p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""No." Hera said quickly, eyes pleading. "Not yet, we can't leave them." Fen's heart was beating so loud it was deafening./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""We have to go now, we have to get out of here." She had stalled, her lips echoing her repeating thoughts. emRun, run before they catch you. /emThe Force was pounding through her veins, blurring the physical world while reminding her of the danger that surrounded her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Fen." Hera reached out, trying to grab her arm but Fen jumped backwards, just out of reach. "We can't just leave these girls here." She was talking so slowly, so calmly, didn't she know what danger they were in?/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen stared at Hera, the Force was a swirl of panic and adrenaline, the feelings of the prisoners and Hera blending together and mixing with her own sense of urgency. She couldn't think. Hera reached for her hand again, this time gripping it tightly. Pins and needles that had nothing to do with the situation at hand rushed through her. Like a lightning rod, she was grounded; Fen took a deep breath, processing what Hera was saying. "Okay, do you have a plan."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Uhh," Hera looked around, not dropping her hand. "We need to get weapons and a ship, we'll also need a map." Hearing Hera, Chopper abandoned his post and rolled around the corner./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Chop! You snuck aboard?" Hera smiled brilliantly, squatting down in front of the droid. "You've got a map? Let's see!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"A few seconds analyzing the holomap and Hera began to speak. "There are a lot of stormtroopers between here and the hanger bay."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen twisted her head to get a better view of the map. "And between here and the armoury. I'm not sure I can take down that many people." Hera shot her a curious glance and she felt suddenly unsure./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Then we need a distraction." Hera put her hands on her hips and looked around. "You were supposed to join the Moff for dinner right?" Fen felt her unease edge towards panic./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes, why?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Can you still make it on time?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes," Fen said slowly, trying to find another way. "But I don't think…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""If you go and make a huge scene of some kind, that could work."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""What kind of scene?" Her chest was suddenly and uncomfortably tight./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I'm sure you'll come up with something." Hera was resolute. /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Hera…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Fen." They locked eyes and she shuddered./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I...I don't know if I can…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Of course you can. We need to get going." For an instant, she thought of Cham. There was almost nothing she would rather do less, but Fen turned around and walked back to her room, dread increasing with every step./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She met no one on the way, no one on which she could vent her frustrations. The dress waited in the room, still laying on the bed; dark and glittering like some kind of snake, ready to strike. Precious seconds slipped by as she stared. Fen made herself take one step, then another towards it. Her breathing sounded loud in her own ears. Another step. She reached out her hand, finger catching on the metallic shards that gave it its sheen. Memories filled her stomach with a violent rush and she staggered backwards, ready to be sick. Sweat beaded on her brow, a chill running down her spine./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Two thoughts occurred to her simultaneously, locking her in place; emI can't do this /emand emHera's counting on me. /emParalyzed by indecision, Fen did the only thing she could think to do. She reached out for the Force, enfolding herself in it. Fear faded for an instant and she took advantage of it, stripping and putting the dress on as fast as possible. Even as she pulled the zipper shut, she wanted this horrible thing off. Hands balled into fists, she walked to the mirror, loathing and nausea warring within. With a mental image of Hera looming large, Fen closed her eyes, reaching further into the Force./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"But fear alone could not get her far enough. Anger lurked in the back of her heart, anger she could use to get her through this. She could used it to help Hera and the rest of the twi'leks trapped here. It would be so easy… Her mind rebelled against the idea, even as her heart reached for it. She had been told it was wrong, anger was the path to the dark side, to ruin and destruction and the death of everything she loved. Or so the Jedi had said./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Either way, she did not have much time. Already, the memories of the past dragged at her ankles, threatening to pull her under. Head in her hands, she tried to think despite the dress pooling around her feet and memories thick like clotting blood.. emJust this once. /emWhen would she need to wear a dress like this again? When would she be so reminded of all those nights passed in a grey haze of misery? She could just use it once. Heart pounding, Fen pushed past her fear and found the anger buried deep within. Half a heartbeat of hesitation. It called at her like a siren song. emYou were loyal, you did everything the Jedi said to, you followed their code, and what did it get you? Prison, torture, slavery, worse. Why do you cling to their rules when they have already failed you so completely?