at her sides. There would have to be some form of med-kit somewhere here. The yacht was small, not large enough to have its own medbay but there would be a section that would provide first aide relief should one --

Kaile came to a slow stop as she neared the end of the lounge. To her right was a section set aside for conferences. A small table with a holoarray at the center. To the left were two other doors and a small corridor. Tucked into the right was a small intimate stairwell that would lead to the main cabin. This ship was designed for luxury and comfortable travel, not for shipping cargo. The bulk of the space was given to provide a small eating area and to ensure a refresher in each cabin. Yet what caught her attention was the curious universal red cross symbol at the far end of the wall.

There were no other cabinets, just the symbol on the wall. That made no sense. A second later, Kaile understood why. There was a small console to the right that required the input of a security key. Slicing through it took nothing but a mere thought. Activating it swung the wall panel to the right, revealing the slow spin of what lay hidden behind the white wall; a fully operational medical bed. It snapped to a secure point and then lowered itself from its vertical position, locking into place horizontally to allow a patient to step inside.
“Well… reckon you are better than a medkit…”

 

[Asmus Janes]

“What is it?” Asmus called back. “Did you find the booze cabinet? Because that would be excellent.” He added too quietly for her to hear.

“The pain is bad?” The Colonel asked quite seriously. For once he looked like he was grounded in reality with them. Perhaps everything had finally sunk in and he realised this man had taken a bolt to get them out. He cringed as he looked at the faded lines of dried blood down Asmus’ arm.

“I've been shot a few times. Trust me it's not something you can… get used to.” A stiff shot would be excellent, he thought again.

Thunk thunk thunk whir

From the stairwell an oblong head appeared. Two bright blue eyes near the top and a flat mouth at the bottom. The long face gave and flat mouth gave it an expression of constant bemused melancholy. The droid paced up the stairs and turned towards Kaile. Its full height emerged, towering over the espion on long limbs.

“You are not my master…” it declared.

“Shit,” Asmus swore in the cockpit, hearing another voice. Pain forgotten he grabbed his blaster and threw himself out of his seat.

“... I shall go and resume hibernation mode now.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


“Whoa wait a second!” Kaile cried out, her hands coming up in front of her while behind she heard the sudden rushed sound of footsteps coming over. It was Asmus.

The droid did not pause. He had promptly decided that as the intruders were not his master then there was no real need to acknowledge them. Hibernation mode it would be.

A glance to the right caught an alarmed but wounded Asmus rushin in with his blaster in tow. By all accounts it was as if he was ready and willing to shoot if required despite his injury. If Kaile had more time to process it, she’d consider how different he reacted now compared to that Rodian standoff with the Kanjiklub years back.

A hand immediately went up palm out towards Asmus as if to say it was okay. No need to have him trigger happy and well, it didn’t seem the droid was armed.

“Use this,” she ended up telling the pilot, gesturing to the medical bed. A hand waved him over, while Kaile kept an eye out for that droid.

In case he decided to not go into hibernation mode.

 

[Asmus Janes]

The great thing was loping towards a corner when Asmus came in. He exaggerated his sigh of relief. He didn't have a holster so he placed his blaster down on a table. The droid turned it's back into the corner and it's eyes went dark.

“Thought for a moment there was a security droid,” Asmus said, keeping his eyes on it. “Who is this anyway?”

The lights came back on. “Jay Four Kay En.”

“Oh and what do you do Jayfor?” Asmus asked as he wanted for the medical pod. There was no answer. The eyes winked out. “He's friendly.”

He grasped the hem of his shirt but his left arm wasn't helping. Some of his shirt was still stuck down to his skin by blood and bits of molten artificial fabric in the wound. “Help?” He asked rather pathetically.

One eye winked on. “I'm not helping you undress. You're not the master.” The light went back off.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


The absurdity of the situation in light of everything that brought them here struck the Lorrdian agent. Her eyes had grown wide, those large chocolate orbs almost unable to believe what was happening. Both hands came down to her middle, and there they conducted a small gesture as if to suggest the woman was attempting to wrap her head at all this.

"I -- wait, I doubt he was asking you, Jay Four." Kaile finally managed to say, directing it over to J4KN.

The light came back on. [ All the better, he is leaking all over himself. How filthy. ] the combined mix of his constant sullen expression and the mechanical tone of voice just completed the aura of disapproval. The light once again shut off.

"He isn't leaking." padding over to Asmus, Kaile let out a sigh. Her concern gaze swept over him, from the top of his tousled hair to the dusty boots.

" He just was shot." pausing to a halt in front of the pilot, she shook her head. "You didn't need to do that -- "

The light came back on.
[ Shot?!] the droid exclaimed.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Yes, shot,” Asmus replied. The droid kept his eyes on this time. It seemed his hibernation was less of a genuine shut down and more of an eavesdropping mode. The corner of his lips twitched up, but his brows creased in discomfort. This reminded him of the Twins interrupting their conversations. Jay didn't have the slow, synchronised drawl they had, but his timing was just as poor.

Asmus’ eyes stayed on Kaile. “I know. Saw an opening. Turned out he was quicker than I thought. Got one though right. You did need to save me as it turns out. Thank you for that,” he said earnestly. There was an understanding in his eyes. He'd worked with Jedi before. Even a pilot in Rogue Squadron who could manipulate machines with the Force. She was even more than she had let on so far. For some reason that didn't upset him, he made him smile. But he did cast his eyes over Kaile, seeing her in a slightly different light. The SIS couldn't have more than a handful of agents who could use the Force. And he'd thought he was one of their most precious assets.

[Did my master get shot?] Jay asked. Asmus let his eyes drift to the floor, the smile widened and he shook his head.

“He's fine,” Asmus said. He wanted to hold her hand again.

[Pity. He wasn't very nice. I guess the ship belongs to you all now?]