WARNING: THIS IS A COMPANION STORY FOR Two Parts of a Whole: A Reylo Star Wars story. PLEASE READ CHAPTER 1-19 BEFORE STARTING THIS STORY!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the Amazing characters other than Eshreal...
As always enjoy!
Chapter 4: Mission #2
Zer-o and Cade led the way to Poe's new hide out. They called it 'the hide out' because he spent 90% of his time hiding from both Rey and Kaydel there. The hide out was a small conference room near the front of the base with a door that looked like a book shelf. Poe had only told them where it was after making Eshreal swear on her honor that she wouldn't tell anyone else.
When they got there Cade looked around to make sure they were alone before knocking on the door. It slid open enough for Poe to peek out. When he saw that it was just them he opened it wider and moved back for them to come in.
"So, you guys talked to Leia, huh," Poe asked plopping down on one of the dusty leather couches that lined the southern wall of the room.
"Yeah, in the middle of our lesson" Eshreal said with a frown.
"Yeah, well bacta is more important than anything you could ever learn from Kylo Ren," Poe snapped.
"What about being able to heal with the Force," Gear asked.
Poe looked at the taller man.
"Is that really a thing," he asked.
"Yup. In fact there used to be a faction of Jedi who focused solely on healing. I don't know if there are any left now," Cade said with a thoughtful look.
"Well if the bastard could teach you to heal with the Force then that should have been the first thing he taught you," Poe said.
The Force users all laughed.
"What," Poe snapped, not liking that they weren't taking him seriously.
"We won't be able to do anything that complicated for a while yet," Gear explained.
"We just got the hang of being able to call on the Force at will," Cade said.
Poe looked at the group assembled before him. They didn't look any different than Rey had the first time he saw her, so he couldn't understand why they weren't on the same level as she was. This whole Force thing was frustrating.
"So how long until you guys can do stuff like that," he asked.
"Well usually Padawan train under their masters for a decade or so," Eshreal said absently playing with the vine around her wrist that seemed to respond to her touch.
"Well then why even bring it up, I doubt we have that kind of time," Poe said with a frown.
"We know we don't have that kind of time. So, tell us about this mission so we can be on our way," Eshreal said and they could all tell she had her big girl pants on again.
Poe sighed and began telling them all about the planet Rhinnal and everything he knew about Leia's contact on the planet. After about 20 minutes Cade, Gear and Poe were coming up with a plan. Taliki, Eshreal and Zer-o went to gather supplies they would need as well as whatever they needed from their rooms.
When the five of them met up at the Starfall there was an air of excitement to the group. Eshreal climbed into the pilot's seat with V5 in the co-pilots chair and off they went.
"I'm so excited," Taliki said standing near the back of Eshreal's chair.
"Yeah," Eshreal asked.
"Yeah, I've heard lots of stories about Rhinnal from my time as a ticket taker," she said with a smile.
"I'm just mad we had to leave Shira back home," Zer-o said, brooding in the corner.
"We need some where to put the bacta," Cade said for the third time.
"I know," he responded.
To get to Rhinnal it would take the Starfall a week. It wasn't a bad trip just a long, boring one as soon as they hoped on the Perlemian Trade Route there wasn't much left to do. Eshreal let V5 pilot most of the way and spent most of the trip playing Sabacc with the rest of the crew. By the end of the week Taliki, Gear and Eshreal had surmised that Cade and Zer-o cheated and that was how they kept winning. Though they claimed it was luck or the Force but there was no way they won every game by chance.
Rhinnal was a beautiful planet covered in white clouds that made it appear purplish rather than blue and green. Eshreal took control and headed toward the coordinates that Poe had given them. It turned out to be a field in the middle of nowhere.
"Are we expected to walk all the way to Rhire and then back with the bacta.," Taliki asked.
"I guess so," Cade said.
"We are just outside the city. I will leave V5 here and she can pick us up as soon as we have the bacta in the clear," Eshreal said with a bright smile as she fastened her thick brown robes and put her hood up.
The droid whirred in agreement.
"Well that's relief. Now let's go meet this Asera at the Spoeman Pub on the southern edge of town," Zer-o said.
