The windows overlooked a giant cavern, and for several long moments, Eli just stared, dumbfounded. How far down were they, and was this originally part of the facility they had entered on the surface? The cavern itself was well-lit, more so than any other part of the complex they had come across so far. Massive flood lights stood in strategic places along the floor, which was at least a few stories below where Eli now stood, and additional lights were embedded in the rock of the walls and ceiling of the cave.

The floor itself was covered with crates and containers of varying shapes and sizes. What they housed, he could only guess—until his eyes fell on a section that definitely contained hazardous materials and potentially weapons-related supplies. He recognized the symbols on the sides of the containers. He even spotted canisters of tibanna gas stacked up against one of the walls.

Movement caught his eye, and he glanced to the side as someone appeared from around a large stack of shipping crates. Then another movement drew his attention; turning, he watched as a pair of droids carried something across the room until they vanished around the corner of another set of containers a bit further into the cavern. He stood there unmoving, staring, his heart pounding in his chest as he caught sight of a few others moving about the floor.

He fell back away from the window. There weren't just droids here. There were definitely people down there, and by the looks of it, heavily armed. This was no innocent operation. Thrawn's speculation had been correct. How could they possibly get out of here now?

Thankfully, he did notice that none of them seemed to be in a hurry or concerned about intruders, so perhaps the alarm hadn't been sounded by that droid he had demolished. Either that, or they were so confident in the proficiency of their guard crew that they knew they were in good hands and could continue about their business as usual.

That thought made Eli feel a lot better.

"Sir," he called softly, feeling his way along the countertops as his eyes had to readjust to the dark room, "we really need to get out of here."

Thrawn's shadowy form still sat motionless against the wall where Eli had left him. Eli knelt down, frowning, uncertain of what he should do. "What can I do to help you?"

"I cannot continue in my current state," Thrawn murmured, his eyes closed as he breathed with forced calmness. "I am almost certain the lower part of my right leg is broken. There may also be a few cracked ribs, and I fear I may also be suffering from a...mtokosu."

"Concussion." Eli's frown deepened, and he bowed his head to hide the fear and guilt on his face. "I'm sorry about that, sir. I'm afraid I may have landed on you when the turbolift stopped."

Thrawn's hand fluttered lightly just above the ground where it had been resting. "Do not worry, Eli. It is better that we are not both injured. As it is, none of it is a life threat. Just a hinder." Eli caught a hint of Thrawn's grimace as he struggled to maintain his Basic. Thrawn took a brief moment to gather his thoughts, thin slits of red appearing in the darkness. "If you wish to help," he continued slowly, "I could do with something for my leg." He gestured as he spoke. "Something to keep it straight. And perhaps something to lean on, so you do not have to continue to bear my weight." Exhaling softly, he closed his eyes again. "At the very least, if I can take the pressure off my leg, I am certain the rest can be managed until we reach safety."

"Yes, yes, of course." Eli rose swiftly to his feet, eager to move, eager to help, eager to do anything but sit there feeling guilty and trapped. He set about examining every cupboard and space he could find. The room was amazingly clean, and he wondered how often it was actually in use. Although, the fact that it was kept so clean could imply frequent use. That thought drove him to search more urgently in fear that someone might enter at any moment.

Many of the drawers and cupboards he came across were actually locked, and there was nothing useful whatsoever in ones he could access. Biting back a growl of frustration, he returned to Thrawn's side.

"There's nothing here, sir, but I am going to go check some of the other rooms. There's got to be something that can be of use somewhere, and I'm going to find it." Biting his lip, he looked around the room again. Perhaps Thrawn should hide himself somewhere he wouldn't be seen in case someone did return while Eli was away. But where? The only possibility he could see was inside one of the larger cupboards against the wall near them, but it would be a tight fit and might not even be possible given Thrawn's injuries. "Here. Do you think you can move to the other side of the room, around the corner of that table against the wall there?" he asked, trying to put as much positivity into his voice as he could. "It's not an ideal hiding spot, but at least you'll be out of sight of someone who might walk in through the door."

Thrawn glanced wearily at where Eli was pointing, but he nodded slowly, wincing as he allowed Eli to help him get to his feet. Reaching out, he used the countertops to keep from leaning too heavily on Eli as they hobbled across the floor. Once in position, he slid silently to the floor again, closing his eyes and leaning his head back as before. Eli felt horrible. He was no good at this, and if he ended up getting them caught, or getting Thrawn hurt worse—

No. It was no good dwelling on that at the moment. He had to find something to help Thrawn so they could get out of there. That was the priority.

"I'll be back," he murmured, gripping Thrawn's hand encouragingly. Thrawn nodded weakly. "Signal me if there's trouble." He tapped Thrawn's sidearm for emphasis.

With that, he got up and left.

The hallway was still empty when he peered out. He paused, listening. There was no sign that anyone was nearby. Taking a deep breath, Eli stepped out, taking care with the door so that it closed without a sound. Keeping to this side of the hall, he tried the next door. It was the first one he encountered that was actually locked. Grimacing, he moved to the next one.

