Leaning against the console, looking over at Keelah and Jorgan, I realize something about myself. I would never be a soldier again and I definitely couldn't survive in Havoc Squad. They both wear heavy durasteel armor and use blaster cannons, the heaviest of the weapons available. Yet neither of them is even remotely winded. I'm not all too familiar with Cathars but Jorgan doesn't even look like he's sweating. Keelah has a light sheen across her forehead but that is the only sign that she's exerted any energy today.

I'm sweating and breathing heavily as if I've been running for days rather than hours, leaning because my legs want to give out, my nerves are shot, my stomach is coiling against itself making me think that I'm gonna lose it. Maybe it's a good thing I haven't eaten today. Blast, I hadn't thought of food all day and my stomach hadn't complained. Remembering that I haven't eaten, now I'm hungry. Figures.

The room we're in is big, huge really and for reasons that only the designer probably understands, there are no rails here on this platform we're standing on or the two ramps leading to this platform. Maybe this is an Imperial thing. They have this big hang up about weak and strong and only the strong is allowed to survive. If you fall you're weak? I can't say I agree with that line of thinking and the lack of rail makes me nervous.

So this is it, she's using the last computer spike to shut down the tractor beam. Once we hit Coruscant, we have a lot of shopping and restocking to do. Looking at Ti'ta, I know we're going to make it. We have to. Skavak still needs to pay for stealing our babies. Heh, that sounded wrong. Ti'ta 's ship and Torchy is what I mean. On the other hand, why is that wrong? Ti'ta is a wonderful woman and beautiful, too. I can almost picture us with miniature us running around. I'd like a little girl, a mini-Ti'ta with big soft green eyes, flashing me that sweet smile. Yup, we have to survive this so our kid can have a fighting chance of existence.

"Done! The ship is free. Let's go back to the shuttle and get as far away from here as possible." Without thinking on my part, I lean over and kiss the top of her head. It just seemed like a natural thing to do. Damn my daydreams are gonna get me in trouble.

Then again that amused grin on her face could mean I'm not in trouble after all. "Nice job, Captain." With her head tilted back, looking up at me, I could just lean over and kiss those lips-

"I hope you realize this is getting out of hand." My thought process is cut short when that cold creeping feeling is back. Kilran's voice reaches out to us, you can hear his anger twisting in his Imperial accent, "You're leaving me with precious few options." The man sounds fit to be tied. I'll volunteer to be the one to do the tying.

Metallic clanking, beeping, gears whirling, thumping and shouting, sounds like more droids and troops heading our way. We could go back the way we came from, only that's where most of the sounds are coming from. If I listen real hard, I'd say I could hear their weapons lock and load but really that's just stretching things into the 'can't happen' category. "I don't think we should go back the way we came."

We all kinda nod our agreement to Willa's assessment and back away from the noises. Not sure what's on the other side of this here platform but we're about to find out.

Five men charge the platform and I'm suddenly reminded of my earlier unease about this platform. No rail means falling to your death. Well that is what happened to a couple of them. I almost feel bad when the poofs of air push them back and they lose their balance. Not a very manly way to die, but we don't exactly have a lot of time on our side.

At the end of the ramp we have two directions we can go. A hallway to the right, a large doorway to our left, Ti'ta is staring at the datapad and calls out to us, "Elevator to the right!"

Good thing, too. There's a wicked tall droid swinging what looks like an impossibly huge vibroblade heading our way on the left and only two men on our right. I'll take my chances with the blaster carrying men over a colossal robot any day. Keelah takes a fighting stance and let's loose a mortar volley, along with Jorgan's bursts of fire power, takes the two men down before we get close.

The droid is in pursuit. He's actually running. The entrance to the hallway is low in comparison. I wonder if the thing can crawl. The thumps of his steps vibrate the very ground we're walking on and I look behind us just in time to see Willa blink out of sight. "Willa!"

Blast! I thought we were going to make it through the doorway before it got to us, we were so close. I level my blaster rifle and before I can even pull the trigger the droid stops and jerks, sparks flying and it looks as if it's been somehow disrupted, or shocked, something.

There is a green light that spreads slowly from one of its legs, becoming brighter as it is shoved through what could only be described as a knee cap. The droid lets out a screech of a bleeping sounding more as if it's angry than in pain and twists around at its waist to flick away whatever is keeping it from pursuing us. Taking aim at its head, I let a charged shot go and my ears are ringing once again with blaster fire from the Havoc Squad.

The droid isn't broken, it isn't 'killed' but it is slowed enough for us to move towards the safety of the hallway. Droids are interesting creations. Some are so humanoid in their reactions it makes you wonder if they aren't somehow sentient beings. Okay not all droids behave that way. One good memory wipe and they're all beeps and whirls again. Still, watching this monstrosity of a droid, limping and swinging angrily at us gives me a new respect for droids.

We reach what I thought was a hall to see it is only a small one and the elevator. We can hear the droid coming and I stand in the doorway with Keelah and Jorgan firing at him hoping for some kind of miracle that the elevator hurries and is empty. The droid drops to its knees with whirls, and groans yet it won't give up. Determined to reach us, it pulls itself along the floor. Forgetting the huge vibroblade, it's gripping the ground as best it can pulling forward inch or rather foot by foot.