/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She couldn't deny it. Fen welcomed in the anger, letting it rush through her, boiling away her fear. She opened her eyes and stared into her pale reflection. She was not comfortable. She never would be. But now, she could see it was irrelevant. There was a job to do and an outfit wouldn't stop her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"As if on cue, the door opened, revealing yet another twi'lek. "If you'll follow me, my lady." Fen nodded, body so full on energy she didn't dare speak for fear she would yell. She had been electrified, every nerve tingling, her eyes wide, trying to take in all she could see and all she could sense. The twi'lek in front of her glowed in the Force, less afraid then resigned, les resigned than simply bored with the mundane tasks of her life. Fen, drunk on the Force, eagerly reached for more inside of the slave's head, but found the twi'lek's brain arranged with a different logic than her own, a strange tune where she could not find the melody./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"This much power in her veins, she had not known it was possible. What damage could she cause, what destruction could she bring? What could she become? A possible future stretched before her, wild and fearless. The dress twisted around her ankles, the collar grated around her neck, drawing her back down from euphoric heights while filling her with rage. Her fingers reached up and pulled at the collar as the twi'lek let her into the dining room./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The Moff was alone, mildly bored and mildly high. "You." She greated Fen, who removed her hand from her neck with skin under her nails and tried to refocus on the Force. Fen walked towards Moff Mors, her hands clenched tight, neck burning. "You look … lovely." The Moff's gaze burned as though she were being raked by coals instead of eyes. Assessed, like a piece of meat at a fishmonger's market. She was going to be sick./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The Moff stepped back, her attention turned away and Fen had to stifle a gasp of relief. "Please sit." She said and Fen slowly advanced, her eyes scanning the table for anything she might use as a distraction. Choking the Moff was an option of course, but she might not make a sound before she died and screaming would be much more effective. A distant part of her was horrified by this. But it was soon distracted. There, a carving knife. She sat down across from the woman, flickering her gaze between the glittering blade and its target. A row of slaves entered, bearing plates of food. The dress was far too tight against her scars. It was now or never./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen drew on the Force and the anger that simmered within. She pushed back her chair and in one swift motion, grabbed the knife and hoisted herself across the table. The Moff's chair toppled backwards and Fen stayed with it, landing with her knife to the Moff's throat. Moors went silent, eyes wide. It was one of the twi'leks who screamed, dropping a platter with a clang. Fen pulled the Moff up with unnatural ease. Her blood was boiling in her veins, she could not say if she or the Force was in control. Fen ran the knife lightly across the Moff's neck, drawing a thin line of crimson blood. "Why are you doing this?" The woman asked, the sickly odor of fear ementaing from her../p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""People are not things for you to own." Fen hissed as stormtroopers and an aide ran into the room. Fen threw the knife, it caught the aide in the throat and he stumbled, tripping backwards. The soldiers cocked their blasters. Everyone was moving so slowly, she knew what to do. Fen he leaped behind the table, avoiding their fire. Heart racing as blaster bolts rained around her, she took a breath, stood and focused. Three men were lifted into the air, blasters dropped to the ground. Eyes fixed on the soldiers, she moved to grab one of the blasters, only to gasp in pain a second later as the Moff shot her in the arm./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The men fell back to the floor, breathless but alive as Fen reeled in shock and pain. "You." the Moff hissed, eyes wide with delayed realization. "You were the one that killed the stormtroopers in Lessu yesterday."