Coruscant was a planet like no other.
Situated near the center of the galaxy, its surface was completely covered by an unending layer of buildings, constructed over millennia. No starlight had reached the planet's true surface for hundreds of years, blocked by infinite artificial structures that created an enormous maze of complex paths and spaces and tunnels. The enormity of this planet-wide city reached underground as well. As more and more beings flocked to the planet, levels- layers of structures and past cities- were built over one another, covering up the natural ecosystem and killing off almost all native creatures. Now, after many, many years, over 5,000 levels made up the crust of the planet, housing one trillion life-forms.
Some of the galaxy's most important structures existed on the planet, such as the Galactic Senate, the repurposed Jedi Temple, which still stood from the past days of the Galactic Republic, and the main military headquarters of the Galactic Empire. It was also the residence of the mysterious Galactic Emperor Palpatine. From his throne on the planet he controlled the entire galaxy, his imperial forces policing the planets under his control day and night, keeping order through propaganda and fear.
So, it was all the more amusing that there should be such a hive of corruption and illegal activity right under the emperor's nose.
Far, far below the shining, luxurious surface of the planet was level 2147- a dystopian level made up of tightly-packed streets, complex intricate building blocks, and only artificial lighting to illuminate anything. It was always dark, with much of the population never having seen the true starlight of the surface. Gangs and Syndicates walked the streets, and thieves, pickpockets, and slavers lurked in the shadows. Despite the inhabitants' poor living conditions and dangerous streets, level 2147 had a special sort of charm. Shops crowded the sides of the streets, illuminated by multicolored neon signs and street lamps suspended on cables above. The air was permeated with street food, and beings from all across the galaxy filled the level. People sold food, water, clothing, weapons, death sticks, spice, anything to get them through the day.
The level did have the added bonus of being so complex, so vast and yet so intricate, that Coruscant's Imperial police force had no way to enforce their laws upon the inhabitants in an effective way. Of course, you still had to be careful. Gunships floated over the tight streets of the level. Imperial droids patrolled the roads and alleyways. Many who were caught faced beatings and imprisonment in labor camps off-world, and at other times were executed on the spot. The Empire was especially keen on finding a certain group of people: members of the Rebel Alliance. Men and women suspected of belonging to the ragtag band of freedom fighters weren't sent to rot in camps, but suffered a much worse fate: torture and solitary confinement by one of the most feared branches of the Imperial machine- the Imperial Security Bearau, or ISB. The mysterious rumors and disappearances surrounding the ISB, along with actual leaked and stolen reports containing gruesome stories were enough to make any rebel supporter quake in their skin.
Through the bustle of spice dealers, customers, droids, pickpockets, and gangs walked a small group. They ignored the chattering crowd, their minds set on a specific destination, covered in unassuming, concealing clothing. Anyone who looked would have only seen another group of faceless beings, going about their day… Yet these three weren't just anyone.
Under his hood, Hobbes winced slightly at the white spotlight of a gunship shined down on them, before the Imperial craft drifted slowly away. He felt out of place in this planet-wide city, with thousands of people surrounding him at every single moment. It was a far cry from the usual Rebel outposts and ships, manned by only a few in some cases. In front of him walked Leia, wearing cargo pants, a coat, and a cloak to hide her face from potential cameras as she navigated through the crowd. Her face, if picked up, had a chance of being identified by the Empire's extensive facial recognition system. By Hobbes' side walked Lando, with similar attire- pants, boots, black jacket, and a red bandanna under his own hood. Hobbes' feelings were a bit all over the place with him. On Cloud City, he had invited Leia, Han, 3po, Chewie and Calvin warmly, but soon turned and handed them over to Darth Vader. He had been (mostly) forgiven by Chewie and Leia after saving them and joining the Rebellion, but Hobbes still found the fact that he was the reason they were now trying to save Calvin a little upsetting.