They began walking toward the lights of the city that they could just barely make out through the trees. As they got closer to the city they began to see more and more Stormtroopers. They all pulled their hoods closer around their faces to avoid suspicion.
"Looks like Hux has been busy setting his men up anywhere that the Jedi used to be," Zer-o said as they entered the city.
There seemed to be a Stormtrooper on every corner and by the time they got the shabby two-story building with a sign reading Spoeman Pub hanging on by only one hinge it seemed that they were everywhere. Cade walked in first with Zer-o right behind him. Eshreal and Taliki walked in soon after with Gear right behind them.
The girls sat at the bar while Zer-o and Cade sat near the back of the room at a small table. Gear stood near the door keeping an eye out for high ranking members of the First Order and any Stormtroopers who might be looking for them. All of them were looking for Asera, the healer.
Leia said the woman was red, but they didn't think she meant literally. Asera the healer was sitting at the end of bar. Taliki spotted her first. She nodded to Eshreal who went over to her. She revealed the symbol of the Resistance in the ring that Poe had given her.
"Are you Asera the healer," Eshreal asked.
The beautiful Togruta woman nodded slightly. Then she got up from her seat and left the pub. Eshreal looked to the others in confusion. Gear immediately went after her.
"Let's go," Taliki said following behind Cade and Zer-o.
"Yeah," Eshreal said with a shrug.
Asera and Gear were waiting in the alley around back from the pub. She had a bored look on her face.
"Well hurry up," she said.
"What," Zer-o asked.
"The warehouse won't be so lightly guarded for long. This bacta is going to the First Order. I'll get you there, but you have to do the rest. That includes taking out the guards and getting the bacta back to your ship. After I get you there I'm leaving," she said in a sensually deep voice.
"You're not gonna help at all," Cade asked.
She pinned him with a scathing look.
"I risked my home planet by contacting the Resistance now that Supreme Leader Hux has deemed helping them an offense punishable by death of everyone you hold dear. I'm risking my place at the academy by leading you to the store house owned by the academy. I'm not risking my life fighting alongside you," she said.
"Fair enough. Let's go. We don't have much time," Gear said.
Asera lifted her hood and began walking very quickly along the edge of the city. The group followed behind her trying to look auspicious, but they could feel the eyes on them as they got closer to the warehouse. Eshreal's hand went to her lightsaber.
"I have a bad feeling about this," she whispered to Cade who nodded.
"Not too much farther. Right up there," Sera said with a nod.
They turned down another alley and Sera came to a stop with her back flat to the wall. The others did the same. Zer-o stood next to her.
"So, now what," he asked.
"Now you guys go do whatever you have to do in order to get into the warehouse. The code for the door is 981330. Good luck and may the Force be with you," she said and tried to walk off.
"Wait! Did you just say what I think you said? Are you a Jedi," Zer-o demanded grabbing her arm.
"No and if you would let go of me and do what you came here to do we can all make it out of here alive," she said and removed his hard from her arm.
Eshreal looked to Cade, "Can you discreetly check out the guards?"
"Yes, ma'am, but she stays here until I get back," he said and then seemed to fade from sight before their very eyes.
Asera let out s gasp and Zer-o chuckled. Cade went to check things out. The rest of the group checked their weapons and got ready to move. It wasn't long before he was back, and he did not look happy.
"This tail head is tryna set us up," Cade growled.
Taliki and Asera gasped.
"Cade," Eshreal said, shocked.
"What are you talking about," Zer-o demanded ignoring.
"There are about 15 Stormtroopers in that building. You call that lightly guarded," Cade snapped.
Asera looked perplexed. She shook her head.
"That's not right. There are only supposed to be 2 guards here right now. Not Stormtroopers," she said in a sincere voice.
Her tough façade was breaking and it was easy to see that she was worried.
"We can handle it if you help us! I'll just have V5 bring the Starfall this way. We just gotta be careful that we don't mess up the bacta tanks," Eshreal said.
"I can't help you," Asera said and ran away.
"Dammit," Zer-o hissed.
"We can't worry about that now. We need to move," Gear said.
Eshreal pulled her lightsaber and ignited it and the other's followed suit.
