A/N: It seems that every time I promise I won't be busy, I get super busy and can't post a chapter. So I won't tell you that, and hopefully chapter 14 will get posted in a timelier manner!

Chapter 13: Fight and Flight

Ben grabbed a couple stools for himself and Caliya, and they sat down at the table with Arlen.

"Alright, how much time do you think we have before the guards come in to check on you?" Ben asked.

"Oh, probably about an hour or so. I can't get out, and Rowena seems to have adopted the philosophy that uninterrupted scientists get more work done."

"Good, then we can really think this through. Do you know much about the compound's layout?" he asked Arlen.

"To be sure. Although they blindfolded me when they took me here, the cloth was a bit ajar, so I was able to see where we were going and how we got there."

"Are you familiar with any other paths other than the one you were taken on to get here?"

"Well, all the scientists are taken to this one room to eat our meals, which is on the other side of the hall. But other than that, I am unsure of how large this place even is."

"You said from where they brought you. I'm assuming you were blindfolded in the hanger bay, or wherever they keep their transportation."

"Yes, that's correct. I can get you there, although I don't know what ships are even stored there, I only know of the large frigate I was brought on."

"Let's just hope there's some smaller craft we can take; I don't really feel like trying to commandeer that huge thing."

Ben ran a hand casually through his hair, and Caliya tried not to be distracted by the fluffy redness. She kind of wanted to run her hand through it, but that wasn't exactly pertinent to the mission.

Then again, she was already distracted from the mission.

"Cal?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Can you think of anything we've left out?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have much information," she replied after several seconds. "This is the kind of thing we'll have to plan as we go."

Ben nodded in agreement. "Alright, so when the guards come in to check on Arlen, we'll all take them out, and escape down the corridor to the left and steal a transport."

"I'm sorry, Ben, but you're going to have to do this on your own. I'm not coming."

"But Arlen-"

"I can't. They have Katy, and I just can't leave her."

"And we can't just leave you. When the guards wake up, they'll know you helped, and who knows what they'll do to you."

"I can just tell them I was used by you as much as they were. They won't dare kill me, they still need me. And this is my best option to keep her alive."

Ben could see Arlen's point. "I understand. Thank you so much. For everything."

"You're welcome son. And don't worry, you'll see me again very soon. But come back for us, you hear? I'll be waiting."

"I promise," Ben whispered, hating this goodbye. He knew why Arlen felt he needed to stay, Ben just didn't want to bring harm to the man. Didn't want to have another being's death on his hands.

But it didn't seem to be something Ben was capable of avoiding. Friends, even family, came and went, but he always seemed to have one constant companion. Death. It followed him everywhere, shaking him to the core every time.

But maybe that was a good thing. He had gone through too long of a phase where death hadn't shaken him enough, when he'd felt the sacrifice of some was necessary. He would rather deal with these emotions than the darkness he'd been flirting with.

The life of a Jedi was never peaceful. They kept the peace, but never seemed to experience it.

Ben pulled himself out of his thoughts, and realized that Arlen and Caliya were both staring at him.

"You alright?" Cal asked, concern in her emerald eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little lost in my thoughts."

Ben took a deep breath, just as the sound of footsteps began echoing down the previously silent hallway.

"It's time," Ben confirmed. "Ready?"

Arlen nodded as Caliya whispered "yes".

Ben positioned himself behind the door, and Caliya stood flat against the wall, a small footstool in hand.

A key turned in the door, and it swung open, revealing three guards. This was going to be fun. The trick was to knock all three out before the last one could call for backup.

"Get out," one of the guards began to say, just as Ben jumped from behind the door, and Caliya leapt forward, bringing the metal stool crashing down on the second guard's head. Ben had felled the first guard with a Force enhanced punch to the face, and flipped the last one over on his back before he could reach for his communicator.

"Alright, they'll awaken soon. You sure about this Arlen?"

"To be sure. May the Force be with you."

"Thanks, you too," Ben replied as they rushed out the door. Already the sound of more footsteps were echoing down the hall.

Ben reached down and grabbed Cal's hand. "Run!" he whispered.

They ran, their own footsteps drowning out those of their pursuers. Finally, they found the door that led to the hanger bay.

Ben scanned the room. It was the same one in which they'd stood the day they'd arrived. Surprisingly, it appeared to be deserted. Apparently no prisoner had ever gotten this close to escaping before, and ship theft hadn't previously been a problem. Ben like to shake things up a bit.

The large frigate sat in the center of the room, but off to one side was what appeared to be a shuttle.

"Here, let's try that one," Ben told Caliya, pointing to the shuttle. They rushed to it, just as the guards came through the door.

"Hey, stop!" one yelled, as though escaping prisoners would actually obey his command. Ben hit the button to close the hatch, and the door sealed just as the ping of bullets hitting the metal met their ears.

Ben ran to the cockpit and strapped himself into the pilot's seat, Caliya taking the seat next to him.

"How are we going to get out of here?" she asked. "The bulkhead doors are still shut!"

