N***************************** Docking Bay
*************************************N
Laser fire erupted all around them as soon as they stepped off the lift. Zekk returned fire, while Jaina deflected the bolts that would have mowed the small group Jedi down where they stood. The docking bay was crawling with Vong. However, they hadn't destroyed the Star Searcher. Jaina saw the sleek silver Couriscant cruiser as she dove for cover behind a pile of cargo crates that littered the docking bay floor. She had seen the ship still ready to be boarded, it was only about twelve more feet and then they'd be inside. Still, they had to get inside alive, and that would be a problem. Laser blasts were as thick as rain in the Yavin 4 jungle.
Zekk crouched next to her, "They've pinned us Jaina!" He yelled over the noise. Jaina nodded,
"What should we do?" She hollered back. Zekk looked around,
"If we stay here much longer we'll all die. We've got to make a run for it!"
Jaina glanced at the children around here. Zekk could tell she hated the odds. Reluctantly, she nodded her agreement.
"You take the right side, I'll take the left with the kids in the middle. That'd decrease the chance of one of them getting hit." Jaina looked around as if searching for another way but found none.
"Alright." Zekk yelled, "We go out on three."
Jaina glanced over the crates at the Star Searcher. A laser whizzed past her ear and she ducked back down. She glanced at the kids. A wookie held a small baby, the rest were able to run. She guessed were the ages of six through eight. Zekk held Ben around the waist. This is one of the worst situations she'd ever been in. Of course she personally had been in worse, but she was responsible for these kids, and she didn't know what she'd do if one of them got hurt.
"One..." Zekk said. Jaina ignited her lightsaber, "Two..." All of the children tensed, they obviously knew what was going on, "Three."
Jaina pulled herself out from behind the crates, saber in hand. Zekk jumped out also, firing at the Vong savagely. Jaina's breath was like fire in her lungs as she exerted every muscle in her body. Lights flashed and red laser blasts flew through the air. A fire broke out on one side of the hanger, adding to the chaos.
Jaina propelled another blaster bolt away, then another. She was working lightning speed, and only with her left hand. She felt the Force, it was like electricity in the air. She deflected another, sending the blast into another Vong's chest. She was getting weary, how long did it take to get across twelve feet?
There, the docking ramp of the Star Searcher. Jaina followed as the little band rushed up it. She deflected the blasts that would have buried themselves into the small group. As soon as she was up the ramp the twelekk boy pressed the hatch controls and it closed with an audible clank.
Jaina's adrenalin levels were at an all-time high, they had made it this far, so they might have a chance. Before she had taken another breath, she ran to the cockpit, lunging for the pilot's seat. Making her left hand over the control board she revved the engines, they started without hesitation. Jaina flew her left hand over the control panels, SHIELDS UP! She kicked the ship into hard drive and the Star Searcher blasted out of the docking bay at full speed.
As the ship climbed higher in the atmosphere, Jaina put on a head- set. Zekk was probably already in one of the gun wells. Jaina remembered once hearing about how her uncle Luke had piloted the ship and operated both gun torrents with his mind. However, she was not nearly that powerful, or trained.
"Zekk you there?" Jaina asked.
"All set." He replied. "Let's show them you're flying Jaina."
Jaina gritted her teeth.
"Last time I looked," Zekk said, "There were five battle-sharks and about a million of those ugly green suckers they call fighters."
Jaina strapped herself in as the last of the planet's atmosphere peeled away from the ship. "They don't know who they've messed with." She muttered to herself.
"Well let's introduce ourselves." Zekk said.
As the stars came into view, Jaina also saw that Zekk had been optimistic on the Vong's numbers. "Here they come!" Two Vong ships rushed her, and she put the ship into a tight spin, then came out of it. Heading toward one of the battle cruisers.
"Entering the jump coordinates into the nava computer." She said. In order for them to make a jump into lightspeed their path had to be clear, so she had to find an empty space in the sky which was littered with Vong craft.
A Vong ship came up on them from the left, and another from behind. "Zekk..."
"Already there." He replied. Laser cannon fire licked the Vong ship and it spun away barley missing the other hot on the Star Searcher's tail. Jaina pulled the ship up and away. This many ships, they were horribly outnumbered.
Jaina scanned the sky, there, off to the right was a hole in the armada. A quick readout of her sensors told her that there were a dozen Vong ships hot on pursuit. The ship rocked with explosions as the outer hull was pocketed with cannon fire. Alarms sounded in the cockpit,
Zekk's voice came over the headphones, small and strained in her ears. "Uh...Jaina..."
"I know!" Jaina yelled. She could see it. The clear spot in space coming closer and the nava computer kept calculating. The ship rocked again and another blaring alarm came to life, the shields were down.
As an indirect hit landed on the Star Searcher's back quarter, and Jaina could hear Zekk curse. "Sithspawn." A fine sweat formed on Jaina's forehead. She could feel the Vong fighters edging closer, and the feel of panic from the Jedi children the ship contained in it's hold.
Then, the nava computer had the coordinates and Jaina pulled back on a lever, sending the Star Searcher hurling into hyperspace....
Jaina lay back in the pilot seat and sighed. After a minute she spoke into her headphones, "Zekk.... you there?" There was a pause.
"Yeah,. That was close. And Jaina, nice flying."
"Thanks." Jaina whistled in relief. That was too close.
"And Jaina?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever do it again."
Jaina laughed. We did it. We made it... A.N. To be continued! If this stupid internet will keep steady for a few blasted minutes!
