AN: Good morning. It's been a while since I mentioned it, but Ch.34 will the be last chapter of this fic. I hope you enjoy this one, and I'll see you next week for the finale.
.***.***.***.***.
Lori abandoned the hovercraft just outside of a hangar. She would have preferred to leave it a block away and walk to their final destination, but she was sure that Brixie and the pilots had already guessed where they were going. Since stealth had failed her, she would unfortunately have to rely on speed.
Though he'd had a moment to rest, Armitage grunted and sucked in ragged breaths as he struggled to come off of the barge. Lori turned to offer to help, but Ardis spread her arms wide and wobbled precariously near the barge's edge, forcing Lori to pick her up instead.
When she was safely in her mother's arms, Ardis stopped crying, instead tightly gripping Lori's shoulder and hiding her face in the same. Lori patted Ardis' back and tried to mutter soft reassurances that everything would be okay.
Her words hadn't seemed to have any affect by the time Armitage had his feet on the ground.
Wishing that they had more time, and that she could do something to spare Armitage the pain he was in, Lori continued to comfort Ardis as she reluctantly moved on.
Work on Bracca was non-stop. While the city center had gone quiet with the night, the foundry next door and the shipyards were still abuzz with activity. To the far side of the massive hangar was a small fleet of light-escorts being taken into the building. Though Lori couldn't see the freighter they were being loaded into, she did see the occasional movement of a crane. Hoping that the crew and workers would be distracted by loading their cargo, Lori tried one of the small personnel doors on her side of the hangar.
To her relief, the rusted door slid to the side. She was quick to slip inside, with Armitage following closely behind.
Easily a hundred feet tall and five hundred long, the hangar still a tight fit for the heavy-freighter it housed. The hangar's ceiling was clogged with industrial cranes and worn wiring, both of them working in concert to lift the light-escorts and lower them into the freighter's open bay.
A ship with two distinct sections, the freighter's front was broad and firmly connected to a grid-like series of halls where containers could be easily attached and removed. Connected by a single large room was the rear section. Much taller than the front half of the ship, this side was little more than a massive bay with a roof that could be peeled open and closed for easy loading.
"We're getting on the freighter," Lori clued Armitage in on her plan as she made it.
One of the light-escorts was her ultimate goal, but Lori knew that they wouldn't be able to steal one and take off in it without being noticed. Their best bet now was stowing away on the freighter and slipping off with a light-escort after it had left Bracca.
"Starboard side, there's a ramp." Armitage didn't question Lori's judgement as he nudged his chin to point.
While the top of the freighter was opened wide, Lori could also see a large cargo ramp coming down from its rear. Distracted by those, she had missed the narrow personnel ramp that extended from just behind the cockpit on the ship's right side.
"Good catch." She told Armitage before setting off for it.
At least a dozen people, hopefully all of the crew, were preoccupied at the back of the freighter. It was no small miracle that none of them looked over to see a few exhausted figures creep up towards the ship. Lori had to fight the urge to break out into a nervous trot as she stepped into the dim halls of the freighter, stopped only by the knowledge that doing so would mean leaving Armitage behind.
Waiting for him to catch up and join her on the freighter felt like ages. When he finally did come to her side, Lori was quick to travel deeper into the ship. She didn't know it's exact layout, but she had been a stowaway before, and she was sure she could do it again.
.***.***.***.***.
In the mere seconds it took for Mitaka to get dressed, the pilots had split ways, each hurrying along with their tasks. By the time Mitaka stepped out of the hotel room, he found that only Brixie and Lex remained.
Upon seeing the former First Order officer step out of the room, Lex bit his tongue before hurrying off. Brixie followed close behind, saying something about where she thought Lori might have gone. Mitaka said nothing, for fear that he would only make the situation worse.
Mitaka's terse silence continued for quite a while as he followed Brixie and Lex through mud-streaked streets. Though he didn't know the former mercenary very well, Mitaka did remember Lex and his initial suspicions towards him and Lori.