"We will take the majority of the fighting if we can. Liki, Gear, you two should focus on getting the bacta out and onto the ship," Cade said, and they nodded.
Zer-o put the code in and Cade threw a couple of smoke bombs inside. As soon as they went off, the group moved inside. Taliki and Gear moved through the smoky room toward the big bay doors.
Taliki quickly attacked two Stormtroopers with Lightning fast flicks of her whip. The first flick sent the whip around a Stormtrooper's legs and with a sharp tug he was sent to the ground hard enough that he was dazed. The second caught the woman around the throat and Taliki yanked her forward and then sent her flying into a wall with the Force before she fell onto the first man.
Gear was more of a hand to hand fighter and took on two Stormtroopers at once in the smoke. He delivered two hard kicks to one Stormtrooper's knee. Then he grabbed the others arm and yanked it out of the socket then used the Force to smash the other guy into him. They both went down and didn't get back up.
Cade and Zer-o rounded on the remaining Stormtroopers boxing them in with the large carts of Bacta tanks in the middle of the room splitting them in two and Eshreal blocking the door. Taliki and Gear threw open the bay doors just in time for the Starfall to arrive. All of the smoke from the bombs cleared and all of a sudden the Stormtroopers could see what was going on. They all began pulling their blasters and stared pointing them at Cade, Zer-o, and Eshreal.
"Do it," Zer-o called and Taliki and Gear nodded.
At once they began to pull with the Force and the large, heavy carts began to move forward and out of the doors. V5 opened the Starfall's loading door so they could get the Bacta onto the ship.
Meanwhile Eshreal sliced one Stormtrooper's blaster in half while it was still in her hand before she kicked her in the face sending her flying. She caught two blaster bolts with the Force before leaping in the air to knee another in the chest so that he hit the wall near the door and landed in a heap. Then she leapt for the ceiling and landed behind another. She extinguished her blade and threw her vine at the woman and it slowly began crawling up her body until she was covered head to toe by the wiggling vine.
Zer-o had taken the left side of the room. He was trading fire back and forth with 4 Stormtroopers. His purple lightsaber pistol was spitting purple blaster bolts that left scorch marks on the white armor of the Stormtroopers whenever they hit. The blaster was strong enough to go through the thinner parts of the armor. It burned wherever it touched and in some cases the bolts hit with enough force to cause a concussion. It didn't take long before they were all out.
Cade held his yellow lightsaber in one hand and slashed at four Stormtroopers with his razor like claws. He swung his lightsaber and kept blaster bolts from touching him. He removed limbs and cut blasters from hands. He took down his four Stormtroopers and turned to help the rest of the group when he saw the First Order ships.
"We have to get out of here," Cade called.
"What? Why," Eshreal asked.
"The First Order just showed up and I'm sure they aren't happy to see our ship. Get to the Starfall," Zer-o called and began running for the door.
Her, Cade and Zer-o were about to jump onto the ship when Gear met them at the loading door.
"There's still one more cart left in there," he said and began running for the building.
Suddenly the TIE fighters began firing at the Starfall. Luckily the ship's shield was much stronger thanks to the combined efforts of Rey, Eshreal, Zer-o and Cade. It took quite a few shots before the pilots of the TIE fighters figured out that there was no way they'd be able to blow up the Starfall.
Gear was just about to go into the building when one of the TIE fighters took aim at the building and fired. Eshreal and Taliki cried out at the same time. Zer-o and Cade went after him but it was all for naught. The building erupted in a ball of fire and Gear was blown backward several feet where his back hit the side of the Starfall before falling to the ground.
The guys rushed over to their friend and put out the flames that covered the front of his clothes. Zer-o looked him over and noticed that there was a nasty gash in the back of Gear's head as well as several pieces of shrapnel in the front of his body from the bacta tanks that exploded. Before either of them could do anything the TIE fighter started firing at them again.
"Get him on the ship! Now! We gotta find a doctor," Cade called…
They took him to his room as there was no med bay and knew that they had to get him to a doctor as soon as possible.
I tried to have a little more action for this mission. Did Asera really set them up? If so, Why? Poor Gear, will the group be able to find someone to help him without explaining what happened to him?