A.N.
I wonder if any of you have it all figured out yet? It's not as straight forward as some of you may think!
Chapter 4- Breakthrough
The Ison System, Ison
Two Tie fighters zipped across the smoky skies of Ison, roaring through the rainy storm over the compound then suddenly plummeted. The one manned vessels tiwrled as they came down at a frightening rate, forming swirling contrails that traced their journey towards the ground- then they unleashed hell.
Turbo-cannons fixed beneath the pilot's viewport pelted the central courtyard of the compound with no exceptions of whom or what got in the way of its targeting reticule. Explosions followed, a curtain of fire and smoke drawn over the horizon, engulfing the pilot and his wingman- casting one aside and tearing the other apart, leaving nothing of him but a smoky trace and shrapnel blown in every direction.
Hundreds of laser bolts whizzed back and forth from beyond and behind the compound wall, lighting up the darkness of the night and keeping the countless stormtroopers ducking behind the handful of rocks and mechanical wreckage. The noise of deafening blaster fire and rocking explosions could be heard for miles.
Commander Warren grimaced and spat, then crouched behind the furthest rock from the compound where he could oversee the battle. He wiped the moistness seeping from beneath his cap off his forehead, was it blood or mud? He could not tell and he could not afford the time or concentration to think about it.
Warren held out a comlink which revealed the holo-image of Darth Vader, his hands on his sides, "Their wall will be down in moments, My Lord. I had assurances the walkers will be arriving here shortly."
"I am growing impatient, Commander." Vader boomed, "You better not disappoint me!"
The insistence in Vader's voice caused a lump in Warren's throat, and caused his wrinkles to tighten. He nodded.
"And Commander," He could've sworn he felt Vader smirk, or did he frown? Warren didn't know which he preferred, "I want the prisoners alive."
The hologram disappeared but Warren's now widened eyes stared blankly for moments longer.
Unknown, Dungeon Complex
Has it been a week now? Longer? Maybe a day less, Ahsoka wasn't certain. She had her head squeezed against the bars of her cell, peering from one side to the other, "Hey!" she yelled, but got no reply, "Anyone! Hello?"
Should she try digging again? But what if they come back with their stun batons and beat her? What if they shoot her?
Ahsoka bit her lip and closed her eyes allowing herself to contemplate the possibilities. It could be that they decided to starve her, as she allowed herself to assume for days now, but why then haven't they been checking on her?
The least they ought to do is visit her on occasion to see if she's dead yet…or had been trying to escape, which she could've done easily by now!
And had the installation been attacked and the droids destroyed thus interrupting their checkups she would've heard shots. And surely the attackers would have rescued the prisoners, because quite simply, she was certain this is the most heavily guarded part of the complex. And after all, she is quite possibly the most valuable thing on this planet.
Ahsoka's brows furrowed as she clutched her forehead while her mind struggled to think without the nutrition it desperately required. The droids couldn't have left, could they? But if they had they wouldn't leave her here… would they?
She felt her breathing accelerate with- excitement? – and with a newfound courage, she found herself burrowing into the dirt. There was only one way to find out, and once she's through she will make for the first exit and never look back. It was now or never, she will allow herself one shot at this- it's either freedom, or death.
The Ison System, Ison
The walls crumbled and the stormtroopers poured through the tiny gap, blasting through the thick haze which bellowed into the atmosphere and blanketed everything from eyesight, and as it cleared the devastation became evident; fires plumed from buildings surrounding the courtyard and aliens of various species lay strewn everywhere, some with simple blaster holes marked on their torsos and others of far more brutal wounds to be described in simple words.
As the white armored legion stormed the courtyard they once again fell under fire, but the brief exchange ended abruptly with the sound of a loud crash. All witnesses turned to discover the small gap in the wall had been widened violently by the forceful ram of a chicken walker. The All Terrain Assault Transport, a beastly machine built of steel in the very basic shape of a head and two chicken-like legs, hence its nickname. But the mechanized monster hardly deserved such a juvenile branding; it was armed with two massive turbo-lasers beneath its chin, high explosive rocket launchers on one side of its head, and a rapid-firing cannon on the other. The two manned crew of this particular walker held no reservations with it- they pulled all triggers; and blew the entire area apart.
