(THERE HAS BEEN A TERRIBLE MISTAKE! If you read Chapter 6 before May 21, 2011, you actually read Chapter 7. There was a mix-up, which has now been corrected. This is the correct Chapter 6.)

After a long hiatus, I have finally decided to update this story. I will be working on it from time to time, and will update again when I can.

I want to thank you very much for reading this far into it! Not many people read past Chapter 3, it seems...

Please leave me a review! If I can't tell whether people enjoy reading this story, then what's the point of sharing it with the world?

Chapter 6: A Pilot with a Ship

The woman's dark green eyes looked first into Kyrr Geron's t-shaped visor, then darted to the array of weapons he was carrying as she drew her blaster and tried to take aim. As she moved backward, blaster raised, she tripped over a cargo case and Kyrr kicked the blaster from her hand. She rolled over and tried to dive toward it, but Kyrr had already drawn his own sidearm. He fired once, and the shot narrowly grazed her outstretched arm, singing the black fabric of her sleeve and burning her skin. She winced and pulled her arm back.

"Don't move," he said, as he approached her, pistol trained on her. She had a look of terror on her face, but she didn't scream, nor did she try to escape. He aimed for her head. His finger tightened a little on the trigger, but he hesitated.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked softly. Kyrr took another step closer.

No, no, you can't do this. Not this time. Don't shoot her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"What?"

He repeated himself: "I said who are you? Is this your starship?"

"Not exactly – I'm just the pilot… Does this have anything to do with my father? He doesn't care about me anymore… He'd never pay a ransom."

"Well –"

"Listen, I don't even know where he is anymore, he hasn't contacted me since –"

"Enough! Can you fly this thing or not?"

"Yes."

"Good. Close the cargo bay doors."

She stood up, clutching her injured arm, and walked over to a control panel next to the opening through which Kyrr had entered the ship. She pressed a few buttons with her good hand, and the 10-foot wide loading ramp moved upwards until it clunked into position. For a split second, it was dark, then lights came on inside the cargo bay. The bay was only about 15 feet wide by 20 feet deep, and about 15 feet tall. It was definitely only a small cargo vessel, similar in size to several passenger ship models Kyrr had seen before.

The woman turned back to Kyrr.

"What do you want from me? You weren't sent by…" she trailed off, with a confused expression on her face.

"I need to get off this planet, and you're a pilot with a ship. It's self explanatory."

"Ok," she replied.

'Ok?' That's it? No struggle, no call for help?

She walked past him and stopped at the doorway into the rest of the ship.

"Cockpit's this way."

Kyrr followed her, blaster pistol still out and ready in case she tried anything with him. For some reason he felt uneasy about her sudden compliance.

She sat down in one of the two pilot's chairs in the relatively small cockpit. Kyrr stood awkwardly for a moment, then took the seat beside hers. She reached toward the comm button, and Kyrr grabbed her arm. It was the arm that had been singed by Kyrr's blaster bolt. She winced.

She turned to him and said, "It's ok! I just need to get a flight clearance from the control tower!"

He quickly let go of her arm as he saw tears well up in her eyes.

"No time for that, we need to leave right now," he told her.

She took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her eyes, and composed herself again.

"But I still need to run the pre-flight checks, or else –"

"I said now! Didn't you see what happened out there? I'm being tailed by CSF and a bunch of clones, so if you value your life you will take off immediately!"

The woman looked startled. Then she turned around and started the ship's power up sequence, quickly adjusting numerous switches and controls. Then a voice came in over the comm system.

"Attention: All flights from Section 138 are temporarily grounded –"

CSF sirens could be heard from outside. They were catching up with Kyrr. The voice continued.

"- due to an incident in the area. Coruscant Security Force officials will be –"

"Osik, get this thing off the ground!"

"- dispatched to resolve the problem –"

"I'm trying!"

The sirens were getting closer.

"- as soon as possible. We apologize for the -"

The engines started to whir. A drop of sweat ran down the woman's face.

"- inconvenience. Please remain calm."

She turned around momentarily.

"Where?"

"Anywhere, just go!"

There was a new transmission coming from the comm system. This time the voice was shouting.

"By order of the Coruscant Security Force, open your cargo bay immediately!"

The ship lifted off the ground. The woman yanked back on the steering yoke, tilting the ship upwards. It raced through the greyish clouds of Coruscant's polluted atmosphere with several CSF patrol speeders in pursuit.

"Fierfek, another one?"

Kyrr had noticed that another LAAT/i gunship had joined the chase. The CSF speeders were falling behind, but the gunship was starting to gain on them. Unlike the speeders, the gunship could actually follow Kyrr into space.

The CSF officer made a last desperate transmission. "Halt! Or face charges of –"

Kyrr switched the comm unit off. They cleared the atmosphere entirely, and the woman started flipping switches. The gunship fired a spray of green plasma. The ship shook slightly, then the woman flipped another switch. A deep humming started that got louder and higher until there was a tremendous snap.

They had made the jump to hyperspace.