Brixie had been a key factor in gaining Lex's trust, or at least his tolerance. Mitaka wasn't sure what the man thought now, but he was sure that it wasn't anything positive.
The trio turned down another near abandoned side street, searching in vain for any hints as to where their quarry might have run. Brixie took a quick walk down a side alley, leaving Mitaka and Lex alone.
Hoping to curtail any negative assumptions that Lex had made about the situation, Mitaka awkwardly began, "Lex? I-I'm sure Brixie has told you everything."
Answering mostly with a glare, Lex looked back down the street before grumbling, "I still have questions, but they can wait until we have Hux in cuffs."
Taking the short interaction as a warning not to irritate Lex further, Mitaka sheepishly turned away. While he looked for tracks in the mud, Brixie returned, apparently not having found anything since she signaled to the others to move on.
A similar pattern of searching and pointedly not interacting went on for far longer than Mitaka was comfortable with. His paranoia and worry about how the night might end set him on edge to the point that the sudden sound of Lex's comm chiming caused him to jump and startle.
Noticing, Brixie cast Mitaka a sympathetic glance.
While she did, a static laden voice echoed out of the comm and through the empty street, "Lex come in, we got a sighting in the industrial district. They jacked a hovercraft and are eastbound."
Sure that Brixie and Mitaka had both heard, Lex didn't spare a moment to tell them to follow before rushing off. As he did, he spoke into the comm, "What happened, and where are they going?"
A small delay came from the comm as the person on the other end gathered details, "Sounds like they busted up a droid before speeding off. Eastbound will take them out of town."
Lex stalled for a second, "Any other casualties?"
"Just the droid. Don't know what they're armed with."
As he learned more, Lex had to admit to himself that they wouldn't be able to catch Lori and Hux while he was still on foot. Without knowing where they were going, he didn't have much hope in cutting them off either, "What else is east of the industrial district?"
"…There's a foundry." The voice over the comm offered.
As she listened to the exchange, Brixie was struck with a realization, "What about a shipyard?"
Lex looked between Brixie and the comm, sure that the other pilot had heard her.
"Now that you mention it… yeah, yeah I see one on the map. It's been out of commission for decades though." The voice over the machine replied.
"Not anymore," Brixie corrected, "They started building and exporting a few days ago."
Fully expecting Lori to repeat herself by stealing a ship and fleeing the planet, Lex spared one last comment for the comm, "You heard that. Tell Klieg and Dina to get to those shipyards. I'll take my X-wing and try to head them off. Ground as many ships as you can, we're not letting them get away."
"Roger that."
Clipping the comm back onto his belt, Lex turned once again, this time setting off at a jog towards the landing pads. Despite their best efforts, he doubted that they could stop all the ships leaving Bracca.
Time was of the essence, and Lex didn't appreciate the shouting that came from Brixie.
"Wait!" She called, "Lex, be careful! They have a baby with them."
Sure that she was going to tell him to stop, Lex was relieved that all he needed to do was give a wave to show that he had heard her before hurrying off again. Once he did, Mitaka and Brixie were left alone in the street.
"So, er… What are we doing then?" Mitaka asked.
After waiting another second to make sure that Lex was gone completely, Brixie quickly replied, "We're going to that shipyard."
"…Are you sure that's wise?"
"No, but Lex will shoot first and ask questions later," Brixie answered before breaking off at a run, "come on!"
Startled by Brixie's sudden movement, Mitaka had to rush to catch up.
.***.***.***.***.
It had taken half an hour for the crew to finish loading the freighter.
That time had been a nerve-racking exercise in keeping out of sight while also trying to find a good way to steal a light-escort. Lori had decided that keeping to the rearmost edge of the freighter's cargo bay would be the most convenient spot, though she had to wait until the loading was done and the crew was on the ship until she could move her family there.
