Chapter 6

Sirens

New Republic Base, Jakku

Sirens. There were sirens – the worst kind of sirens. Thane had his flight suit and boots on in 20 seconds. He took off down the corridor towards the Flight Commander's briefing room.

Admiral Hachto was briefing the troops as pilots flooded in from various areas of the complex. "We don't know the play. We don't know what they want. What we do know is it is a formidable fleet of Imperial warships. It seems clear they are not here to surrender."

"Admiral, how many ships – what's their formation?" a seasoned, familiar voice asked.

Wedge is here. Thank goodness! This gave Thane a sense of relief.

"We're getting that data now. I've received word there are signs they've deployed troop transports. Without knowing what they want, we're going to have to beat 'em back in the sky before they land. Load 'em up and follow your Squadron leaders for engagement orders."

Thane was falling into the battle mindset as he turned to leave when something stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Admiral! The Prisoners! They are coming for the Imperial prisoners!" Thane declared over the rising voices. Everyone standing near Thane and his squad understood what Thane meant. They are coming for Ciena!

Movement ceased as those present stopped to consider this possibility. "If they were here for another grand stand at Jakku, there would be an even larger force overhead. This is the perfect size force to draw our fighters into air combat. They will bombard and overwhelm our shields over our most valuable targets at the same time. The Operations and Detainment Facilities are the targets." Thane worked to project a calm and collected demeanor after his outburst.

"You might be right, Lieutenant Commander. Regardless, right now you boys need to get in the air. May the Force be with you!"

Thane ran out the door and instinctively turned left. He stopped so fast his boots slipped beneath him on the sand spattered duracrete. His X-wing was to the left. The Detainment Facility– Ciena - was to the right. He changed course and set out in a flat run.

"Blue Two, this is Blue One. Come in Blue Two!" he called to his second in command.

"I read you Blue One. This is Blue Two."

"Blue Two, you have Command. Blue One is... grounded. Over."

"Roger that, Blue One... Go get her, Blue One. May the Force Be With You!"


Detainment Facility

"Prisoners! Remain with your backs against the far wall of your cell until called forward! Cooperate with instructions as guards apply your binders. We are moving you to a more secure location."

A man yelled, "The Empire has come to teach you Rebel scum a lesson you'll never forget!" He was close enough to Ciena for her to both see and hear the cell's occupant. She turned her head away when two guards used stun sticks to silence the verbally impulsive Imperial.

Ciena's heart was pounding. There was something big happening. As if on cue, Ciena heard and felt the unmistakable sounds of shield bombardment. She knew what this meant and panic hit her like a charging Bantha. The Imperials were back to rescue their captured soldiers. It made sense. Ciena had seen at least nine "high-value" prisoners in addition to herself. She knew there were at least two Admirals and seven Captains in custody.

She had been growing optimistic in recent weeks due to the little interest the New Republic was showing in her. Thane believed they would release her any day. Her attorney had heard some "very encouraging news" and was coming to see her that afternoon. The New Republic needed skilled people everywhere. There was also no feasible way to manage a tenth of the Imperial detainees galaxy-wide. It took time, but she had begun to believe in the possibility that she could be free very soon.

And now, the Empire was coming for her to make certain her oath was a life sentence. I can't go through this again. I can't go back.

Guards began escorting prisoners in orderly lines down the hallways and stairs. They exited the building where transports were waiting to carry the prisoners away. Ciena was growing frantic. Thane! Will he know where I am? They aren't moving fast enough! The Imperials are going to take me. She looked around in desperation, searching for Thane everywhere. He has to be looking for me! Where can I go? Will they shoot me if I try to run?

Ciena was on a transport now. We won't get away in time! Will Thane and I be on different planets? Ciena felt as though she might vomit. She'd only felt this level of anxiety once before when fighting Thane to stay on the bridge of the doomed Inflictor. How many chances before our chances run out? She buried her face in her hands and fought back her sobs.


Thane burst through the door to the visitor's check in station. The startled guard must have read Thane's mind.

"Sir! The detainees are being moved. Might I suggest you proceed to your proper post and we will take care of things here?"

Thane looked genuinely sorry when he vaulted over the security bars and ran around the weapon detectors. He flew down the corridor and rounded the corner to find Ciena was not in her cell. They were all empty.

