Salaarg:

Kara jerked up, squirming as she tried to break free of the tight ropes that pinned her to the chair. She was in a dark room, with the faint hope of light sliding through the grate on her prison door. She had a gag pulled through her mouth and her hair had been pulled back behind her head. Kara tried to push her chair over, only to realise it was welded to the ground. Her room was small with the chair in the centre, the door ahead and a bench to one side. Her helmet and blaster were on the bench. She was still in her armour, and was annoyed to see blood had covered her torso. She spat, and saw her saliva was thick and red. She could sense her mouth was swollen, and her shoulder was still aching from day's ago.

'You're awake' hissed a thin voice from behind her. A tall wiry figure moved into her field of view. He wore a long red robe and his nails were immaculately kept. He had a lean face and red eyes.

'Am I supposed to know who you are?' snarled Kara.

'You are a feisty one' laughed the man, a false smile spanning his features. 'My name is Torquillo. I am a torturer.'

Kara rolled her eyes, pretending not to be intimidated, knowing that torture techniques were often purely psychological.

'A very skilful torturer' added Torquillo. He leaned over her, the rotten stench of his breath filling her nostrils. His teeth were rotten and jagged.

'You're worse than a frickin' nerf herder' hissed Kara. A flash of annoyance crossed Torquillo's face, but he ignored the jibe.

'I know you have an accomplice. An accomplice, who may just have some very special skills. I can already sense you're a practical person. If you agree to lead me to her, I will consider sending you back to the Empire. I could kill you know, or I could hand you back to your allies. Your choice, Commander.'

Torquillo's last word confirmed to Kara that the Kobane had been in contact with the Empire. Kara knew that if she was sent back to the Empire, it wouldn't help. The Phantom Order were condemned and she could be killed for deserting. 'I'd rather eat my own foot' she returned, defiantly.

If she really was captured by the Kobane, she had to create a believable story, a plan of attack. She couldn't afford to give Via away, but she had to find a way out before the Empire arrived. Torquillo may be skilful, but she would be nothing in comparison to the Empire. If she played her part well, she was certain she could deceive Torquillo, but it would be a delicate process. Her first step would involve defiance, and at some point, she would have to pretend to cave.

'Now, now, Commander Kinata. Tell me where she is and I will set you free.'

'Condemn me' corrected Kara. 'I will never tell you where she is.'

'Perhaps you will require a little more persuasion' hissed Torquillo, leaning in to whisper in her ear. He neatly removed a hand taser and pressed it against Kara's neck. Kara looked around the room, considering her options. She could bite Torquillo's neck but all he would have to do was press the switch and she would be shocked into submission. 'What will it be, Kara.'

'Damn you Torquillo' she hissed. Torquillo flicked the switch and energy burst out of the taser, glowing at the edge of Kara's vision. It exploded through her whole body. She jerked up, writhing in pain as she tried to twist free. Torquillo pressed it closer and she let out a scream. Torquillo stepped back, smiling in pleasure. Kara spat at him, blood bursting out of her mouth. Her veins were glowing blue. Kara tensed up, leaning away as Torquillo moved in again.

'Last chance girl' he sniffed, but Kara knew he was looking for a reason to use the weapon on her again. Kara snarled. Torquillo leaned in forward pressing the taser under Kara's chin. This time it was worse. Kara dug at the bonds, letting out a wild howling scream. Her whole body went rigid with pain and hatred vibrated through her.

'Torquillo you son of a gun' she swore defiantly. 'You'll never get anything from me.' Torquillo leaned forward again, holding a finger against Kara's chin as he dug the taser into her shoulder, reigniting the scabbed wound. The taser shot through her armour, spreading the pain like never before. Kara jerked around, fingers wriggling as her whole body screamed in protest. She let out a long, ear splitting scream as she tried to break free.

Torquillo stepped aside, moving behind her and fear shot through Kara. It was worse, not knowing when the pain was about to come. Blood dribbled out of Kara's mouth. 'Give up Torquillo. You'd have a better chance of finding Via up your own backside.'

'Ah, her name is Via. We're getting somewhere' laughed Torquillo. He raised his arms out wide. 'But of course, I already knew that. The Empire informed me as soon as I told them I had you.'

'If you lay a finger on her, I will personally rip your throat out' snarled Kara.

'Hard to do that from an Imperial cell' chuckled Torquillo. 'Or a grave' he added, as an afterthought. 'They told me you were a deserter.'

'Get out of my face!' growled Kara fiercely and Torquillo laughed, as though he was playing with a foundling.

'You have caused me a great deal of trouble, Kinata. I would very much like to slit your throat, but there are credits to be made and I am not a man to waste opportunity.'

