Rancor Slam
Part 10
"Alright!" Cas called from the back of the Battle ready Klik, she was secretly pleased to notice Klik stood the tallest of all the Rancors.
"Move Out!" She put action to her words by asking Klik to go.
Klik left at a nice clip, even if it was a little slow. But the Rancor would have a lot of work to do so Cas let it stay that way.
They reached the Clan Caves and everyone dismounted. Everyone helped everyone else pack things into the caves. They left the young Witches-in-training on guard.
A few of the really young ones, many looking suspiciously like Cas, sat around young Cree, holding her, guarding the 'helpless' little baby Rancor.
The men and Warriors walked to the Supply cave. Vua on Rrem and Uun on Gedzjh met them at its entrance. The two called out to Cas, in Vong, so she answered in kind.
Jak nudged her elbow and diverted his eyes toward the Warriors. They were getting testy.
She cleared her throat. "A slight change in plans." She looked to Augwynne on Tosh "Vo spoke with them. He said the fleet is waiting out side the system. They want us to get everything to Landing. Once that's done, I call Vo to start this mess."
She clapped her hands in front of her and rose her voice into her Command-voice. "Alright, Ladies, half an hour and I want that cave empty. Let's Move!"
Jak slid off, down Klik's side and moved into the Cave. Cas got Klik to turn to face toward Landing. A moment later Jak was behind them, pushing a pre-loaded hoversled. He pulled the Harness off the top of the Lightsaber supplies and threw it up to Cas.
She made quick work of attaching hooks from the harness to loops on Klik's saddle. She then slid off and started toward Landing with the Four troopers, and Vua, Uun, Slee and their loaded down Rancors.
They made it to Landing ten minutes later. Vua explained to her the layers of defenses they had laid, via their mental link.
It took five minutes for the Slaves at Landing and the Rancor handlers to unload the Rancors. Then five minutes for the lightened Rancors to make it back to the Cave.
A Twenty-minute run in all, she didn't like it, but they could deal with it.
They got back to the caves and found that many of the R2's and Fighters were missing.
The Slaves told her that Augwynne spoke to the droids asking how much they could control the Fighters. That the answers had pleased the old woman and that she lead them on a ground following flight down the longer, clearer path to Landing, on Tosh.
It was a risky move. What if there were Vong spies around here? They would follow Augwynne back to Landing.
She Assigned Klik to take the four troopers back to Landing. They were to quietly activate the corner defenses and send Klik back to her.
She stayed at the Cave, helping others load their Rancors.
When Klik returned, there was one load left, for Cas and Klik.
She had already sent the others, including Slee and Jak, to the Clan Caves to gather their things.
She had Vua running scouting missions, checking out to see if the Yuuzahn Vong were in the area, estimate their reaction times to the people at Landing, and to see if they had gotten wind of any of this yet.
When every Rancor and it rider were present and accounted for Cas allowed her posture to slip.
She closed her eyes and reached back into her heart. It to the place she kept her perceptions of her special people.
She felt Syn and Nii, sitting, talking and eating breakfast in the pilot's galley on board the Tenacity. They were with a few of their old friends from when they had still lived in the Youngling Barracks of the Jedi Temple on Dagobah. She saw them both stop and look to where she was standing. Syn smiled, Nii looked confused.
She saw Kir in the Shower in his cabin. He stopped turned toward her and smiled. He said something, but she didn't catch it before she left.
She saw Xyr trying to quiet the baby, Wan, While Lio sat in the corner with Tex and Jen in his lap, telling them a story. The Padawans felt her, Lio felt something. But they all stopped and looked toward the corner where she stood.
That was every one on the ship she wanted to tell her good byes, in case something happened. Well she had to tell one more person something.
Vo? She thought, as she appeared in her own quarters where the Shaper was curled up in the middle of her bed.
He looked up to her and smiled
Vo, The Shaper frowned at her seriousness, It is time to begin.