Chapter 25
orbit of Iotra/ 19 BBY/ 2 months after Contingency Order: 66
Cautiss' relief was unfathomable. With Iella safe again, all that remained was getting off this Starship. After receiving Keilbourn's status, he and Falin had decided to fall back to the turbolift. The junction however gave little to no cover against the attacking Zygerrians. The alarm which continued to blare, accompanied by the flashing red lights had made them jump from surprise, a steady themselves for the worse. The two Mandalorians hugged the walls, making the best of the hallways outcropping frame as they could. Cautiss summoned his final throwing blade then sent it sailing through the air. The Zygerrian ducked then charged at the Mandalorian. Cautiss quickly drew for his blaster pistol, though despite his great speed, the Zygerrian knocked him down. Tackling him, the Zygerrian drew a deranged blade, reaching back to drive it. The Slaver then wheeled back as his hand was sliced off and the blade with it. Falin grabbed the crippled Zygerrian by the fur on its ferocious head then drove his Vibrosword clean through. Another two Zygerrians charged at the occupied Mandalorians. Cautiss still on his back leveled his blaster pistol, without firing, the Zygerrians were struck down. Sev emerged from around the corner, Scalphunter leveled. He fired a full burst down the right hallway, allowing Cautiss to recover. Back on his feet, he and Falin kept to the wall, contributing when they could while staying out of Sev's crossfire. Cautiss' expression softened as he saw Iella's limp form in Keilbourn's arms. Although his face was covered, he could sense a certain protectiveness the Clone had for her; not unlike his own yet to a different level.
"Status is Two-Thirty five and counting," Sev growled. "Someone call Deljo down so we can get back to the hanger," he said as he ducked into cover from the Zygerrian's lethal blaster fire.
"We've tried, nothing but static," Cautiss replied.
"I'll go get him," Falin called out, sprinting from cover to the doors of the lift. He quickly pressed the controls to open the doors but they would not open. "It's not working," he grunted. Suddenly he was forced to drop to the floor, avoiding a barrage of blaster fire. The hall leading back to the hanger was suddenly filled with a full platoon of Zygerrians. Howling and baring their fangs, they fired their blasters at him. Sev turned his attention to the newly arrived enemies, trying to suppress them from Falin. Falin quickly dived and ducked his way to the opposite wall, abandoning the turbolift. The Zygerrians pushed up the incline, rapidly closing in on the Mandalorians. With Falin pinned down and Keilbourn occupied with Iella, Cautiss and Sev struggled to suppress the Zygerrian Slavers from both directions. Suddenly the turbolifts door opened, and a rapid, devastating stream of blaster fire rattled in the air. The Zygerrian pushing up the incline in the hall opposite from the lift dropped dead from the sweep of blaster bolts or backed to improvised cover. Deljo stepped out of the lift then directed his heavy repeater down the right hall.
"Everyone to lift now!" he barked out loud over the rattle of his repeater. Without hesitation, Falin and Keilbourn, ran into the open lift. Cautiss followed close behind while Sev covered them before breaking from his own cover. Still firing his repeater, Deljo backed into the lift. Cautiss hit the panel inside, closing the door and sending them to the top level. Collectively, the warriors all sighed in relief, resting on the walls of the cramped turbolift.
"You're hit," Sev pointed out to Deljo with a smack on the shoulder. The Mandalorian in blue armor shrugged.
"I'm fine," he said simply.
"What are we doing?" Cautiss snapped as soon as he caught his breath. "Our way out is back down there!"
"There's a better way," Deljo replied. After a moment of staring down his superior, the Mandalorian looked over to Iella cradled by Keilbourn.
"How is she?" he asked with concern; she still was unresponsive.
"She's good but we need to get off this thing," Keilbourn said.
"We're down to One-Twenty and counting," Sev grumbled.
"Cutting it close," Falin scoffed. The Lift doors opened again revealing the next hallway. The air was illuminated with the dreary, dim red glow though the walls were covered by blast marks. In some places, the metal of the wall had small holes from where multiple blaster bolts had impacted. Deljo stepped out first, followed by Cautiss, Keilbourn then the remaining two Mandalorians. Deljo led them straight down the hall before them, through a simple weaving hallway. As they entered the corridor, they passed a collection of dead Zygerrians, peppered by numeral blasts; the kind of damage inflicted by a spray from a heavy repeater. They made their way down the hall without any opposition.
"So what's your brilliant plan, Deljo?" Cautiss called out sarcastically. Finally they reached the end of the hall to a sealed hatch.
"Escape pods," Deljo said simply. The wide hatch was sealed tight and he struggled to find a way through it. The panel to the side was locked by a security override.
"Chizk, used my last charge in the holding cells," Keilbourn swore.
"Only a Zygerrian handprint can override the lock," Deljo explained through grit teeth. Falin stepped up to the door.
"Well there's that or," he said as he drew his Vibrosword then stuck it into the panel shattering the glass face. The wreckage of wires in the wall smoked and sparked violently. The door out circuited and unsealed itself. Falin withdrew the sword and sheathed it on his back again then with his outstretched hands, gripped the metal clasps of the hatch. Cautiss too helped to manually slide the door open. As seconds ticked away, they slowly widened the opening. Once large enough to squeeze through, Cautiss slipped inside then beckoned for Iella. Mid transfer, Keilbourn froze, straining to listen.
"Oh feir fek, Slavers," he declared. Sev and Deljo spun on the spot, leveling blasters down the hall. Sev's acute hearing too heard the clamber of footfalls on the metal floors of the ship. With Iella in Cautiss' arms, he rushed to the closest circular hatch. Keilbourn squeezed through next, running up to his comrade. "Forget the minute to Hyperspace, we got seconds before the bridge overrides the escape pods," he called out. From behind the half open hatch, blaster fire rang down the halls. Falin slipped through next followed by Sev. As Sev crouched to the side of the opening and Deljo squeezed through, the Zygerrian's green blaster bolts sailed down the hall, impacting on the metal slates of the hatch. Cautiss had already opened the circular hatch into the tube like craft. He laid Iella on one of the six seats up in the front of the pod as he sequenced the launch. Keilbourn stepped inside and Falin entered too, securing himself in one of the heavily padded seats. The interior lights of the pod came to life as Sev and Deljo dove inside. Falin pulled down the circular hatch behind them sealing themselves inside.
"We're good!" Falin called out. Cautiss flicked the final switch. An explosion erupted from both behind and in front as the clasp released them and the hatch blew open. From outside of the pod, thrusters extended from the hull of the pod throwing them away from the Slaver's carrier. Taking a deep breath, Keilbourn removed his helmet, sinking deeper into the heavy padding of the seat. In front of him, Iella was slumped with her head back and eyes closed. He stared at her worriedly, wishing above all things for her eyes to open, her posture to straighten and to move in general. Cautiss crouched, gazing out from the window in the front of the pod, a single wide ring of transparency which was filled by Iotra. The space around them shook and echoed with a bang as the vast starship behind them had made its jump to Hyperspace. In the back of the pod, seated beside each other on Keilbourn's left, Falin and Deljo exchanged laughs and praised themselves. Sev on the other hand, sat across from them in the rear of the pod, keeping to himself. Though Iella was safe and they were at the close of their mission, Sev felt incomplete and inwardly mourned for the hundreds of beings with futures of slavery in the Hutt Territories and the thousands more back on Iotra. He battled himself, trying to embrace their success though feeling guilt. He wished he could do more; and he would when the opportunity struck.