Laser fire erupted all around them as soon as they stepped off the lift. Zekk returned fire, while Jaina deflected the bolts that would have mowed the small group Jedi down where they stood. The docking bay was crawling with Vong. However, they hadn't destroyed the Star Searcher. Jaina saw the sleek silver Couriscant cruiser as she dove for cover behind a pile of cargo crates that littered the docking bay floor. She had seen the ship still ready to be boarded, it was only about twelve more feet and then they'd be inside. Still, they had to get inside alive, and that would be a problem. Laser blasts were as thick as rain in the Yavin 4 jungle.
Zekk crouched next to her, "They've pinned us Jaina!" He yelled over the noise. Jaina nodded,
"What should we do?" She hollered back. Zekk looked around,
"If we stay here much longer we'll all die. We've got to make a run for it!"
Jaina glanced at the children around here. Zekk could tell she hated the odds. Reluctantly, she nodded her agreement.
"You take the right side, I'll take the left with the kids in the middle. That'd decrease the chance of one of them getting hit." Jaina looked around as if searching for another way but found none.
"Alright." Zekk yelled, "We go out on three."
Jaina glanced over the crates at the Star Searcher. A laser whizzed past her ear and she ducked back down. She glanced at the kids. A wookie held a small baby, the rest were able to run. She guessed were the ages of six through eight. Zekk held Ben around the waist. This is one of the worst situations she'd ever been in. Of course she personally had been in worse, but she was responsible for these kids, and she didn't know what she'd do if one of them got hurt.
"One..." Zekk said. Jaina ignited her lightsaber, "Two..." All of the children tensed, they obviously knew what was going on, "Three."
Jaina pulled herself out from behind the crates, saber in hand. Zekk jumped out also, firing at the Vong savagely. Jaina's breath was like fire in her lungs as she exerted every muscle in her body. Lights flashed and red laser blasts flew through the air. A fire broke out on one side of the hanger, adding to the chaos.
Jaina propelled another blaster bolt away, then another. She was working lightning speed, and only with her left hand. She felt the Force, it was like electricity in the air. She deflected another, sending the blast into another Vong's chest. She was getting weary, how long did it take to get across twelve feet?
There, the docking ramp of the Star Searcher. Jaina followed as the little band rushed up it. She deflected the blasts that would have buried themselves into the small group. As soon as she was up the ramp the twelekk boy pressed the hatch controls and it closed with an audible clank.
Jaina's adrenalin levels were at an all-time high, they had made it this far, so they might have a chance. Before she had taken another breath, she ran to the cockpit, lunging for the pilot's seat. Making her left hand over the control board she revved the engines, they started without hesitation. Jaina flew her left hand over the control panels, SHIELDS UP! She kicked the ship into hard drive and the Star Searcher blasted out of the docking bay at full speed.
As the ship climbed higher in the atmosphere, Jaina put on a head- set. Zekk was probably already in one of the gun wells. Jaina remembered once hearing about how her uncle Luke had piloted the ship and operated both gun torrents with his mind. However, she was not nearly that powerful, or trained.
"Zekk you there?" Jaina asked.
"All set." He replied. "Let's show them you're flying Jaina."
Jaina gritted her teeth.
"Last time I looked," Zekk said, "There were five battle-sharks and about a million of those ugly green suckers they call fighters."
Jaina strapped herself in as the last of the planet's atmosphere peeled away from the ship. "They don't know who they've messed with." She muttered to herself.
"Well let's introduce ourselves." Zekk said.
As the stars came into view, Jaina also saw that Zekk had been optimistic on the Vong's numbers. "Here they come!" Two Vong ships rushed her, and she put the ship into a tight spin, then came out of it. Heading toward one of the battle cruisers.
"Entering the jump coordinates into the nava computer." She said. In order for them to make a jump into lightspeed their path had to be clear, so she had to find an empty space in the sky which was littered with Vong craft.
A Vong ship came up on them from the left, and another from behind. "Zekk..."
"Already there." He replied. Laser cannon fire licked the Vong ship and it spun away barley missing the other hot on the Star Searcher's tail. Jaina pulled the ship up and away. This many ships, they were horribly outnumbered.
Jaina scanned the sky, there, off to the right was a hole in the armada. A quick readout of her sensors told her that there were a dozen Vong ships hot on pursuit. The ship rocked with explosions as the outer hull was pocketed with cannon fire. Alarms sounded in the cockpit,
Zekk's voice came over the headphones, small and strained in her ears. "Uh...Jaina..."
"I know!" Jaina yelled. She could see it. The clear spot in space coming closer and the nava computer kept calculating. The ship rocked again and another blaring alarm came to life, the shields were down.
As an indirect hit landed on the Star Searcher's back quarter, and Jaina could hear Zekk curse. "Sithspawn." A fine sweat formed on Jaina's forehead. She could feel the Vong fighters edging closer, and the feel of panic from the Jedi children the ship contained in it's hold.
Then, the nava computer had the coordinates and Jaina pulled back on a lever, sending the Star Searcher hurling into hyperspace....
Jaina lay back in the pilot seat and sighed. After a minute she spoke into her headphones, "Zekk.... you there?" There was a pause.
"Yeah,. That was close. And Jaina, nice flying."
"Thanks." Jaina whistled in relief. That was too close.
"And Jaina?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't ever do it again."
Jaina laughed. We did it. We made it... A.N. To be continued! If this stupid internet will keep steady for a few blasted minutes!