Think, Thane. Think! Where are the landing platforms? He considered returning the way he entered and making his way around the outside of the complex. Instead, he decided to take his chances inside. The prisoner loading areas were at the bottom of a sloping hill behind the complex.

He heard voices and searched the immediate area until he realized his pocket was talking.

"Thane, are you there?! Please answer me if you can hear me." Thane fumbled in the utility pockets on his flight suit and finally retrieved his comm.

"Kendy?"

"Yes! I'm here! I can guess where you are, so let's not waste time on that. I'm headed to the OC to try and locate a shuttle. They are targeting the shields over the OC and DF, and making quick work of it. Try to get Ciena and make your way to the OC as fast as you can. Can you do this?"

"We will be there, Kendy. Please, don't leave us."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Kendy out."

Thane's furious scramble down hallways and stairwells led him to an outer door. When it slid open, he found he had reached the landing platform. There were three large transport shuttles with one already in the air. Thane ran to the closest ship, hurried up the open ramp and searched for Ciena. There were so many beings, almost all human, and he fought his way through the ship calling Ciena's name. He ignored the irate guards, who would have subdued him were he not in his flight suit with his credentials on display.

Thane was off the first transport and bounding toward the next as its ramp was beginning to rise. He gathered every ounce of his strength and leapt, grasping the side bar with his left hand and grabbing for purchase with the right. Hands reached for him and pulled him up as the transport was settling back down due to the commotion. Thane stood and and thanked the New Republic soldiers for their help. After brisk salutes, Thane yelled over his shoulder instructing them to tell the pilot not to take off yet as he started another frantic search. This time, one of the soldiers was helping to clear a path as he pushed through the crowd. There were too many beings, almost all larger than Ciena. The fear that he passed right by her on the first shuttle grew as the unsearched areas diminished with no sign of her.


Ciena accepted a napkin from a thoughtful detainee who tried to soothe her with kind words. "Do not fear, Captain. We'll be back home with our Imperial forces before this day ends." Ciena looked up at her, tempted to tell her that's precisely what she didn't want. If the nice woman was correct, Ciena would be labeled a traitor if her words were repeated. Ciena nodded without saying a word.

It was very loud on the shuttle, but Ciena thought she heard a man calling out, and then a commotion was moving towards her. Her eyes caught a glimpse of reddish-blonde hair bobbing above the heads of others in the crowd.

"Thane!" Ciena cried. She jumped up, pushing through several prisoners - even shoving past a guard - before his face came into view. "Thane! I'm here!" The sheer determination she saw on his face before he spotted her filled her with confidence. When he saw her, he became a blur as he rushed through the obstacles between them. Before she could say a word her feet had left the floor. He encased her in his strong arms, holding her head against his chest. She relished both feeling and hearing the pounding of his racing heart. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but the binders left her completely at his mercy in the embrace. He set her down and took her face in his hands.

"You're okay now! I'm going to get you out of here!"

Ciena nodded as one of his his big, strong hands grasped her cuffed wrists. She couldn't stop the river of tears from relief and fear. He paused long enough for her to look into his blue eyes. Those beautiful eyes always told the truth, and she saw confidence staring back. A little flame of hope ignited as he gave her a quick smile, then his jaw set and a wonderfully familiar look of determination emerged.

The soldiers had both moved back toward their posts at the front of the ship. Thane grabbed the closest guard he could find and pointed to Ciena's bound hands. His expression and gestures conveyed his meaning. The guard eyed Thane's credentials, then looked at Ciena dressed in detainee attire. His eyes narrowed and he smirked.

"Hey buddy, I'm not…"

Without hesitation, Thane grabbed the stun stick from guard's belt and zapped him. He found the binder release on the guard's belt and as the cuffs fell to the floor the transport begin to move.

"They're raising the ramp!" Ciena yelled over the deafening noise.

Thane grabbed both of Ciena's hands in his. "Let's go, Ree. It's time to fly!" As much as Ciena wanted to throw her freed arms around Thane, they needed to get off that ship!

As she followed Thane, Ciena had a vision of a little girl from the Jelucan Valley in her handmade, tan dress. She remembered a brave little boy with reddish-blonde hair. A boy from a different life, who shouldn't have noticed a poor girl from the Valley. A stranger determined to rescue her from six bullies all by himself.

It was in that moment Ciena realized the only oaths and the only promises she'd ever give again would be to that boy. A boy who grew to be the remarkable man who was still fighting for her all these years later. The pieces finally fit together. She saw with clarity how she should have known this from the very beginning of their story. Everything she had put him through for the sake of her oath to the Empire.