The noise stopped at last and the inferno alleviated slowly, but whether it was the overheating of the weapons that halted the crewmen or if it was by their own will, Warren didn't know. He didn't care.
A quick gesture of his hand sent the stormtroopers rushing through the doors and various holes made in the buildings. They soon discovered they had entered a new maze; and a whole different battlefield.
Unkown, Dungeon Complex
Ahsoka couldn't stop her hands from shaking. Her entire arms were shaking. She could feel her shoulders, and her entire body shaking. The whole ordeal was surreal. Was she really walking through the dungeon complex?
Did she really crawl out from beneath the bars of her cell just then and set herself free? Or is this a dream? If so, then…why is it so dark? Why can't she see where she's going? Why isn't she laughing? And cheering? And running?
Why is she petrified of this? She couldn't trust the walls she was walking past. She wouldn't dare touch them. She wasn't sure if she could trust her own sanity anymore, let alone believe she could make it out of here.
She finally reached steps to a door. What door was this? Where would it lead her? She took the first step, and then the next. The sense of climbing made her nauseous. When was the last time she used steps again?
Ahsoka realized she was barefoot and her clothes mostly ragged. She hardly thought her appearance mattered when she was about to die here, but with the possibility of escape now, trivial matters are dawning on her again.
The door slid open.
Beyond was a red sky- a sunset behind a wall with a narrow window that stretched with the corridor guiding her left or right. The gorgeous horizon was not too dissimilar from what she could see through her cell, but she smiled. For the first time, a genuine smile, a view she was familiar with but now broader and in a sense, closer to her.
She then looked up and down the corridor, following its path towards the nearest end and found herself stepping into a control room, brightly lit with the instruments mostly deactivated or switched off. A curious frown etched on her face she stepped inside and turned- then yelped.
Before her stood a droid, its metallic height towering over her, and its head bobbed down with its arms flailing along its sides. Ahsoka finally caught her breath and allowed her heart to relax, then waved a hand in front of it but received no response.
She nudged it gently, then pushed it and watched as it fell on its side with a loud clank.
"Strange." She whispered then scanned the computer instruments again while walking over to the nearest active monitoring screen. It presented her with a deserted corridor, quite possibly the very same one she recently walked through, and with the press of a button she changed to another camera's view; two droids were collapsed against one another in yet another control room. She skipped through various screens, and over and over again she was presented with empty rooms and deactivated droids.
"What happened here?" She scowled, and then she groaned as a strong, grinding pain pulsed through her head, followed by an intense stomach cramp, her body was once again demanding nutrition. The questions will have to wait till later.
She turned to leave then heard an abrupt beep, her first urge was to ignore it, but then the beep came again, and again, she stepped back to the screen and discovered something she did not expect.
An entrance had been forcibly opened, triggering the silent security alarm. A breath escaped her as she realized she was no longer alone in this deserted prison- someone had broken in!
Trivia:
1. All-Terrain Assault-Transports, otherwise known as AT-ST's, were referred to as chicken walkers on occasions. They featured in The Empire Strikes Back during the Battle of Hoth, and Return of the Jedi during The Battle of Endor. Although, they never did use most of their armaments.
2. Control Rooms are typically used for monitoring activity within an installation such as prisons and command centers. What was monitored depended greatly on the purpose of the installation!
A.N.
...Well, have I got you wondering yet?
Thanks to The Once And Future Thing, Zedax, cHr0n0sPh3r3, Crazysmalllady, Ebony Wave, Imperial Warlord, my old friend Luke Danger, and Kitty Caterpillar for all your very kind reviews. You're all brilliant!