That opportunity came both too quickly and too slowly, and Lori found that they were rushed in their attempt to scurry to the back of the cargo bay without being seen.
Settling behind a set of heavy boxes, Lori was sure that they wouldn't be seen by anyone casting a curious glance into the bay. Her only real worry came from being spotted through the mag field that divided the freighter's hangar from the outside.
It won't be a problem once we're airborne. Lori reassured herself as the deep rumble of engaging engines echoed through the freighter.
What she didn't notice, were two additional figures hurrying around the side of the building to stand at the opening of the hangar.
Klieg and Dina had gotten a message nearly half an hour ago to rush to the shipyards. They had spent most of that time getting there and had no idea where they were supposed to go when they did. Blindly searching for their targets, they had seen the abandoned hovercraft and made the obvious assumption.
Now, they had crossed to the opening of the hanger just in time to see General Hux and Major Gallus crouched in the back of the freighter.
Reaching back for his comm, Klieg was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind that came from the freighters activating engines. Perfectly unaware of its stowaways, the ship lethargically rose into the air before slowly backing out of the building.
Klieg and Dina braced so as not to be swept to the side by the harsh winds, at once trying to stay upright while also crouching out of an instinct to avoid the low flying ship. By the time the winds came to a stop and they were able to look around without fear of debris peppering their eyes, the freighter had turned around and was beginning its slow ascent to the clouds.
Not one to be delayed again, Klieg reached for his comm, "Lex come in, you too Balar. They're on a Baleen-class bulk freighter, it just launched. Balar, I thought you said you grounded all the flights off this rock."
Balar's indignant voice cracked back, "I tried! Do you have any idea how many-"
"On it." Lex interrupted.
Scarcely a second after Lex spoke over the comm, the familiar rumble of a low flying X-wing echoed over the shipyard. Its figure was nearly lost in the dim sky and heavy cloud cover, but the purple-red glow of its engines cut through the gloom.
Ready to jump into the fray, Klieg didn't bother retorting back at Balar, instead addressing Lex, "Make some room up there Lex, Dina and I are coming up too."
.***.***.***.***.
Hoping to find a moment's rest, Lori and Hux simply tried to remain calm in their hiding spot. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by a rumble in the clouds just beyond the magfield.
The ghostly silhouette of an X-wing trailed behind the freighter. Dangerously aware of the fact that they could be seen from outside of the ship, Lori tightly gripped Ardis before scurrying for cover behind a different set of crates. Not far behind her, Armitage hobbled along.
Falling more than crouching into their new hiding spot, Armitage peeked around the edge of the crates just in time to see the X-wing drift off to the side, its menacing outline disappearing from view.
"We need to keep going, come on," Lori breathed from behind Armitage.
The night had been long, and the pain and stress of moving had taken its toll. Putting most of his weight on the cane as he went, Armitage trailed further behind Lori with each step.
She didn't go far, just to the nearest light-escort. Thankful that they had been left unlocked during transport, she lowered the ramp and rushed inside. Lori had made it all the way to the cockpit and had strapped Ardis into the co-pilot's seat by the time Armitage came limping into the room. Immediately turning to help lower him into the pilot's seat, she considered their painfully limited options.
Whoever was flying that X-Wing had to have seen them. Even if the pilot hadn't, they definitely already knew that she and Hux were on board. Lori couldn't imagine why they would be following the freighter if that weren't the case. That had to mean that the crew knew too. And if they didn't, then they would soon.
Letting out a hissing sigh as if it would do something to relieve the pressure, Lori turned to step back out of the light-escort's cockpit.
"What do you think you're doing?" Armitage reached a hand up, as if that would do something to stop Lori.
As his hand brushed against hers, Lori hesitated for a moment. But she wouldn't be stopped. "Making a distraction. They know we're here, and that X-wing isn't just going to let us leave."
"We're not fighting them, just running." Armitage urged. Hoping to convince Lori he continued, "That X-wing was a T-65, absolutely ancient. If we stay in the planet's atmosphere, these escorts would certainly be faster."