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen didn't respond, too busy leaping for a blaster of her own. She grabbed it a second before a trooper's reaching grasp and fired it into his masked face. He twitched and fell still. Not wasting a second, Fen rolled across the floor behind a chair and took aim at another trooper. The third trooper fired a few shots into the chair, but by then, Fen had collected herself enough to strangle him again. Strangely, she found the pain in her arm was not slowing her, instead, she found a new reservoir of strength inside herself and used it. The trooper's neck cracked and she dropped him. Standing, she lifted her blaster towards the Moff./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""A Jedi." She hissed, aiming her blaster again./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Not quite." Fen answered and fired first, catching the Moff in the shoulder. She dodged a few blasts from the Moff and aimed again as more troopers, drawn by the sounds of blaster fire burst in. Half a dozen was too many. She fired a few more times and turned down the service corridor, running as fast as she could. She could only hope it was distraction enough./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Hera waited as long as she could bear in the cell, trying to explain the plan to the rest of the girls. They were scared, but for the most part, determined. She kept pausing, mid way through a word, listening for sounds of a commotion. No guards had come to check on them yet, and she still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Her mind was racing, wondering where Fen was, if she was alright, thinking about the plan, the most optimal route to the hanger bay, the number of guards they were likely to encounter, how many doors Chopper would have to slice through. Her father had drilled this calculus into her long ago and by now it was nearly effortless. She had fifteen girls in this cell with her. If she could rescue all the other girls from this place as well, she would .Her heart ached at the idea of leaving any of these women behind, but the strategy was clear. She would be far more likely to die trying to rescue them all. Still, she warred with herself, trapped between her father's insistence on practicality and her heart./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"A girl grabbed her shoulder, halting Hera's pacing across the cell. "Is everything alright?" The blue twi'lek asked, her eyes wide but her hand was firm. Hera resisted the urge to laugh. Of course it was not./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes." Hera lied, letting out a sigh, forcing her heart to slow. "What's your name?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Kaasha, Kaasha Bateen. Are you waiting for a signal or something?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Sort of, my friend is going to cause a distraction. I'm waiting for a set of orders." She flipped a comlink between her fingers, taken from one of the fallen troopers. Kaasha nodded in understanding./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Okay, How long do you want to wait?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""A few more minutes." emWhere are you Fen? /em She wondered, thinking back, had she been too harsh when telling Fen to go? In retrospect, she should have been more gentle, the other girl was clearly afraid. She had been a slave herself not that long ago. Did Fen despise her now? A foolish notion, but one that occurred nonetheless. In that instant,, she had become her father, calculating, cold, unconcerned with the inner workings of his men. Something uncomfortable slithered in her stomach. emI won't be like him. /em Her train of thought was cut off by a buzzing from the comlink./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""All units, there have been shots fired in the Moff's dining room. All units report in, assist if able. Repeat: Shots fired in the dining room." Hera let out a gasp of relief. Fen had done it. It was followed by fear, but Hera was sure she would be alright, she had the Force. She tried not to think about the Jedi that had died fighting to free Ryloth from the Separatists./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Let's go." Hera turned to her little band of twi'leks. They ran through the halls, speed more of a priority than stealth. Fen would just have to catch up. The stolen comlink buzzed again./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""There has been a Jedi sighting. All units proceed with caution." Her heart clenched. Fen was still alive. She took a left turn, and then a right, stopping at a closed blast door, the girls with hands on their knees, panting, while Chopper opened it. Two stormtroopers stood on either side. Luckily, Hera had the advantage of surprise. The clattering of plastoid armor ecohed behind them as the girls ran on./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She was gasping as she rounded another in a seemingly endless loop of corners. Behind her, the others were not faring any better. Only fear kept them moving. Then, as though summoned by her hope and desperation, Fen burst out of one of the doorways. She was wearing a dark, glittering dress that was split almost to her navel and was tight enough to display the curves of her muscles. Her long dark hair hung loose in waves around her shoulders. Hera fell still, struck dumb less by the dress and it's heart-stopping effects than the look on Fen's face. She seemed to glow from within, the terrified girl had vanished and in her place was a phoenix, risen from the ashes. Though her eyes were wide and wary, she stood tall and her face glowed with power. She was the most wondrous creature Hera had ever seen./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She was also staring for too long./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen looked at her, lips slightly parted in confusion. "Let's get going." Hera paused, trying to pull herself together, but between her eyes and the pale skin of Fen's chest, pockmarked with scars, it was a challenge./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""This way." Hera muttered, Chopper made a disapproving sound. "No, that way." They kept running, Fen keeping pace easily./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Another set of troopers. Fen reached out her hand and the blasters flew from their fingers, one into