Chapter 15

AN: Disclaimer is the same as before.  And thanks to all who reviewed!  J

'They are going to blow up the ship!' her mind screamed as she looked at the timed thermal charge that could quite easily blow the Falcon and everything on board into oblivion.
"Not on my watch," Ari muttered as the Commander marched off, talking via comlink to the other men, while the second man followed, a bit slower, seeming uneasy.
After just a brief pause, the precious seconds already counting down with beeps from the charge, Ari slid from her spot and hurried to it.
Thinking quickly, Ari shed her cloak, letting it fall to the ground as she looked around before her eyes fell on a hand-sized, irregular shaped piece of metal that had been dumped from of the crates.
Stepping over a few other pieces equipment, Ari grabbed it, trying to be careful of the sharp jagged edges as she held it and ran her hand along the covering until finding a crease she knew had to be there.
She slid the metal in just a bit then more as she flexed it back and forth, using it try and pry the covering off, and it gave bit by bit until Ari's arms were burning from the strain.
"Come on," she muttered through tightly clenched teeth as she sharp edges started to cut into the palms of her hands, each second was going too quickly, always getting closer to detonation. Calling up every extra bit of arm strength she could, Ari gripped the metal in one hand, digging into her skin even more as she tried to flex it to the wall, using her other hand to tear at covering.
With that final effort, the covering flew off, the change from the force of Ari's efforts sent her stumbling back into the opposite wall with a thud, knocking the wind out of her as she sunk to the ground. She heard the covering clatter down onto the deck, the inside workings now exposed.
"Did you hear that?"
Ari panicked as she forced herself to her feet with a wince. She had thought all the stormtroopers were off the ship, but apparently she had been mistaken. She held her breath as her head swam for a moment, knowing that she couldn't hide her presence much since the charge's covering was torn off.
At that moment, Ari's ears picked up another more muffled thud.
"Let's check it out," another trooper answered the first and there was a sound of movement as they traveled somewhere along the hall that was just around the corner from where Ari was. The sounds continued and Ari wondered what could be causing it.
'There is only that hallway. No rooms along it at all except…the storage closet.' Ari held back a moan of frustration. That was where Chewie had hid the unconscious guards, who were apparently now awake.
Grabbing the metal piece from where it had slid across the floor, she hurried to the charger and the mass amount of wires that connected the detonator.
She heard a swish from the change of air pressure between the room followed by another thud and a startled cry.
"What in blazes?!" a trooper exclaimed. Ari could only imagine what his expression beneath his bug-like helmet would be. Had she not been so rushed for time and knowing she had to concentrate on the task at hand, Ari might have laughed at that thought.
Looking through the entangled wires, Ari located the two wires that were connected to the charger, glad one had a small stripe of green on it and the other had red.
Grabbing the metal piece a bit more, ignoring the pain from holding it so tight before, she started to saw away at the first wire, glancing over her shoulder as she heard the imprisoned Imperials all start to talk as their gags were removed.
The wire gave way with a crisp snap. "So far so good," Ari murmured as she started to peel back the protective wire covering from part of it. That done, she then started to slice just the wire coating of the second wire, having learned a bit about explosives from her science lectures. She remembered that if she cut both wires the charge would self-destruct as it would also do if it was forced from where it was placed without the code.
Lips now were tightly pressed together in concentrate as Ari watched herself carefully to not cut the wire. She stripped off half and hearing a stormtrooper order another search, she grew desperate.
In one final effort she dug her nails between the wire covering and wire, pulling hard trying to peel it off, exposing the wire.
With trembling fingers she grabbed the cut wire only to drop it in among the others. She grabbed it again, trying to still her shaking as she tugged it until she had enough of the exposed wire to wrap around the still connected wire.
Taking a deep breath, she held it together so it was like an X as her thumb and forefinger pressed the cut wire around the other. Ari closed her eyes for a moment, knowing it would either disable it, or detonate if she had done it wrong.
The beeping stopped and a high short tone sounded to signal deactivation.
Once that happened it was useless as a weapon, unable to be reset for use again.
"Thank the Force," Ari let out her breath in a rush, opening her eyes to see it was truly deactivated as a red light turned on at the top. Supporting herself with her hands on the wall she took a few deep breaths, ignoring the sting the metal caused on her scratched hands, that were bleeding just slightly.
After a second, she leapt up as she heard the sound of boots very near. In just a brief flash she realized they were coming from both sides about ready to meet and she didn't have time to hide, none the less put on her cloak that was in a heap on the floor just peaking from the crevice she had been hidden in.
Without time for a second thought she took off around the corner, narrowly missing running right into three troopers who were rounding the same corner at that instant.
"Freeze Rebel," one trooper demanded but Ari continued to run as fast as she could, feet flying as a blaster bolt barely missed her
Without thinking, she unclipped her blaster and shot at a trooper behind her with just a quick glance over her shoulder as she raced towards the ramp.
She heard the trooper fall but Ari wasn't certain if she had just wounded him or if she had actually killed him, but had no time to dwell on it.
Sure footed, she leapt off the ramp at the top, landing on the balls of her feet in a crouch, fingertips helping her push off again. This time, however, a group of troopers were entering the hanger at the time.
Ari turned and dashed in an erratic pattern of dodges and direction changes to the other non-guarded entrance, blaster shots sailing so close she was almost certain her hair would be singed.
Ari could hear the shouts and shots grow distant as she turned down one corridor to the next, taking a few turns before finding herself in a larger deserted hallway. The lights, supposed to be helpful, gave the entire setting an eerie feeling and Ari felt a shiver creep up her spine, the darkness making the lights seem fainter than they were.
For a quick moment she wished she had a stormtrooper uniform like Han and Luke. The Empire almost never had aliens or women in their service, except for the slaves they kept. Thoughts of Luke and Han overcame her fear for herself as she wondered where they were and if they were all right.

AN:  Ari lose on the Death Star…dum dum dummmm…please read and review guys.