Calvin… he could still remember rushing out of Cloud City, only to see Boba Fett flying off with him and Han. They knew what was going to happen to Han- Jabba the Hutt, a member of one of the galaxy's slimiest and largest crime families, had been basically double crossed by the smuggler, at least in his mind. There was no doubt that Han's frozen body was now being transported to the Hutt's palace, located ironically on where it all had started: Tatooine. But Calvin was different. There was no-one that he had angered, no crime lord or organization that wanted his carbonite statue to hang on the walls of their palace. Boba Fett had probably just planned on giving him away for a small bonus, which would, ironically, have been much easier to deal with.
Then, they had learned that the Empire had come a-knocking. Nobody in the rebellion knew exactly why the Empire wanted Calvin back after giving him up. Everyone had figured that since he was a rebel, it was possible that the imps thought that they could actually get some information out of this otherwise insignificant child.
But Hobbes knew differently. He had been terrified ever since Chewie pulled him aside after they had escaped cloud city and relayed Calvin's message to him- his last words before he had been frozen. He didn't know how the Empire had learned about him and the DART, and he didn't care. From that moment on, he made sure to keep the DART stowed away in the Falcon at all times, made sure that it never left the fleet, and did his best to keep the secret of it hidden from even the highest in Rebel command. He didn't want the Rebels or the Empire to get their hands on it, for fear of what they would do. He had scoured the Rebel fleet for coaxium, wanting to power the DART so that when Calvin was rescued, they could go home immediately. Unfortunately, all of the Coaxium, being a possible source for attempted thievery by some half-dedicated rebel, was kept under tight lock and key.
But now, something had changed. It was a good bet that the Empire had now figured out- perhaps by realizing that Calvin was Hobbes' closest friend- that Calvin must know about the DART as well. And they were hell-bent on getting him back from Boba Fett.
The strange part for him was that instead of Fett giving him back for a price, the Bounty Hunter had instead transported him here to Coruscant to a special illegal auction that was going on in the lower levels, which was right where they were headed. Why? Hobbes wondered. He wouldn't get much of a price by just putting a random kid frozen in carbonite up for auction, when he could make a lot more money off of selling him to the imperials, where there was an actual demand. But Fett knew his line of work, and knew what he was doing. There was a reason he was the most notorious Bounty Hunter in the galaxy. His decision must have had a purpose. Hobbes just didn't know what. Unnerved by their limited knowledge over the current situation, he went over the plan in his head, and asked Leia, "Is Chewie in position yet?"
In response, she took out her commlink and activated it. After a few murmurs, she replaced it and said, "Almost. He got held up by a few footpads, but he's just dealt with them. Don't worry. He'll be ready if anything happens." Hobbes chuckled slightly, feeling rather sorry for the thieves. Wookies didn't take too kindly to being robbed.
"There's the auction," Lando said, pointing ahead at a tall building complex covered with metal ladders, stairs, and neon signs. It was a rough rectangle, situated at the edge of a large, metal ravine- one of a few unauthorized entrances into the even-darker level 2146. The building was multi-purposed, as there were dozens of entrances around the bottom of the building, which probably led to bars, apartments, and the like. The stairs, balconies, and ladders bolted to the sides of the building led to the top, where a long, slim bridge, wide enough for one person, stretched over the black metal chasm to the other side. On the far side, a literal wall of skyscraper-large buildings stood, laced with a maze of hallways and tunnels and apartments.. Cheap housing for perhaps a couple ten-thousand beings.
They neared the auction's entrance: a discreet door, guarded by several Pykes- foot soldiers of the largest spice-dealing crime syndicate in the galaxy. Their crest could be seen on a thousand different worlds, dealing their addictive commodity out to billions of customers. All of it was overseen by their headquarters on their homeworld of Oba Diah, and their primary source of spice on the planet Kessel. Just seeing their crest made Hobbes shudder with disgust. It was a common statement that no defecting soldier, smuggler, or trader of the Pyke Syndicate could successfully escape the syndicate, and any who did faced enslavement. Under normal circumstances, seeing a Pyke anywhere meant trouble. But it was a well-known fact that they would fight to the death to prevent the capture of their merchandise and spice shipments, and if the Empire or Fett showed up, they were counting on some involuntary help from them.