her hands. She gave a feral smile. Hera's breath hitched in her throat. Fen fired while they all started at her. A girl behind Hera muttered, "Jedi," with a bitter undertone. Hera wanted to yell at her, Fen had just saved their lives, what did it matter what her people had done during the Clone Wars? The words bubbled at the back of her tongue before she remembered herself. She was a twi'lek, first, last and always. She would defend them to the death. But. Hera looked at Fen, running ahead with the dress rippling around her. Something powerful swelled in her chest along with the urge to trace her fingers along the criss-crossed scars on her back. Ruthlessly crushing her feelings, she ran on./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Finally, Hera saw the hanger bay ahead, but even as she stopped running, Fen was shaking her head. "There's too many of them in there."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Okay." Hera nodded, remembering uncanny Jedi senses. "Chopper, is there another way into the hanger bay, other than the main entrance?" Chopper made a series of negative-sounding noises./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""The only other way is too far, we'd never make it." Hera sighed, turning to Fen. "We have to go in this way. How many people do you think are in there?" She closed her eyes, brows furrowed in concentration, then her face cleared and her eyes opened. Unprepared, Hera was struck with the force of them, blinding like the sun coming from behind clouds./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""About fifteen."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""And how many do you think you could take out?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen chewed the inside of her lip as she considered, "Five or six?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Looking around, Hera took inventory. There were seventeen of them, plus Chopper. Between them, they had eight blasters and the Force. "Are any of you familiar with blasters?" She asked, seeking more information. Five of the girls put up their hands. So, seven that could use blasters. They had the advantage of surprise but a two to one disadvantage with firepower. Not ideal. She needed more. "Chopper, can you hack into the security cameras inside the hanger?" The droid beeped his assent, the screen above his head turning on, revealing the positions of the soldiers on the other side of the door. They looked ready, blasters resting easily in their hands, but they were standing still at their posts./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Okay." She had most of a plan, the rest would come as she started talking, they needed to get moving. "We're taking the nearest shuttle." She gestured to it on screen. "We'll need to take out or distract the seven troopers between us and it as fast as we can. You two will go in on the left, aim at the three closest to the door. Then, you three, guard the rest of the girls, get them on board. Chopper, you go with them. Does anyone know how to power up shuttles?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I do." Kaasha put up her hand./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Turn it on, see if you can fire a few shots. You and I," She turned to Fen, braced for her eyes. "We'll go in the middle, provide a distraction long enough for the others to get on board." Fen's gaze hardened and she nodded. Her attention seemed to turn inwards, and the intensity of her stare dissipated long enough for Hera to pull herself away./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Let's go. We don't have much time."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"With that, Chopper opened the blast door. Hera and Fen ran in first, Hera hoping that she hadn't just condemned these girls to death. The troopers turned, aiming to fire. Fen flicked up her hands and they flew backwards, shots harmlessly hitting the ceiling. Behind her, Hera could hear an exchange of blaster fire. She risked a glance back, watching the girls run across the hanger floor to the shuttle, one of the troopers already down. She turned to her own battle as the men Fen had thrown recovered./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"As Hera and Fen edged towards the shuttle, trying to cover the girls, a few of the troopers rose into the air. It was a little unsettling, regardless of who they were, to watched people be throttled, unable to save themselves. Her stomach twisted further when she looked over at Fen and saw something like joy in her bright eyes. She pushed the feeling away, there wasn't time for quams now. Hera shot the men Fen was trying to kill, suspended in the air, they made easy targets. Turning to see where the others were, she avoided Fen's gaze./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Jedi scum." One of the troopers hissed, aiming at Fen. Hera whirled around, shooting him in the head, his shot went wide, arcing over Fen's head./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Go!" Hera yelled at Fen, gesturing in the direction of the shuttle, the Jedi's attention was still focused on dispatching as many of the stormtroopers as she could with just the Force, blaster forgotten at her side, but they were still coming. Another bright red blast narrowly missed her head. "Go!" She shouted, pushing Fen's shoulder. She flinched violently, but it caught her attention. Together they ran to the shuttle as it turned on. Hera ran up the gangplank, yelling at Kaasha to take off as she slammed the button to close the ship, pushing down one of the twi'leks as a shot hit the metal behind her. Then they were airborn, the shuttle sailing out into the void of space./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""We have to go now, we have to get out of here." She had stalled, her lips echoing her repeating thoughts. emRun, run before they catch you. /emThe Force was pounding through her veins, blurring the physical world while reminding her of the danger that surrounded her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Fen." Hera reached out, trying to grab her arm but Fen jumped backwards, just out of reach. "We can't just leave these girls here." She was talking so slowly, so calmly, didn't she know what danger they were in?