She could barely think the word or face the thought due to the burning shame and embarrassment she felt. She was desperate to look him in his eyes and apologize for everything. For not leaving the Imperial service with him. For letting his friends believe he was dead. For allowing Nash to believe he betrayed her. For everything that led them to this moment. She needed to tell him how she felt - what she now knew with unwavering certainty. He needed to know he had been right from the start, and she could see this now. She needed to beg him to forgive her. It would be the moment he'd know nothing would ever stand in their way again. They would never, ever have to be apart.

For now, she'd have to hold it inside if she could manage it. They couldn't stop moving, and Thane wasn't going to stop until he got Ciena safely off Jakku. He slapped the ramp activator and pointed the stun stick at the co-pilot when he came stomping out of the cockpit. There was a startled look of recognition on his face.

"No problem, Commander! But we have to get airborne now!" Thane apologized as he leapt off the ramp and caught Ciena by the waist as she jumped behind him.

Thane pulled out the com link. "Kendy, are you there? Come in, Kendy!"

"We're here – ready to go. Are you close?" By now the shields were about to give and Thane and Ciena had a ten minute run ahead of them. Think Thane…there's an answer…think…

"We're heading toward the OC. Can you head towards us? We'll try to stay as visible as possible."

"Copy that. On our way! Be alert: Troop transports are approaching shield breaches. Kendy out!" It was time to run like they'd never run before.

They were half way to the OC when Thane looked back. Imperial assets were positioning themselves over and around the transports. They aren't going to make it out. The Empire would have gotten Ciena.

Thane saw the shock and fear in Ciena's eyes as she took in the scene. But, she turned to face hm, and he could see something had changed. She smiled, and Thane marveled at the expression he hadn't seen since their first kiss. There was hope and anticipation. It was as if the struggles, the conflict inside of her, the darkness - it was...gone. Amidst the booming, crackling, chaos, and confusion, he saw his autumn leaf smiling at him. There was nothing standing between them and he had to hold her. Her arms folded around his neck, she buried her hands in his hair. Her lips met his and the kiss was so intense and passionate it left Ciena more breathless than the running. Thane almost forgot they could die if they don't start moving. He reluctantly released her, took her hand, and once again broke into a run.

"Thane! Wait!" Thane spun around. He looked stunned and worried. She couldn't explain the desperation she felt to tell Thane what she realized. Now she felt foolish and irresponsible. Not now, Ciena. This is crazy. Be patient. Get to safety first! "I'm sorry for not waiting for a kiss. I...I needed something real to be sure this isn't another dream."

Thane squeezed her hand and they continued their run toward the O.C.


Kendy had found a shuttle with a respectable weapons package that had a chance of holding its own. The pilot was unknown to her, but he seemed as anxious as her to exit this field of battle. He and the shuttle served a dignitary of some sort who was off planet for an event on Coruscant. "Take us around the West end of the OC and swing back towards the DF."

"Whoa, whoa – hold up. That's lunacy. We have a straight shot out of here, and the shields are pretty much gone. The next hit is going to blow up some major stuff down here!"

Kendy turned and noted his name tag. "Graham. I am Kendy Idele. You don't know me and I don't know you. Let me help bring clarity to this situation. My friends are running towards the OC right now. We are going to take this shuttle and meet them, shields or no shields. I do not leave my friends behind. Not as a Stormtrooper, not as an Imperial defector Rebel scumbag, and not as an officer who holds rank over you"

The pilot broke into a cocky, sideways grin and nodded his head.

He's amused? The nerve! And yet, Kendy almost caught herself smiling back. Or, maybe she did grin a tiny bit before she caught herself? For kriff's sake, Kendy Idele. Have you lost your mind?!


Thane and Ciena heard incoming destruction with enough time to hit the ground. The force of the blast left the perception that nothing would still be standing. The Southeastern corner of the OC was missing. An enormous crater swallowed the vehicles that happened to be in the parking area. As they gathered themselves to begin running again, Thane heard shuttle engines approaching. It was difficult to see more than fifteen meters in any direction. Sand, dust, and debris continued to swirl about them in the air. When the shuttle came into view, the ramp was down with Kendy strapped down to help them board if needed.