The chime announcing the elevator catches my attention and I glance over my shoulder wondering at our good fortune with another empty car. Oddly this one is larger than the last and we all scramble in. Ti'ta hits a button and the doors close with a swish. "Down… come on, come on, come on…" Ti'ta is coaxing the elevator as best she can.

Our luck may be changing. The whole elevator shudders and rocks as the droid has made it to the door and is banging on it still determined to catch us. Instinctively we all look up as if we can see through the roof of the elevator car. Ti'ta slips closer to me, her head presses against my chest as she cringes. I'm not sure how well I can protect her or anyone in this car but I slip my arm around her any way. If nothing else, I can at least give her some comfort.

When the door opens, we rush out and watch with relief as the elevator door closes. Our relief is short lived and replaced with horror when the door groans under the weight of something. If I had to fathom a guess, I'd say the droid managed to drop or shove something down the elevator shaft. I'd rather not find out. I'm just glad we aren't in that coffin any more.

Ti'ta is still holding on to me, clinging to my armor. My arm remains around her as we look around us in our current location. Willa slides beside us. Her voice is lowered as if the droids within the room won't hear her. "Ti'ta, where did you take us?"

Shaking her head, Ti'ta hands the datapad to Willa. "I have no idea. This isn't in the notes I took. We didn't plan to go this way. We were kinda forced and…" She looks up at me, her eyes wide as something clicks and I take a deep breath as it hits me too.

We were corralled this way. It wasn't by accident that we found this elevator and considering what I can see of this area, it looks like holding cells. Kilran's words come back to mind, 'My men will be along shortly to escort you to the accommodations I've arranged. See you soon.'

Keelah steps up breaking into my thoughts. "Let me see that." Willa hands her the datapad and she's looking through different floor plans that Ti'ta uploaded only this floor isn't among them. "I refuse to be taken down by this man." Handing the datapad back, she walks over to a computer and punches a few buttons until she finds the current floor plan. "I've got nothing…"

"What's that?" Jorgan is pointing to an obscure area at the far end. "It looks like…"

"Trash chute, it is where the refuse is thrown." Keelah quickly looks at the floor plan from the maintenance deck and smiles at Jorgan. "Good job, Sergeant. We may make it out of here after all."

Ti'ta lifts her head from my chest, hope glimmering in her eyes again. "Really?"

"You bet." There is more optimism in my voice than I've felt since we boarded this bucket. With one last squeeze I release my grip on her and we make our way towards the trash chute.

The droids are going about their routine business; that is until we move down the center of the room. Motion detectors? Maybe. Either way, smaller droids scatter as a war droid moves forward. I've about had my fill of droids by now. No offense to the current one in my face ready to kill us, but time is wasting and we need to get back to the Esseles before they decide it's too risky to wait for us.

Blast it. That no-good Haken didn't want Asara coming back. What if he suddenly decides it's too risky to wait for our shuttle to return. He has no idea we're safe, at the moment. My heart is racing, pounding hard in my chest. It would be just like him to leave us stranded. No, he's a good guy, right? He wouldn't just leave us behind. Would he?

Palms sweating I have a new sense of urgency. We have got to get off this ship and back to the Esseles… now. I don't wait for the others. Flicking on my shield, I take my stance and start firing as soon as it is in range. Charged shot after charged shot, all I can think of is getting Ti'ta safely back to the Esseles. I could feel her body trembling in my arms, hear the hope in her voice and see the trust in her eyes when she looked at me. There is no way I can let her down now.

We fire for all we are worth, pushing it back, more and more with each volley, with each round until the droid has had enough damage and falters. No time to celebrate we stand over the opening to the vile smelling trash chute. It is a long drop, I mean long drop as in two floors maybe three. Along the way there are huge pipes, but they're filthy with refuse.

Willa squares her shoulders and nods to everyone. "Let's see how strong these pipes are. They will make the journey downward a bit less painful I think."

"Good point, see you at the bottom." Greagoir gingerly lifts his robes to his knees and hops down gracefully to the first pipe. Calling up to us he sounds enthusiastic, "The pipes aren't as bad as I thought. Sturdier too. Just watch your step." His voice drifts further and I look around wondering how much time we have.

Keelah and Jorgan continue to surprise me as they hop from one to the other still clinging to their blaster cannons. Jorgan leans against a wall and nods up towards us and Willa quickly follows. "Corso?"

I keep watch as much as possible, losing sight of Greagoir and Keelah. "Ya," She tugs on my armor to get my attention and I raise an eyebrow at the sight before me. Her face is tilted up towards me, her lips parted ever so slightly and I take a chance. It's a soft kiss filled with promise and I moan shamelessly. " Captain?"

Ti'ta licks her lips as if tasting our kiss and smiles. "Just in case I don't get to say it later, thanks."

"For what?" I can't help notice how she's leaning closer.

"Having my back." She rises on tiptoes and brushes her lips against mine. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she whimpered. Wishful thinking maybe. I just know that she's gone down the chute and I'm still standing here with a racing pulse and a raging erection wondering how painful it is going to be to jump or more accurately land in this condition.

The banging on the elevator door is back along with a hissing sound. That can't be good. Taking a deep breath, I jump.