Behind the guards stood a security scanner, probably to check for weapons or comms or anything else that wasn't allowed in the auction. Hobbes' heart began speeding as they came closer, but he forced the anxiety down. "Just stick to the plan," he muttered. "Stick to the plan…"
As they approached the entrance, the nearest guard looked up at them through his metallic, copper-shaded mask. He stepped towards them, clutching a data pad in one gloved hand, the other resting on the butt of a blaster pistol. "We're here for the auction," Leia announced from under her hood, to which the guard only replied, in a garbled accent, "Group name and identification."
"Group Seven. Here's the registration." Leia placed down a hologram button, which activated to show their information and authorization, as well as proof that they had sufficient credits in their bidding account (another helpful addition from the Rebellion).
"As you can see, the account has been verified," she pointed out.
The alien nodded slightly, looking through the information, before shouting something to the other armed guards. "You're just in time. The auction starts in a few minutes. Grab a bidding pad from the guard just inside the building, and enjoy the event."
With a respectful nod, he motioned for them to pass, where the other guards approached them as they neared the scanner, telling them to give up their comms and weapons. All of them obliged, taking out their blasters and comms and placing them on the trays. One by one, they passed through the scanners, and entered the room. Hobbes had never been at an auction before, and his senses took in the new experience. The room was simple in design, square near the entrance and circular in the back. Near the back was a raised platform with an unoccupied podium and a holo-screen above to show the bids and the lots up for auction, and behind the stage was the door that led to the items that would be auctioned. Somewhere behind that door, Hobbes realized with a sharp pang, is Calvin.
Right now the holo-screen was going through all the items up for auction, displaying weapons and rare valuables to hype up the bidders. The walls were metallic, but were made more appealing with wood accessories and banners showing the pike syndicate's crest. A metal catwalk, suspended by cables, hung over the high room in a straight line going from a door about twenty feet above the stage to another door. There was, he knew, a staircase backstage leading to the catwalk, which then led to a balcony above the way that they had come in. There were no seats, so everyone simply stood on the carpeted floor. Several large metal support beams held up the ceiling, which was shrouded in a gloom far above their heads.
Looking around, Hobbes' eyes stopped at seeing a human dressed in a simple brown jacket and black boots. His attire was normal- perhaps he was a representative of a guild or a gang, but something about him made Hobbes stare. Then he turned, and Hobbes got a glimpse of his crooked, shaved face. A face that, despite its calm and relaxed look, made the hairs on his back stand up slightly. But the man paid them no attention, and soon walked off into the crowd.
"I smell a trap," he muttered to Leia, who was standing right by him. "Something feels strange, but I don't know what."
"It might just be nerves," she shrugged, but looked unsettled as well. "Whatever happens, we have a plan B. Remember that."
Hobbes nodded, and nervously looked up at the catwalk for any sign of a large, furry brown figure, but could only see a Pyke guard, walking across in the direction of the stage. A few more seconds, and he disappeared through the sliding metal door at the end. Just then, he looked around to see Lando, who had gone off to get them a bidding pad.
"Lando, you're the expert here. How's this auction going to go?" Leia asked him.
"Well, once the auction is announced, the items for auction -lots- come out one by one. Everyone can bid on them, and the person that outbids everyone else wins the item. Pretty straightforward. According to the screen up there, Calvin is lot 27, consigned by Boba Fett."
"What's consignment?" Hobbes asked.
"It is when someone gives up an item to an auction so that they can sell it. The auction gets a share of the profits," Lando explained.
"Why would the empire want Calvin, anyway?" Leia murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "I suppose he is a member of the Rebel Alliance, but… the empire's been wondering nonstop about him. He's just a kid."