"There's probably some kind of control that opens them on the ship," Ben said, familiarizing himself with the console before him. "Here we go!" he exclaimed, finding the code that would let them out. He tried it once. Then again.

"Stang, they locked us out of the system. There's no way to open those bulkheads."

"So we have a ship, but no way to get off the planet."

"No, we're getting out of here. I made a promise."

Ben revved the engines, and brought them so they were hovering ten feet in the air. "Shields up!"

Caliya activated the shields. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"I think so," was Ben's reply, as he brought weapons to bear on the door. He activated the laser cannons, shooting in a pattern that he hoped would let the whole shuttle through.

The hole he created wasn't as big as he'd hoped. But there wasn't time to make it larger.

"Brace for impact." Ben twisted the ship on its side, trying to squeeze them through. Ben and Caliya were thrown to the right, and would have flown out of their seats if not for the harnesses.

But they cleared the door with only minimal damage.

Ben heaved a sigh of relief, content in these few moments of success before the next crises presented itself. As usual, the next crisis didn't take long.

"Ben, this monitor is going crazy. I think the mist might be interfering with sensors or something."

They were well into the blackness now, and when Ben looked outside the forward viewport, only darkness met his gaze.

"That would make sense; not only is it a cloak, it messes with your ship so you'll turn around and go home."

"Should I do anything?" Cal asked, her face a mixture of jubilation at their escape and concern.

"Let's just leave it for now and get through the stuff as quickly as possible."

This journey out seemed much longer than their descent a few days before. Eventually, the monitors quieted down, having adjusted somewhat to the conditions of the mist.

"Hey, you okay?" Cal questioned, breaking the silence of the last few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Fine." She paused, as though searching for words. "Look," she continued. "About what happened in the cave…" she trailed off.

"We don't have to-"

"Yes, we do. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was doing."

Ben didn't know what to say. A girl had never apologized after kissing him. To be perfectly honest, a girl had never kissed him period, but he wasn't about to admit that to Cal right now.

"You don't have to apologize, Cal. We can make whatever you want to out of it, alright?"

"Really?" her face brightened a little. "What do you want to make out of it?"

Here it was. The moment of truth.

"I really like you, Cal. You're strong, and sensitive, and I feel a real connection to you." Ben didn't admit how serious these feelings were becoming. Caliya blushed a little at his compliments; she didn't seem used to being praised.

"But you hardly know anything about me."

"I'm a Jedi; I can usually sense deception, and I don't with you."

Caliya smiled. "I like you too, Ben. Let's just get out of all this mess, and then we'll figure it out."

"Sounds like a plan," Ben agreed, flashing her a roguish grin that would have made Han Solo proud. Caliya laughed, refusing to admit that Ben's smile made her heart do a somersault.

Ben was considering kissing her again, but remembered there were more critical issues at hand when the mist began to thin before them. Soon, it all but disappeared, leaving empty space staring back at them.

"Are there any planets nearby?" Caliya asked him.

"Let's see." Ben pulled up a map of the quadrant, and found an inhabitable moon not too far away. Though the shuttle didn't possess a hyperdrive, they would still be able to get there and wait for Luke's arrival.

Ben plotted a course, and tried opening a communication channel to his father as they set off for the moon. He turned to look over at Cal; she was leaning back in her seat, looking relaxed for the first time; she looked better that way, and Ben hoped he'd be observing for a long time to come.

It was strange, really. He'd never felt such an instant connection to someone before. It felt as though he'd known Caliya his whole life, not less than a week. Her green eyes seemed to pierce the heart he'd put so many walls around. Didn't that mean something was meant to be?

#

"They what?" Rowena yelled, squeezing the top of her chair so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"They escaped. Stole the shuttle and left."

"Tell me," she asked, advancing towards the guard and grabbing his chin with her fingers. Her long fingernails dug into his flesh. "How is it that dead people can steal a shuttle?"

She turned and grabbed her comlink. "Bram! My office. Now!"

Five minutes later, Bram entered, thoroughly intimidated by her summons. They might be having a fling, but that didn't mean he was free from punishment if things went wrong. But what had gone wrong, he didn't know.

"How could you be such an idiot?" she snapped, slapping him hard on the cheek. Bram decided he liked it better when she was stroking his cheek, about to kiss him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Jedi. You said you'd taken care of it! And now I get a report that he and that girl just stole a shuttle and made it off planet!"

Bram's heart turned cold. "I don't know how…they were trapped in the tunnel. There's no way that they could have gotten out."

"Well apparently they found a way. And now we have to go clean up after your mistakes." Rowena glared, and Bram tried not to melt under her fiery gaze.

Rowena grabbed her comlink again. "I want five crew members on the frigate right now; we're taking off." Rowena began walking towards the door, but turned to the guard. "Oh, and take Bram down to the cell block…and teach him a lesson."

She flashed him a cruel smile and left. Bram went willingly, knowing that if he resisted she would find ways to make him miserable that he couldn't imagine.