He paused, staring at it. The door had been left slightly ajar. Was someone in there? There didn't seem to be a light on inside, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Holding his breath, he pressed himself against the wall and sharpened his hearing for any sound of movement inside the room.

Nothing.

Upon closer inspection, he could see that the bolt intended to lock the door when closed had been turned while the door was still open, thus preventing it from shutting all the way. Pulling out his blaster, he stepped up to the door and slowly pushed it open. The door squeaked briefly, and Eli tensed; but a moment passed with nothing further happening, so he moved closer and looked inside.

It was an office. The room was smaller than the lab in which he had left Thrawn, but it was still of decent size. And this room had a window looking out into the cavern as well. Unbolting the door, he slipped into the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

He wasted no time in searching all the drawers and cupboards he could find here, but he was growing quickly discouraged. It was practically as useless as the lab, with many of the drawers locked or filled with useless materials. Heaving a heavy sigh, he turned around and leaned back against the desk he had just been inspecting, his gaze sweeping the window again.

Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward slightly for a better look. Something at the far end of the cavern caught his attention, and then his eyes widened. He stood up straight, moving close to the window to confirm what he thought he saw.

Sure enough, across the cave from where he stood, there was a gaping hole in the cavern wall, and a ship had just entered the cavern through it. The ship was not large, but it was of decent enough size and with enough cargo space to carry materials in or out. Even as he watched, it landed within an area on the cavern floor that was clearly designated for such. There were already a few other ships parked there. How had he missed that before?

Just then, he noticed that someone seemed to be staring up in his direction, one hand on his hip near his firearm, the other hovering near his mouth. As if speaking into a comlink. With a gasp, Eli stumbled away from the window. Had the man actually seen him? He was at least halfway across the cavern, and the room Eli was in was dark. It could just be coincidence.

Eli couldn't afford to find out.

Spinning around, he walked quickly to the door. They could not waste any more time. Re-entering the hallway, he moved on to the next door, finding that one unlocked. The room inside, however, was completely dark. He fumbled around for a switch but found nothing. He had no light on him, nor was the light from the hallway strong enough to pierce the darkness. When he stepped inside, he could tell that the room was narrow and close. Perhaps a storage closet of some sort? Stepping back out, he looked around for any sort of sign that might indicate the type of room. There was nothing. If these rooms had been labeled at any point, the signs had been either scratched off or removed.

Even so, a storage closet might actually have something they could use.

Eli entered the room again and tentatively felt his way around. There were some shelves with boxes on them, but the boxes were exceptionally heavy. Given the type of material he saw out in the cavern, who knew what these might contain? It could be dangerous if he dropped one. Moving cautiously, he continued to feel his way around the room, running his hands lightly over every object he encountered.

Then he felt it. A spool of rubber-coated wire. His fingers curled around the object greedily as he pulled it off the shelf. Yes, this might be helpful to tie something together. It was too thick for binding a splint, but it might prove useful in putting together some sort of crutch. Now he just needed something long and stiff, preferably several of varying sizes for both the splint and the crutch. Of all the places to find something like that, a supply closet was his best bet here. Hopeful, he continued his blind exploration.

That hope faded quickly as the room produced nothing of the kind. Eli swore. At least he had the wire. That was one piece. He just needed something, like a pole or a rod or—

—or a droid arm. The idea suddenly hit him, and as much as he did not want to go back up there, he knew that was his best and quickest chance. The droid wouldn't be needing them anymore anyway. Exiting the closet with barely a glance down the hall, he dashed back to the lab.

"I think I just about got what we need!" he called across the room as quietly as he could manage as soon as he entered. "I will be right back."

There was no response from Thrawn, but Eli didn't really wait to give him a chance. His adrenaline was pumping again, and he needed to move quickly. Leaving the spool just inside the door, he left again, moving cautiously to the end of the hall. There was no sound of anyone in the stairwell, but he still kept his steps silent, taking the stairs by twos as he ascended back to the level just above them. Pausing at the door to catch his breath, he listened yet again for the sound of anyone or anything on the other side. Silence. Carefully turning the door's handle, he pushed it open, subconsciously wincing in expectation of finding the droid's bulky remains in the hallway. His heart leapt into his throat.

The hallway was empty.

The droid was gone.

For several long seconds, he just stared, not quite registering it. Then, pushing the door open more, he peered around toward the elevator, in case he wasn't looking in the right spot. But no, it had been near that stack of crates where they were hiding, and it was not there anymore. Nor was it near the turbolift. It was nowhere to be seen.

Heart pounding, Eli slowly closed the door once more, collapsing to his knees as he stared blankly at the metal door inches from his face. His entire body trembled. That droid had been dead. It could not have moved on its own. So that meant someone had come and cleared it away. Someone who could still be nearby. Someone who knew he was armed.

With a sudden start, he realized that Thrawn could be in danger. Jumping to his feet, he rushed back down the stairs, trying to be quiet but more concerned with being quick. He burst into the hallway, his blaster already in his hand.

His premonition had been too slow. Even as he exited the stairwell, he saw the door to the lab closing, as if someone had just entered. Gritting his teeth, he ran to the door, yanking it open and jumping inside, blaster up and ready to fire.