An excited chatter spread through the crowd around them, and Hobbes looked at the stage to see a translator droid walking up to the podium, with a mask similar to those of the pikes, and wearing a crimson-and-black cape over his robotic body. Stepping up to the mic, he spoke.
"Everyone, if I could please have your attention! The auction is about to start. Once we are all ready I will explain the rules and process."
Slowly, everyone gathered, forming a thick crescent around the stage. Hobbes looked around for the man he had seen earlier, but he had seemingly disappeared. He looked again at the catwalk, but didn't see anyone.
Where was Chewie?
Suddenly, the droid from before spoke again. "Attention, everyone, the auction is now starting," he spoke. The screen translated his words into aurebesh so that other species could understand. "A quick reminder of the rules, and then we'll get right into the bidding." A small cheer came from the crowd. "Remember, no comms or weapons of any kind. Fighting shall not be tolerated and the instigators will be thrown out and their bids nullified. No leaving the building until the auction is concluded. If anyone here is suspected of cheating, bidding for their own consigned item, or is not an invited bidder, they will face severe repercussions. All sales are final. No exchanges, refunds, or substitutions are possible… Now, with that out of the way, let's begin the bidding!"
Another small cheer, and the auction was set in motion. The screen flashed, and the first lot appeared: a simple humanoid droid with light armor and a smooth, rectangular head. "Now, this first item is a newly built N5 sentry droid. It is a very advanced model, capable of guarding and defending any building, ship, or person with unparalleled success. Here you can see an example of four of these droids in an exercise." The hologram changed to show four droids reacting with speed to defend the target of several 'attackers.' Hobbes watched as they tore through a dozen other KS- series droids.
"Now, let's open the door with a starting bid of 9,000 imperial credits. Ah! 10,000. 10,000 credits. Do I hear 10,500? Yes, 10,500!" And so it went, higher and higher until, "11,200 credits! The top bid is 11,200 credits! Anyone? Once, twice, sold! Congratulations to the winner." The screen flashed, and the next item was shown. And so it went. Since Lando had participated in auctions before, he bid on several items to blend in, but made sure not to win any. They were here for Calvin and Calvin alone. More lots were shown, the items becoming more illegal and rarer as the auction went on. Thermal grenades. A deadly probe droid. A shield generator. Landspeeders. Stealth devices. Even a crate of disintegration rifles, and a priceless ingot of beskar, which was sold for nothing less than 110,000 credits. With each item, Hobbes' breath grew faster and shallower as he waited for Calvin.
"...and next up is an interesting item to say the least. A carbonite slab containing a young human, perfectly preserved." Hobbes looked up, and threatened to burst into tears at seeing Calvin, trapped in a slab of carbonite. The droid went on. "...with several options included. You can thaw him out for whatever purpose, or decorate your walls. Rather interesting, but we have been informed by the consigner that there are several interested parties out there."
Those words sent a jolt through Hobbes, and he looked worriedly at Leia. Several interested parties. The empire? Did they know about them being here?
But then the bidding began, and they had no more time to dwell on it. There weren't many interested people, as expected, but one or two people immediately placed their bids. Lando followed suit, and the bidding battle began. The bids were speedy at first, before slowing down. Hobbes could see one of the other bidders in the crowd- a mean-looking Trandoshan. But the other bidder remained unseen. But they had credits to burn, and soon enough, it looked like they would win. Hobbes watched with silent eyes as the bid became higher and higher, until it finally passed 12,000 credits. A few seconds went by. "Going once-" Then, Lando pressed the data pad, and 12,700 credits appeared on the holo-screen.
The room went silent. Then, the droid went, "Once, Twice-"
13,000 credits appeared on the screen. Hobbes' sigh halted halfway up his throat. With a curse, Lando tapped the data pad, and 14,000 credits appeared on the screen, trumping the last bid.
"Going once…" the droid said. "Going twice… Sold! Congratulations to the winner."
Hobbes' sigh escaped his throat, and he let out a small laugh. "We did it, guys," he whispered. "What now?"