Without warning, the corner of the OC closest to their position exploded. A hurricane of debris, smoke and fire engulfed them. Graham deftly lifted and maneuvered the shuttle out of the line of shrapnel and debris. The blast wave hit Ciena and Thane. It blew Thane at least five meters backwards. He landed in a soft bank of sand, and was almost immediately back on his feet. He couldn't see Ciena, though he saw the Shuttle lowering back down about fifteen meters away. Kendy had unstrapped herself, and he then saw she was trying to lift Ciena onto the ramp without success. The realization was immediate: smaller, lighter - Ciena flew much further and higher. Thane was there at her side in seconds.

Thane could not comprehend what he was seeing. He scooped Kendy up onto the ramp as if she weighed less than a rag doll, then he turned and knelt down to Ciena. The sight nearly paralyzed him. Ciena was unconscious and bleeding from a large open gash on the right side of her head. Every exposed area of her body bore bleeding cuts and abrasions. Her pants and shirt were now shreds of fabric randomly scattered over her body.

As gently and quickly as he could, Thane put his arms beneath Ciena's upper back and knees. He used the crook of his elbow to support her neck. The ramp was low enough for him step up. He felt a warm, wet sensation underneath her lower back and around the right side of her abdomen. He laid Ciena on a couch and turned to Kendy. He didn't look at his bloody arms. He didn't need to. He saw and felt Ciena's wounds.

Kendy gasped, "Thane! Your arms!" She stepped towards him and he shifted away.

"It's not mine," he said softly.

Thane saw the pilot step into the small hallway outside the cockpit. "I...I thought you might need some help. We, um... we need to get in the air if possible," the stranger said.

Thane nodded. "I have to get to my X-Wing to…"

"No, Thane! Your duty is here now!" Kendy cried. "Ciena needs you! I need you!

His voice was calm and resolute. "I have to get my X-Wing to cover the shuttle. It's our best chance."

Kendy gave a reluctant nod of agreement. She knew he was right.

Thane knew he had to leave. He turned and knelt beside Ciena, cupping the sides of her face with his hands as he did mere moments ago when they kissed. But this time there was no smile - only unbearable stillness.

"I know you had something you wanted to say to me earlier. It wasn't just about the kiss." His voice was hoarse and soft. He paused to push back the sound of pain and fear. "I want you to hold those thoughts somewhere safe. It was important to you. I could see it, but I thought..." He didn't want to let the tears spill over and fall, but it was too much for him now. "I thought we'd have time as soon as I got you somewhere safe." His voice finally failed him. He took her hand in his and leaned in closer. "I will do anything to protect you, Ciena. I knew it the day we met as kids, and I've known it every moment of my life since that day." He gently brushed ringlets of her hair away from her face with his fingertips. "I have to go now, but I'll be flying right beside you to keep you safe. Maybe..." He realized his tears were falling on her cheek, but he wouldn't wipe them away. What if she can feel them? I'd take any small part of her with me, even her tears, if that were all I could have.

"Try to imagine we're together, in the skies over Jelucan like we've been a thousand times before." One more swallow and a deep breath to steady himself. "Forgive me if you're scared, Ciena. You can dream we're in our secret hideaway again, the rain is falling outside, and I'm holding you in my arms. Do this for me, and I promise, we'll be there together again very soon...I promise. Ciena...I promise." He kissed her softly, pressed his cheek against hers to memorize the scent of her hair. "I love you, Ciena Ree. In every way."

Thane stood and wiped his face with his sleeve. Then he turned to face Kendy. His eyes were on fire with fierce determination. His jaw and shoulders were set like durasteel. He made Ciena promises, and he would keep them - or die in the effort.

It was then Kendy saw what June and Thane's roommates at the Academy had recognized all those years ago. Nash and Ved would tease Thane in what seemed like good natured fun, but June saw the truth behind it. Thane would die for Ciena. The utter disregard he'd shown for his own well being time and time again. His actions on the Inflictor. Right here and right now. What he was ready to do in the coming hours, days...for a lifetime. He would do anything, including sacrificing his life, for Ciena.

Thane walked around Kendy, but squeezed her hand as he passed. He hurried down the ramp and looked back at her. "Please, Kendy, help her."

Kendy nodded, choking back sobs as she watched him disappear in the haze of smoke and destruction.

"THANE!" Kendy yelled behind him. "WHAT'S OUR DESTINATION?"

Without breaking his stride, Thane yelled back, "JELUCAN!"