Estay windmilled her hands in an attempt to keep herself from losing the position she needed to catch herself. She didn't know how she managed to do it. One minute she was watching the walls rush up -well, actually it was her rushing down- she only saw the bar for a split second, but managed to catch it. It held. Estay laughed in relief. She swung one leg up onto the pole, then pulled herself into a sitting position. Luckily, this pole ran just above the opening to level 53. All she had to do was crawl over and swing down...in theory. Estay swung down so that she was hanging from her legs, which were locked securely around the pole. Then, began pulling herself along until she reached the wall with the opening. "Rully!" she called.
"Estay!" Rullin's head poked out of the opening. "You did it! I can't believe it!"
"Me neither. Get ready, I'm coming down." She let go with her legs and stretched. Her toes just barely touched the top of the guardrail. Rullin grabbed her ankles. "Ready?" she asked.
"Ready," Rullin answered.
Estay let go and ducked down as quickly as she could, hoping she didn't bash her head on the wall. Her head cleared the opening, barely. Estay managed to throw her weight so that when she fell, she fell into the opening. She ended up on top of Rullin on the floor. "That," she said, rolling off of him and giving him a hand up, "was the stupidest thing I've ever done."
She looked down the road and caught sight of the man she'd saved and the Nietzschean hurrying towards them. "You saved my life!" the man exclaimed.
Estay shrugged, "You're welcome. Oh, and tell your captain we're even now." She started to pull Rullin away.
"Hey wait," the man said, "I'm Harper, that's Tyr."
"I'm Estay, this is Rullin." Estay answered.
"Got any idea why that guy tried to kill me?" Harper asked.
"Oh yeah," Rullin said, "that was--" Estay clapped a hand over his mouth.
"What's it worth to you?" she asked.
"What?" Tyr demanded. "You tell us right now you little--"
"Hey now," Estay interrupted, "that's no way to talk to the only people who know what's going and what it means for you and your friends."
Tyr sighed impatiently. "What do you want?"
"A favor, a big one, to be paid on demand by your captain. In return we'll help you in every way we can to get off of this planet alive. Deal?"
Harper looked like he was about to protest, but Tyr answered, "Deal," before Harper could say anything.
"Great!" Estay exclaimed. "Now, the man who attacked you was Merdan, head of the government's Secret Police. He and his friends are probably going after your other crewmembers as we speak. Your captain's probably already been captured."
"Trance, Beka, and Rommie, we have to go find them!" Harper exclaimed.
"Good idea," Estay said.
They ran back onto the main street. It was considerably less crowded. There was a row of Secret Police lined up in front of a botanical shop. They all had weapons aimed at the building.
"I think we found 'em," Estay commented. "There's Merdan," she pointed to the man standing behind the firing line. Estay turned to Tyr and Harper. "If I distract a few of them, do you think you can take the rest out?"
Tyr nodded and took out his Force Lance. Harper looked less confident, but did the same. "How will you distract them?" Tyr asked.
"Fairly easily, Merdy and I have a...history."
"Estay," Rullin said, "I hope you aren't planning what I think you are."
"Hey, it's my turn to have a bad idea, remember?" She patted him on the arm. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Stay here." Estay ran out of her hiding place and into the middle of the street. She gave a shrill whistle, drawing everyone's attention and yelled, "Hey Merdy! Remember me?"
He gave her a dark look and growled, "You!"
"Okay, that'd be a 'yes'."
Merdan turned to his troops. "You, you, you, and you," he said pulling four random men up, "get her. Alive," he added as an afterthought.
"Four? I'm flattered." Estay dashed off down the road as the men started towards her.
*****************************
Four men took off after Estay, leaving Tyr and Harper to deal with the other seven. "Come on," Tyr said, aiming his Force Lance. They'd taken up a defensive position behind one of the sturdier merchant stands, just close enough to fire on them. He shot one of the Secret Police, then ducked back down. That got their attention, the Police turned from the store and returned fire, not knowing where to shoot. Beka poked her head up in a window of the store and shot another one of the guards.
By this time Merdan, had caught on to the fact that he was surrounded. "You two cover the store. You two cover the other way." He, in the mean time, had retreated to the sidelines. "You're outnumbered!" he called to them.
"Actually," Tyr said, shooting another guard, then ducking down before they could shoot him, "you're outnumbered."
Merdan snarled. "Get them! Get them! Charge!" The Police didn't seem to like that idea much, but they did as they were told. Tyr and Harper picked them off easily.