"Well, we can't leave yet. We have to wait until bidding is done," Leia said. "We'll thaw him out as soon as possible, and help him back to the falcon."
About to suggest that they transport him to the falcon while still in carbonite so as to have medical attention handy right after the thawing, Hobbes stopped, his eyes landing on a brown jacket. With a start, he realized that it was the same suspicious person from earlier, speaking into a commlink.
Red flag. Major red flag. Commlinks aren't allowed. Who is he talking to?
As he watched, the man suddenly turned to look straight at them, and they stared at each other. The man frowned, and moved away, towards the entrance.
Hobbes jumped as several shots blasted from somewhere outside, and a sudden anxiety filled the audience. The droid stopped speaking, lifting his head to look at the entrance to the auction, and for a moment there was only silence.
Then the doors opened, and dozens of imperial police troopers rushed in, weapons raised, their hard-heeled boots hitting the floor in rhythm. Each one was carrying an E-11 blaster rifle, which, as Hobbes knew from painful experience, could pack a scorching punch. Alongside that, each of their belts had an electrical baton. Several people screamed, and as one, the crowd backed up against the stage. More imperials followed, but these ones weren't Coruscant police troopers. They wore clean, polished white uniforms with buttons on their suits to denote their ranks. Bureaucratics. Officers…
"ISB," Leia hissed, backing up. "We're in for some trouble."
Suddenly, an officer stepped forward, to the front of the now-neatly arranged lines of police, and spoke in a loud, assertive manner, "According to Coruscanti and Imperial law, this auction is charged with illegal possession and soliciting of contraband and unauthorized items, operating without an official Imperial permit, and harboring dangerous terrorists belonging to the Rebel Alliance!"
Several people gasped, and a nervous murmur spread throughout the crowd. The imperial officer looked straight at Leia, Lando and Hobbes, pointed, and said, "Arrest them! And shut this auction down!"
Suddenly, from on top of the catwalk, a familiar roar sounded, and Hobbes looked up just in time to see his blaster carbine being thrown from the catwalk. He lifted his arms and caught it, and saw Leia and Lando snatch their own blasters out of the air as well. They raised them, and the crowd around them backed up, huddling against the sides of the stage, leaving them out in the open. The imperial ISB agent was visibly unimpressed, and with a flick of the hand, all of the troopers pointed their weapons at the three of them.
"You have three seconds to stand down!" she ordered. "Three!"
Hobbes looked around, as did Leia and Lando. Where was their backup?!
"Two!"
Suddenly, a bustling came from behind the stage door.
"One!"
Then, from the stage and from doors on either side of the building, dozens of Pyke Soldiers flooded out, dressed in metallic masks over their long, brown coats and cargo pants. The crowd parted to either side of the building as the pykes lined up in a row, blaster rifles and pistols at the ready. Unfortunately, Hobbes, Leia, and Lando were still caught in the middle, between the imperials and the Pykes, who were about to start a slaughter.
For a tense moment, nothing happened. Hobbes looked up at the catwalk, but Chewie was gone. Plan B wasn't going right. Why wasn't-
With a metallic clack, the lights went out.
"Hit the deck!" Leia shouted somewhere by him, and the next moment, the room was filled with red streaks of light. Soldiers on both sides began to fall, and screams competed with blaster fire as those in the crowd who hadn't dropped to the floor were massacred. Suddenly, several flashlights snapped on and some pointed straight at Hobbes, still on the ground.
"Kriff!" he yelled, lunging to cover behind a metal support beam. He got up and held himself stiff as multiple shots sparked off of the beam, with one singing fur off of his side. Dropping to one knee, he turned, raising his carbine, and pressed the trigger. The flashlights dropped to the floor along with their wielders. Looking around, he spied Leia and Lando on the other side of the room with the help of his night vision, dispatching police troopers at close range with their own blasters. He ran for it, but was intercepted by an officer holding a crackling baton. He swung the weapon, but Hobbes evaded it and grabbed the man by the arm, before throwing him into a metal beam. The man let out a small cry as his spine hit the beam with a clang and a crack.