/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen stared at Hera, the Force was a swirl of panic and adrenaline, the feelings of the prisoners and Hera blending together and mixing with her own sense of urgency. She couldn't think. Hera reached for her hand again, this time gripping it tightly. Pins and needles that had nothing to do with the situation at hand rushed through her. Like a lightning rod, she was grounded; Fen took a deep breath, processing what Hera was saying. "Okay, do you have a plan."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Uhh," Hera looked around, not dropping her hand. "We need to get weapons and a ship, we'll also need a map." Hearing Hera, Chopper abandoned his post and rolled around the corner./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Chop! You snuck aboard?" Hera smiled brilliantly, squatting down in front of the droid. "You've got a map? Let's see!"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"A few seconds analyzing the holomap and Hera began to speak. "There are a lot of stormtroopers between here and the hanger bay."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen twisted her head to get a better view of the map. "And between here and the armoury. I'm not sure I can take down that many people." Hera shot her a curious glance and she felt suddenly unsure./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Then we need a distraction." Hera put her hands on her hips and looked around. "You were supposed to join the Moff for dinner right?" Fen felt her unease edge towards panic./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes, why?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Can you still make it on time?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes," Fen said slowly, trying to find another way. "But I don't think…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""If you go and make a huge scene of some kind, that could work."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""What kind of scene?" Her chest was suddenly and uncomfortably tight./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I'm sure you'll come up with something." Hera was resolute. /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Hera…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Fen." They locked eyes and she shuddered./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I...I don't know if I can…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Of course you can. We need to get going." For an instant, she thought of Cham. There was almost nothing she would rather do less, but Fen turned around and walked back to her room, dread increasing with every step./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She met no one on the way, no one on which she could vent her frustrations. The dress waited in the room, still laying on the bed; dark and glittering like some kind of snake, ready to strike. Precious seconds slipped by as she stared. Fen made herself take one step, then another towards it. Her breathing sounded loud in her own ears. Another step. She reached out her hand, finger catching on the metallic shards that gave it its sheen. Memories filled her stomach with a violent rush and she staggered backwards, ready to be sick. Sweat beaded on her brow, a chill running down her spine./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Two thoughts occurred to her simultaneously, locking her in place; emI can't do this /emand emHera's counting on me. /emParalyzed by indecision, Fen did the only thing she could think to do. She reached out for the Force, enfolding herself in it. Fear faded for an instant and she took advantage of it, stripping and putting the dress on as fast as possible. Even as she pulled the zipper shut, she wanted this horrible thing off. Hands balled into fists, she walked to the mirror, loathing and nausea warring within. With a mental image of Hera looming large, Fen closed her eyes, reaching further into the Force./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"But fear alone could not get her far enough. Anger lurked in the back of her heart, anger she could use to get her through this. She could used it to help Hera and the rest of the twi'leks trapped here. It would be so easy… Her mind rebelled against the idea, even as her heart reached for it. She had been told it was wrong, anger was the path to the dark side, to ruin and destruction and the death of everything she loved. Or so the Jedi had said./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Either way, she did not have much time. Already, the memories of the past dragged at her ankles, threatening to pull her under. Head in her hands, she tried to think despite the dress pooling around her feet and memories thick like clotting blood.. emJust this once. /emWhen would she need to wear a dress like this again? When would she be so reminded of all those nights passed in a grey haze of misery? She could just use it once. Heart pounding, Fen pushed past her fear and found the anger buried deep within. Half a heartbeat of hesitation. It called at her like a siren song. emYou were loyal, you did everything the Jedi said to, you followed their code, and what did it get you? Prison, torture, slavery, worse. Why do you cling to their rules when they have already failed you so completely?