"Armie… they need to think we're dead, or they'll just keep coming. We can run as far and as long as we want, but they'll just keep coming."
They hadn't discussed the fact that they would be hunted, but it had been weighing heavily on both their minds. Armitage's first instinct was to think that it was his very existence that was endangering his family, but he knew that Lori was a target as well.
In the time that Armitage considered their situation, Lori went on, "I'm going to sabotage the reactor. It'll take the freighter down and force the X-wings away for a second. And it should make it impossible to tell that there's a missing escort."
"That's needlessly dangerous, and you know it." Armitage urged, "If they follow us, so be it. We'll figure something out later."
"No!" Lori found some last bit of energy to cling to, "I can't- It will only be a matter of time until they find us. We'll never get a moments rest, and we can't raise Ardis like that. I should make it back to this ship. But if I don't, you need to go."
"You're jumping to conclusions. There will be another chance to make them think us dead."
Lori shook her head, "That's the problem. There's always going to be another chance. We have one now, we're taking it, and being done with this."
"Lori," Armitage's voice tightened around her name, nearly choked with emotion, "I can't lose you. Not again."
"Armie… I know. I know how you feel, but we don't have time for this. I love you, and I need you to promise me you'll take Ardis and go if I take too long."
He wouldn't. Never again would he do anything that might separate them. The rational side of him knew that he was being ridiculous, he knew that he very well should take his daughter and flee. But his irrational side, the one that he tried his best to ignore, was the one in charge right now.
It was the part of him that decided to lie to Lori, "Fine. I'll do as you ask."
She knew that he was lying, but it was what she needed to hear right now. Knowing that she had spent far too long talking, Lori replied with a soft kiss to Armitage's cheek and a gentle pat to Ardis' head.
Not waiting on another comment, Lori hurried off of the light-escort and across the hangar.
.***.***.***.***.
Captain Tippin impatiently tapped a finger against the armrest of his chair. They had been delayed for nearly an hour on Bracca. While the disturbance to his schedule would have been cause for annoyance on any day, it was particularly galling today.
For some reason, there had been a general order that all flights be grounded. If they had left on time, they would have been off-world and unaffected by it. Luckily, Bracca wasn't exactly known for its strong regulations and Tippin was hoping that he could simply ignore the order.
"Uhh… Hey captain," a woman at the communications called for Tippin's attention, one hand held up to keep her headset more firmly in place, as if that would make the strange message she heard make more sense, "We're getting a transmission. New Republic rangers. Sounds like we have X-wings on our tail."
"What?" the ship's captain swiveled around, narrowly missing the copilot in the process, "don't they have anything better to do?"
Attention split between her fuming captain and the transmission, the crew member strained to listen to her aged headset.
"No, it's… Wait… Say that again?" she asked the irritated voice over the comm.
Tippin watched her eyes go wide.
"Captain, we've got stowaways. They're First Order and armed."
.***.***.***.***.
Lori broke into a run. She'd been spotted. Though it wasn't on purpose, she made herself focus on the fact that the crew would be too distracted by her to search the cargo bay for Armitage and Ardis.
A wave of shouting came from the hall Lori had just turned out of. Rounding the corner in the maze-like mid-section of the ship, she found another crew member not but ten feet away.
"Hey, stop!" they shouted as Lori twisted and ran off in the opposite direction.
Because she doubled back to pass the hall she had just come from, Lori's original pursuer had gained ground. With her already tiny lead lost, Lori had to jump to the side to avoid being grabbed.
Hearing a thud behind her where the crew member had tried to tackle her, Lori didn't spare a second to look behind her. Instead, she ran on, hoping that the sudden obstacle that was a man on the ground gave her enough of a lead to exploit.
Chest heaving and burning with rushed breaths, Lori fervently searched the halls for an opportunity. Finding what she hoped would be her way away from the chase, Lori skidded to a stop over a grate in the floor. Cursing the fact that she was still in full view of her pursuers, Lori knelt and pulled the grate from its place.