"Leia! Lando!" he called out. They both turned, just as an Imperial officer brandishing a pistol appeared in the darkness. Eyes wide, Hobbes snapped up his carbine and sent a blaster bolt into the man's chest. Both of them turned back to see the officer go down, and Hobbes yelled, "We need to get Calvin!"
Leia nodded at him, and together, the three of them ran for a staircase on one side of the stage, with Lando shooting two Pykes as they appeared at the top. Their heads snapped back, and their bodies rolled down the stairs past the three of them. The blaster fire seemed to intensify, and Hobbes risked a glance back as he reached the top, his night vision giving him an edge. The Pyke defense was beginning to wane as more imperials entered the building. They needed to get Calvin- now.
The stage was empty, the auctioneer droid laying on the floor, smoking with blaster bolts. Spearheading the charge, Hobbes approached the back door, and looked behind him to see Lando and Leia still right behind him. He roughly smacked the door controls, it slid open, and he peeked inside.
The Pykes were taking whatever valuables they could carry and fleeing through a back entrance, where a bright outside light source illuminated the room somewhat. Luckily, they didn't think too much of a heavy carbonite statue.
"There!" Lando pointed at the slab of carbonite, placed on a hovercart by the wall. "Let's get him and go out the back door!"
For a second, Hobbes' mind went blank as he tried to recall why they were exiting through the back, when it came back to him. Part of plan B consisted of a staircase just outside the back entrance led down along the face of the bordering ravine, and into a drain pipe that flowed into the ravine. The pipe led quite a ways away from the building. If they could get Calvin down the stairs and into the tunnel, they could get away.
At the end of the room was another staircase, which led up onto the catwalk that hung across the auction room. Hopefully, Chewie would appear at the top any second now, and they could all get away safe and sound. As the last remaining Pykes ran for the exit, Hobbes ran to one side of the hovercart on which Calvin was located. Lando ran to the other side, and both of them began pushing the cart towards the exit as Leia closed the door that they had come through, making sure to lock it.
Shots were suddenly fired from outside, and a Pyke auctioneer stumbled backwards into the room. More garbled screams reached Hobbes, and seeing an approaching shadow, he grabbed his carbine and fired just as an Imperial officer appeared. The officer crumpled to the ground, but before Hobbes could say anything, more figures began to enter. Lando and Leia grabbed their blasters, ducking and running for cover as several Imperials fired into the room. Dispatching a police officer, Hobbes realized that the Imperials had known about and had already blocked off the back exit. "Leia! What now?" he asked, to which Leia shouted, "Plan C! Abort! Leave him!"
"What?!" he exclaimed. "We can't just-"
"Do you want us to die?" Leia asked, falling further back as the Imperials began carving out a small claim in the room. "They've got us surrounded! Head for the staircase!" She pointed at the stairs that led to the catwalk where Chewie had thrown them their weapons. We'll get to the top of the building and-"
The door that they had come through sparked violently, and gloved arms pushed it open. Imperials began firing from the auction room, forcing Hobbes to leave the hovercart and duck behind a crate. Things were quickly falling apart. The Imperials began to breach the choke points of the room in earnest.
"They're closing the noose around us!" Lando shouted, taking cover. Hobbes noticed that he was grimacing in pain. "We need to get out of here! Now!"
"Alright, you two run for it, I'll provide some covering fire!" Leia yelled from behind a Landspeeder near the stairs. "Three, two-"
The door at the top of the stairs slid open, and Chewie appeared, holding his large signature Wookie crossbow. With a roar, he fired, the immensely powerful bolt shattering through the light armor of a police droid and blowing him apart. The sudden confusion stalled the Imperial advance for a second, and Leia yelled, "GO!"