/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She couldn't deny it. Fen welcomed in the anger, letting it rush through her, boiling away her fear. She opened her eyes and stared into her pale reflection. She was not comfortable. She never would be. But now, she could see it was irrelevant. There was a job to do and an outfit wouldn't stop her./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"As if on cue, the door opened, revealing yet another twi'lek. "If you'll follow me, my lady." Fen nodded, body so full on energy she didn't dare speak for fear she would yell. She had been electrified, every nerve tingling, her eyes wide, trying to take in all she could see and all she could sense. The twi'lek in front of her glowed in the Force, less afraid then resigned, les resigned than simply bored with the mundane tasks of her life. Fen, drunk on the Force, eagerly reached for more inside of the slave's head, but found the twi'lek's brain arranged with a different logic than her own, a strange tune where she could not find the melody./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"This much power in her veins, she had not known it was possible. What damage could she cause, what destruction could she bring? What could she become? A possible future stretched before her, wild and fearless. The dress twisted around her ankles, the collar grated around her neck, drawing her back down from euphoric heights while filling her with rage. Her fingers reached up and pulled at the collar as the twi'lek let her into the dining room./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The Moff was alone, mildly bored and mildly high. "You." She greated Fen, who removed her hand from her neck with skin under her nails and tried to refocus on the Force. Fen walked towards Moff Mors, her hands clenched tight, neck burning. "You look … lovely." The Moff's gaze burned as though she were being raked by coals instead of eyes. Assessed, like a piece of meat at a fishmonger's market. She was going to be sick./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The Moff stepped back, her attention turned away and Fen had to stifle a gasp of relief. "Please sit." She said and Fen slowly advanced, her eyes scanning the table for anything she might use as a distraction. Choking the Moff was an option of course, but she might not make a sound before she died and screaming would be much more effective. A distant part of her was horrified by this. But it was soon distracted. There, a carving knife. She sat down across from the woman, flickering her gaze between the glittering blade and its target. A row of slaves entered, bearing plates of food. The dress was far too tight against her scars. It was now or never./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen drew on the Force and the anger that simmered within. She pushed back her chair and in one swift motion, grabbed the knife and hoisted herself across the table. The Moff's chair toppled backwards and Fen stayed with it, landing with her knife to the Moff's throat. Moors went silent, eyes wide. It was one of the twi'leks who screamed, dropping a platter with a clang. Fen pulled the Moff up with unnatural ease. Her blood was boiling in her veins, she could not say if she or the Force was in control. Fen ran the knife lightly across the Moff's neck, drawing a thin line of crimson blood. "Why are you doing this?" The woman asked, the sickly odor of fear ementaing from her../p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""People are not things for you to own." Fen hissed as stormtroopers and an aide ran into the room. Fen threw the knife, it caught the aide in the throat and he stumbled, tripping backwards. The soldiers cocked their blasters. Everyone was moving so slowly, she knew what to do. Fen he leaped behind the table, avoiding their fire. Heart racing as blaster bolts rained around her, she took a breath, stood and focused. Three men were lifted into the air, blasters dropped to the ground. Eyes fixed on the soldiers, she moved to grab one of the blasters, only to gasp in pain a second later as the Moff shot her in the arm./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"The men fell back to the floor, breathless but alive as Fen reeled in shock and pain. "You." the Moff hissed, eyes wide with delayed realization. "You were the one that killed the stormtroopers in Lessu yesterday."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen didn't respond, too busy leaping for a blaster of her own. She grabbed it a second before a trooper's reaching grasp and fired it into his masked face. He twitched and fell still. Not wasting a second, Fen rolled across the floor behind a chair and took aim at another trooper. The third trooper fired a few shots into the chair, but by then, Fen had collected herself enough to strangle him again. Strangely, she found the pain in her arm was not slowing her, instead, she found a new reservoir of strength inside herself and used it. The trooper's neck cracked and she dropped him. Standing, she lifted her blaster towards the Moff./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""A Jedi." She hissed, aiming her blaster again./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Not quite." Fen answered and fired first, catching the