To her relief, it easily gave way, revealing a maintenance tunnel beneath. A flurry of motion came from the edge of her vision. Without stopping to consider it, or to replace the grate behind her, Lori unceremoniously dropped into the cramped hall beneath her.
Lori's feet hit the floor with a thud, her knees nearly giving out in the process. Wrapping her hands around one of the many pipes running along the wall was the only reason Lori managed to stay standing as she hurried down the narrow workways.
Not long after she set off, a second set of feet made a similar thud. From above that came a voice that shouted into a comm.
"She's in the maintenance tunnels!"
Got to lose them, Lori frantically thought.
In time with her shrinking options, the maintenance hall closed in even more as one of its walls and the ceiling became clogged with dust covered electrical wires. The going became difficult and Lori was slowed just a little more than her lead would allow.
As she turned to the side to be able to squeeze through the thicket, a rough hand grabbed her shoulder.
Not thinking coherently, she flailed off of reflex, grasping for anything that might let her pull herself from the crewman's grasp.
As she did, the grip on her shoulder tightened. Increasingly desperate, Lori wrapped her hands around the worn wires. To her horror, the lines came loose, and Lori was roughly pulled back in the direction she came.
"Just give… Up!" her pursuer sounded just as out of breath as she did.
Lori blindly struck out towards the man. Not having let go of the hissing wires, they made contact before she did.
"Ack!" a quickly cut off shout came from the man as the live electric wire grazed his side.
Staggering back, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Dragged down by exhaustion and her pursuer's half-firm grip, Lori fell as well. The man's slowly recovering groans were barely audible above Lori's own desperate gasps.
As Lori tried toright herself while avoiding the now swinging electric lines, she noticed a small side tunnel coming off the main maintenance hall.
Taking that as her best chance of escape, Lori crawled across the ground. The small tunnel was just that. Less than two feet in any dimension, Lori struggled to drag herself along.
After what felt like ages, Lori's thundering pulse finally died down enough to hear over, the flood of adrenaline that had kept her moving fading with the knowledge that she wasn't being chased. Fighting past the sudden fatigue that came from lack of terror to drive her, Lori managed to crawl along the narrow tunnel until it opened into a large chamber.
Ungracefully crawling out of the tunnel, Lori peeled herself of the ground to find that she was the only one in the room.
At first thankful for only that, Lori was pleasantly surprised for a second time to find that she had found the reactor control room. The large cylinder that was the reactor was in an adjoining room, blocked off by several layers of thick shielding and a radiation resistant viewport. All along the wall Lori had come out of was a series of control panels.
Making sure she knew where the door was, Lori took a moment to ground herself and think of the shortest route back to the hanger.
Half sure about her location, Lori took another calming breath before stepping to the control panel.
She had no idea how to operate a reactor, but breaking one couldn't be that hard.
.***.***.***.***.
Ready to pull the escort away from the freighter at a moment's notice, Armitage hadn't moved from the pilot's seat. That moment looked like it was nigh as Lori appeared at the far side of the hangar.
To Armitage's terror, he felt his stomach drop as Lori narrowly avoided death.
She ran as quickly as her exhausted state would allow, swerving left and right at irregular intervals to avoid hissing red plasma bolts. Halfway across the hangar, she dove behind a series of crates. Bolts of energy crackled against the boxes and left blackened pockmarks in their surface.
Scraping herself off the ground, Lori began running before she was fully upright, nearly falling forward in the process. Catching herself, she came too close to the escort for Armitage to see.
Armitage lowered the ramp, anticipating the need to flee he frantically searched the dash board for the ignition.
Seconds ticked by and Lori was nowhere in sight. Just as it looked like all was lost, the crew members broke away and sprinted back into the halls.
Then a deep rumble shook the ship.
And the reactor exploded.