Sucking in a tight breath, Hobbes moved as fast as he could as he could as Chewie and Leia fired desperately, keeping the Imperials away for just a few more seconds. In front of him, Lando did the same, and they both reached the staircase, bounding up it as fast as possible. Leia did the same as the Imperials finally broke through and flooded the room. In the corner of his eye, Hobbes saw the officers moving towards Calvin's carbonite slab, and rushed through the doorway.
Suddenly, they were on the catwalk. Behind him, Leia turned and locked the door, buying them time to escape. The Imperials were quick, however, and the four of them had barely taken two steps across when someone yelled. "Up! On the catwalk! Fire!"
Streaks of red and beams of white illuminated them as they ran for the other side, and halfway across, Hobbes felt a terrible burning punch in his side as he staggered, catching himself on the railing. Gritting his fangs, he surged forward with a pained, angry growl and cleared the last few yards of the catwalk. A furry paw suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him through the exit, out of the building, and a hiss sounded as Leia closed the door.
Hobbes staggered suddenly, threatening to fall, and Chewie steadied him, which caused him to snarl from the pain. "Here, let me see," Leia said, appearing, and saw the rough, charred patch of fur, smoking from the heat. "You'll be alright," she told him. "Chewie, help him move."
"No, I got it," Hobbes said, holding his wounded side with one paw. "Let's-" he stopped, looking at Lando, and asked, "Lando, what happened?"
"It's nothing," Lando said, glancing at a blaster wound on the edge of his shoulder. The burn, although discolored and smoking, was slight. "It just grazed me a bit. I'll be fine."
Leia nodded, uncertain, but turned and began to put her hands on a ladder by the door, which Hobbes guessed led to the roof of the building. Taking a second to look around, he noticed that they were on a sort of balcony, just above the entrance to the auction by some ten yards. Turning, he inhaled sharply, and tried not to think about the sizzling pain that engulfed his entire right side as he climbed up the ladder after Lando. The district that the auction building was located in was mostly buildings, many of which were connected by overhead catwalks that bridged over the larger streets below. If they could get off of this building, they could lose the imperials in the maze that were the surrounding buildings by using the catwalk that spanned across the ravine.
The door hissed open below them opened as Hobbes reached the top of the ladder, and beside him, Leia fired two quick shots. Looking down, he saw two ISB officers fall to the floor. The imperials weren't just after Calvin, they wanted them.
Hobbes stepped onto the third floor just as the door slid open once more. "There, up the stairs," Leia ordered, pointing at a steep staircase that could have passed as a ladder due to the steepness of its angle. Staggering up the stairs, he could hear a multitude of shouting and footsteps on the balcony below as more Imperials began to climb the ladder. Stopping, he waited a few seconds until an officer appeared, brought up his carbine, adjusted his aim, and pulled the trigger. Several shots downed the first two officers, who screamed as they fell, but more were coming up.
Hopefully they'll be a bit more cautious, now, he thought, and ran after Leia as fast as he could. The top of the building was uninteresting, with not much more than a few generators and a power line livening up the otherwise flat surface. He could see the walkway now, a thin strip of metal reaching across to the nearest adjacent building, the near end perhaps twenty feet away, and quickened his pace. He slowed, however, hearing a quiet whirring that was slowly growing in volume, and realized after a few seconds that it wasn't the sound of a running generator.
Without warning, a giant Coruscant gunship appeared from the artificial trench between them and the adjacent building, rising over the building like a menacing beast. Blinding lights shined down on them, wind from the gunship whipped across their faces, and Leia yelled, "Get to cover!" Hobbes didn't need to be told twice, leaping behind some sort of electrical maintenance box with Leia as a voice boomed from inside of the gunship.
"Drop your weapons, terrorists," an Imperial ordered, "and come out with your hands on your heads! If you do not surrender, you will be fired upon!"
"Not happening," Leia muttered by him, and yelled, "Chewie! You got explosive bolts?"
The Wookie looked over from behind his own hiding spot and nodded, slipping a slim, metal quarrel out of his bandolier, marked with red stripes. "Great! Bring down the gunship! Aim for the cockpit!"