Moff in the shoulder. She dodged a few blasts from the Moff and aimed again as more troopers, drawn by the sounds of blaster fire burst in. Half a dozen was too many. She fired a few more times and turned down the service corridor, running as fast as she could. She could only hope it was distraction enough./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Hera waited as long as she could bear in the cell, trying to explain the plan to the rest of the girls. They were scared, but for the most part, determined. She kept pausing, mid way through a word, listening for sounds of a commotion. No guards had come to check on them yet, and she still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Her mind was racing, wondering where Fen was, if she was alright, thinking about the plan, the most optimal route to the hanger bay, the number of guards they were likely to encounter, how many doors Chopper would have to slice through. Her father had drilled this calculus into her long ago and by now it was nearly effortless. She had fifteen girls in this cell with her. If she could rescue all the other girls from this place as well, she would .Her heart ached at the idea of leaving any of these women behind, but the strategy was clear. She would be far more likely to die trying to rescue them all. Still, she warred with herself, trapped between her father's insistence on practicality and her heart./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"A girl grabbed her shoulder, halting Hera's pacing across the cell. "Is everything alright?" The blue twi'lek asked, her eyes wide but her hand was firm. Hera resisted the urge to laugh. Of course it was not./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Yes." Hera lied, letting out a sigh, forcing her heart to slow. "What's your name?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Kaasha, Kaasha Bateen. Are you waiting for a signal or something?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Sort of, my friend is going to cause a distraction. I'm waiting for a set of orders." She flipped a comlink between her fingers, taken from one of the fallen troopers. Kaasha nodded in understanding./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Okay, How long do you want to wait?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""A few more minutes." emWhere are you Fen? /em She wondered, thinking back, had she been too harsh when telling Fen to go? In retrospect, she should have been more gentle, the other girl was clearly afraid. She had been a slave herself not that long ago. Did Fen despise her now? A foolish notion, but one that occurred nonetheless. In that instant,, she had become her father, calculating, cold, unconcerned with the inner workings of his men. Something uncomfortable slithered in her stomach. emI won't be like him. /em Her train of thought was cut off by a buzzing from the comlink./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""All units, there have been shots fired in the Moff's dining room. All units report in, assist if able. Repeat: Shots fired in the dining room." Hera let out a gasp of relief. Fen had done it. It was followed by fear, but Hera was sure she would be alright, she had the Force. She tried not to think about the Jedi that had died fighting to free Ryloth from the Separatists./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Let's go." Hera turned to her little band of twi'leks. They ran through the halls, speed more of a priority than stealth. Fen would just have to catch up. The stolen comlink buzzed again./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""There has been a Jedi sighting. All units proceed with caution." Her heart clenched. Fen was still alive. She took a left turn, and then a right, stopping at a closed blast door, the girls with hands on their knees, panting, while Chopper opened it. Two stormtroopers stood on either side. Luckily, Hera had the advantage of surprise. The clattering of plastoid armor ecohed behind them as the girls ran on./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She was gasping as she rounded another in a seemingly endless loop of corners. Behind her, the others were not faring any better. Only fear kept them moving. Then, as though summoned by her hope and desperation, Fen burst out of one of the doorways. She was wearing a dark, glittering dress that was split almost to her navel and was tight enough to display the curves of her muscles. Her long dark hair hung loose in waves around her shoulders. Hera fell still, struck dumb less by the dress and it's heart-stopping effects than the look on Fen's face. She seemed to glow from within, the terrified girl had vanished and in her place was a phoenix, risen from the ashes. Though her eyes were wide and wary, she stood tall and her face glowed with power. She was the most wondrous creature Hera had ever seen./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"She was also staring for too long./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen looked at her, lips slightly parted in confusion. "Let's get going." Hera paused, trying to pull herself together, but between her eyes and the pale skin of Fen's chest, pockmarked with scars, it was a challenge./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""This way." Hera muttered, Chopper made a disapproving sound. "No, that way." They kept running, Fen keeping pace easily./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Another set of troopers. Fen reached out her hand and the blasters flew from their fingers, one into her hands. She gave a feral smile. Hera's breath hitched in her throat. Fen fired while they all started at her. A girl behind Hera muttered, "Jedi," with a bitter undertone. Hera wanted to yell at her, Fen had just saved their lives, what did it matter what her people had done during the Clone Wars? The words bubbled at the back of her tongue before she remembered herself. She was a twi'lek, first, last and always. She would defend them to the death. But. Hera looked at Fen, running ahead with the dress rippling around her. Something powerful swelled in her chest along with the urge to trace her fingers along the criss-crossed scars on her back. Ruthlessly crushing her feelings, she ran on./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Finally, Hera saw the hanger bay ahead, but even as she stopped running, Fen was shaking her head. "There's too many of them in there."