"Now who is outnumbered?" Tyr asked, emerging from his hiding place and aiming his Force Lance at Merdan.
Merdan growled. "This isn't over." He dashed off down the road before Tyr or the others could fire.
That's it for now. No cliffhanger, aren't ya proud? Thanks for all the reviews. Keep it up. :)
"Estay!" Rullin's head poked out of the opening. "You did it! I can't believe it!"
"Me neither. Get ready, I'm coming down." She let go with her legs and stretched. Her toes just barely touched the top of the guardrail. Rullin grabbed her ankles. "Ready?" she asked.
"Ready," Rullin answered.
Estay let go and ducked down as quickly as she could, hoping she didn't bash her head on the wall. Her head cleared the opening, barely. Estay managed to throw her weight so that when she fell, she fell into the opening. She ended up on top of Rullin on the floor. "That," she said, rolling off of him and giving him a hand up, "was the stupidest thing I've ever done."
She looked down the road and caught sight of the man she'd saved and the Nietzschean hurrying towards them. "You saved my life!" the man exclaimed.
Estay shrugged, "You're welcome. Oh, and tell your captain we're even now." She started to pull Rullin away.
"Hey wait," the man said, "I'm Harper, that's Tyr."
"I'm Estay, this is Rullin." Estay answered.
"Got any idea why that guy tried to kill me?" Harper asked.
"Oh yeah," Rullin said, "that was--" Estay clapped a hand over his mouth.
"What's it worth to you?" she asked.
"What?" Tyr demanded. "You tell us right now you little--"
"Hey now," Estay interrupted, "that's no way to talk to the only people who know what's going and what it means for you and your friends."
Tyr sighed impatiently. "What do you want?"
"A favor, a big one, to be paid on demand by your captain. In return we'll help you in every way we can to get off of this planet alive. Deal?"
Harper looked like he was about to protest, but Tyr answered, "Deal," before Harper could say anything.
"Great!" Estay exclaimed. "Now, the man who attacked you was Merdan, head of the government's Secret Police. He and his friends are probably going after your other crewmembers as we speak. Your captain's probably already been captured."
"Trance, Beka, and Rommie, we have to go find them!" Harper exclaimed.
"Good idea," Estay said.
They ran back onto the main street. It was considerably less crowded. There was a row of Secret Police lined up in front of a botanical shop. They all had weapons aimed at the building.
"I think we found 'em," Estay commented. "There's Merdan," she pointed to the man standing behind the firing line. Estay turned to Tyr and Harper. "If I distract a few of them, do you think you can take the rest out?"
Tyr nodded and took out his Force Lance. Harper looked less confident, but did the same. "How will you distract them?" Tyr asked.
"Fairly easily, Merdy and I have a...history."
"Estay," Rullin said, "I hope you aren't planning what I think you are."
"Hey, it's my turn to have a bad idea, remember?" She patted him on the arm. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Stay here." Estay ran out of her hiding place and into the middle of the street. She gave a shrill whistle, drawing everyone's attention and yelled, "Hey Merdy! Remember me?"
He gave her a dark look and growled, "You!"
"Okay, that'd be a 'yes'."
Merdan turned to his troops. "You, you, you, and you," he said pulling four random men up, "get her. Alive," he added as an afterthought.
"Four? I'm flattered." Estay dashed off down the road as the men started towards her.
*****************************
Four men took off after Estay, leaving Tyr and Harper to deal with the other seven. "Come on," Tyr said, aiming his Force Lance. They'd taken up a defensive position behind one of the sturdier merchant stands, just close enough to fire on them. He shot one of the Secret Police, then ducked back down. That got their attention, the Police turned from the store and returned fire, not knowing where to shoot. Beka poked her head up in a window of the store and shot another one of the guards.
By this time Merdan, had caught on to the fact that he was surrounded. "You two cover the store. You two cover the other way." He, in the mean time, had retreated to the sidelines. "You're outnumbered!" he called to them.
"Actually," Tyr said, shooting another guard, then ducking down before they could shoot him, "you're outnumbered."
Merdan snarled. "Get them! Get them! Charge!" The Police didn't seem to like that idea much, but they did as they were told. Tyr and Harper picked them off easily.
"Now who is outnumbered?" Tyr asked, emerging from his hiding place and aiming his Force Lance at Merdan.
Merdan growled. "This isn't over." He dashed off down the road before Tyr or the others could fire.
That's it for now. No cliffhanger, aren't ya proud? Thanks for all the reviews. Keep it up. :)