The Wookie nodded, and slipped the quarrel into the crossbow- a Wookie bowcaster, as the loudspeaker blared again. "This is your last chance to end this peacefully! You are surrounded! Drop your weapons and come out with your hands on your head, or we will fire!"
With surprising speed, Chewie rose out of cover, turning as he did so. He yanked the bowcaster to his shoulder, took a second to steady himself, and fired.
A bright, orange comet flew straight and true, smashing into the cockpit. The whole front of the ship burst into blazing flame, large sparks shooting off in all directions. The gunship began losing altitude at a rapid pace, heading straight for them. "Run!" Hobbes shouted, and all of them bounded forwards to clear the area where the gunship would hit. The ship swept around in a wide arc, before falling sideways and whirring right over their heads. For a second, it was so close that Hobbes felt as though it would hit him, and he dived to the ground. A large crash and a scraping of metal sounded a moment later, and Hobbes looked back to see the wreckage of the gunship, slowly being engulfed by fire.
They barely had time to get on their feet, however, when blaster fire began ringing again. The Imperials had gotten to the top, and were beginning to advance. Hobbes was about to run when he saw something- survivors of the crash, crawling out, trying to escape the flames. Among them was a white-uniformed officer, and Hobbes caught a look at his rank, displayed on his left breast.
He made up his mind in an instant, turning towards his companions and shouting, "Cover me!" Then, striving to get to the burning wreckage before the imps did, he limped towards the wreck as fast as he could. Behind him, Leia shouted something, but he didn't pay attention. Reaching the officer, he quickly examined the rank and found, to his surprise, that the man must be in charge of this entire operation.
At once he hoisted him up, eliciting a cry of pain, and threw the man over his shoulder like a sack of rice. With one arm, he fired his carbine a few times at the shapes of Imperials gathering around the sides of the ship, and ran. In front of him, Leia, Lando, and Chewie were all opening up with blasters to give him some covering fire. The next second, he reached them, and Lando yelled, "Why'd you do that? Do you want to get killed?"
"Let's go!" Hobbes yelled back, dismissing the exclamation, and the four of them charged across the large catwalk with the groaning officer. Behind them, blasters opened up, pinging off of the railing and metallic grating. Hobbes cringed at the sounds, knowing that it was much easier to score a hit on someone when they had no way to dodge and weave. At any second, one of them could be hit. The thought made him pump his legs harder, which, unfortunately, made the blaster wound on his side scream all the more.
They were almost to the other side when Hobbes heard a familiar sound- one his ears had been introduced to not a minute prior. Risking a look back, he was dismayed to see a second gunship, its cannons primed, bearing down on them. He reached the other side of the catwalk, which led into a maze of corridors, and looked back just in time to see the gunship stop, hovering perhaps thirty yards away. Turning around, he watched Lando fly past him, Chewie quick on his heels. Another second, and he'd be off the bridge. He-
The gunship fired two blasts from its mounted cannon; one destroyed the end of the catwalk, and the other impacted the edge right by it. A wave of white-yellow fire sent a shockwave through all of them, and Hobbes watched, horrified, as the flames seemed to engulf Chewie. He was flung forward by the explosion, and impacted the ground with a crack.
"Chewie!" Hobbes yelled, his fur spiking. "Carry the officer!" he yelled to Leia and Lando, dropping the man, and dashed to Chewie. Smoke was rising from the blasts- if it was because of the explosion itself or from some other source, he couldn't tell, but he was thankful for it all the same. Grabbing the Wookie by the shoulders, Hobbes growling in pain and exertion as he dragged the Wookie's limp form into the corridor. As the smoke shrouding them began to dissipate, Lando and Leia followed him, and they began moving as fast as they could. Together, the four of them disappeared, battered and beaten, into the alleys, corridors, and streets of level 2147.
Hey, y'alls! I'm still in the process of writing the rest of the story, but I thought it would be a good idea to post a chapter as assurance that I am still planning to finish it.
:D