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Okay." Hera nodded, remembering uncanny Jedi senses. "Chopper, is there another way into the hanger bay, other than the main entrance?" Chopper made a series of negative-sounding noises./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""The only other way is too far, we'd never make it." Hera sighed, turning to Fen. "We have to go in this way. How many people do you think are in there?" She closed her eyes, brows furrowed in concentration, then her face cleared and her eyes opened. Unprepared, Hera was struck with the force of them, blinding like the sun coming from behind clouds./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""About fifteen."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""And how many do you think you could take out?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Fen chewed the inside of her lip as she considered, "Five or six?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"Looking around, Hera took inventory. There were seventeen of them, plus Chopper. Between them, they had eight blasters and the Force. "Are any of you familiar with blasters?" She asked, seeking more information. Five of the girls put up their hands. So, seven that could use blasters. They had the advantage of surprise but a two to one disadvantage with firepower. Not ideal. She needed more. "Chopper, can you hack into the security cameras inside the hanger?" The droid beeped his assent, the screen above his head turning on, revealing the positions of the soldiers on the other side of the door. They looked ready, blasters resting easily in their hands, but they were standing still at their posts./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Okay." She had most of a plan, the rest would come as she started talking, they needed to get moving. "We're taking the nearest shuttle." She gestured to it on screen. "We'll need to take out or distract the seven troopers between us and it as fast as we can. You two will go in on the left, aim at the three closest to the door. Then, you three, guard the rest of the girls, get them on board. Chopper, you go with them. Does anyone know how to power up shuttles?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""I do." Kaasha put up her hand./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Turn it on, see if you can fire a few shots. You and I," She turned to Fen, braced for her eyes. "We'll go in the middle, provide a distraction long enough for the others to get on board." Fen's gaze hardened and she nodded. Her attention seemed to turn inwards, and the intensity of her stare dissipated long enough for Hera to pull herself away./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Let's go. We don't have much time."/p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"With that, Chopper opened the blast door. Hera and Fen ran in first, Hera hoping that she hadn't just condemned these girls to death. The troopers turned, aiming to fire. Fen flicked up her hands and they flew backwards, shots harmlessly hitting the ceiling. Behind her, Hera could hear an exchange of blaster fire. She risked a glance back, watching the girls run across the hanger floor to the shuttle, one of the troopers already down. She turned to her own battle as the men Fen had thrown recovered./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"As Hera and Fen edged towards the shuttle, trying to cover the girls, a few of the troopers rose into the air. It was a little unsettling, regardless of who they were, to watched people be throttled, unable to save themselves. Her stomach twisted further when she looked over at Fen and saw something like joy in her bright eyes. She pushed the feeling away, there wasn't time for quams now. Hera shot the men Fen was trying to kill, suspended in the air, they made easy targets. Turning to see where the others were, she avoided Fen's gaze./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Jedi scum." One of the troopers hissed, aiming at Fen. Hera whirled around, shooting him in the head, his shot went wide, arcing over Fen's head./p
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;""Go!" Hera yelled at Fen, gesturing in the direction of the shuttle, the Jedi's attention was still focused on dispatching as many of the stormtroopers as she could with just the Force, blaster forgotten at her side, but they were still coming. Another bright red blast narrowly missed her head. "Go!" She shouted, pushing Fen's shoulder. She flinched violently, but it caught her attention. Together they ran to the shuttle as it turned on. Hera ran up the gangplank, yelling at Kaasha to take off as she slammed the button to close the ship, pushing down one of the twi'leks as a shot hit the metal behind her. Then they were airborn, the shuttle sailing out into the void of space./p