'You are a foul beast.'

'You are a young girl with your whole life ahead of you' sniffed Torquillo, moving into her field of view. 'You're lucky they didn't get Fett to do this. I'm sure he would have had his own interesting methods of torturing people; he was busy tracking your droid.'

Relief swept through Kara as she realised what this meant for KT. The small droid that had come to mean so much to her had escaped, but it didn't help that Boba Fett was tracking the tiny droid. Only a second later, flames exploded through the ceiling.

A blue blade of energy emerged from above. Sparks sprayed into the torture chamber and Torquillo jumped back, drawing a blaster pistol concealed under his red robes. The blue blade carved an orange circle in the ceiling and the massive chunk of metal dropped to the floor, revealing the grey sky above. Via appeared at the hole in the ceiling, with KT sitting on her shoulder. Torquillo snarled, raising the pistol at Via. He fired a blast and Via easily deflected it with her weapon. She nimbly jumped into the room, landing in front of Kara. KT leapt off her shoulder and on Kara's stomach. The small droid quickly used a small blade to cut through the ropes holding Kara in captivity. Kara jerked up, immediately stretching her muscles. Torquillo was cowering in the corner.

Via still had her blade drawn and was watching him cautiously. A cable dropped through the ceiling and KT gestured to it. Kara looked to Via who nodded and Kara grabbed onto the rope, clambering up with KT on her back. She emerged onto the top of a massive Kobane sand crawler. Standing next to Via, holding the rope between two clamped hands, was the silver droid that Kara had seen before. IG.

Via clambered out of the hole just behind Kara, carrying Kara's helmet and blaster. She handed the two items to Kara who gratefully accepted them. The sand crawler they were on was black, with red symbols imprinted on the side. It was slowly chugging along the desert dunes and Kara suddenly felt nausea sweep through her. She stumbled backwards but Via grabbed her by the neck.

'How'd you get here?' asked Kara, breathing heavily.

'On the Vigilance. I found a pilot. You're lucky KT found us and told us what had happened to you. Unfortunately, the small droid led Fett straight to us' explained Via, as she looked around in the sky. Racing towards them at a rapid speed was the Vigilance. 'We were able to shake him, but he'll be back.'

The Vigilance slowed down, its massive turbines slowing it to a stop right next to the sand crawler. Kara could see Kobane climbing onto the roof from some unseen hatch. The Vigilance's massive bay door swung open, the hydraulic hinges groaning in protest. Kara was unable to make out the pilot from outside the ship, but she was able to guess who it was, based on IG's appearance. IG was the first to jump, landing in the ship's hold. Via nodded to Kara, leaping back towards the Vigilance, just managing to grab onto the edge of the hold. She pulled herself aboard.

The Vigilance was almost at a stand still hovering next to the sand crawler and the Kobane were closing in. However, the thing that scared Kara most was the ship that was rapidly accelerating towards the sand crawler. Slave I. Kara looked at the Vigilance and sprinted forwards, throwing herself out recklessly. Blaster bolts streaked past her as she flew through the air. She reached out for the edge of the Vigilance which was already starting to creep away. She grabbed onto the rail with a single hand, swinging as she struggled to hold her grip. She slipped.

She began to fall backwards when an arm reached out and a hand clasped around her own. Via dragged Kara aboard. KT squeaked in discomfort, obviously a little perturbed by their near-death experience. Kara nodded her thanks as the bay door swung shut. Via led Kara into the cockpit, closely followed by IG and KT, who had evidently become fast friends. Kara could already feel the Vigilance accelerating skywards. Via sat down next to the pilot, while Kara stood behind her.

'Nice to see you too Wes' muttered Kara sarcastically, watching through a screen feed as Slave I pursued them closely.

'You two know each other' commented Via, surprised. Kara nodded.

'We met at the scrapyard' explained Wes. He spun the Vigilance to the side, just as a burst of fire sprayed through the spot they'd just been. Kara could feel the entire ship shudder in stress. 'I don't know if you noticed, but I'm kind of focusing on stopping Fett from killing us all' added Wes, leaning in over the controls.

'How'd you recruit him?' asked Kara.

'I was talking to him in the cantina when we were spotted by the Kobane' elaborated Via, watching Wes intently. 'I wouldn't have picked him but when the Kobane started chasing us, I wasn't left with a whole lot of choice' added Via in a quiet whisper.

'Why not?' asked Kara, not bothering to keep her voice down. Wes was too engrossed piloting the Vigilance.

'He's a bit of a noob don't you think. Thinks he's some sort of hot-shot pilot' mumbled Via. Kara shrugged. Via stood up, moving out into the back and Kara sat down on her seat, watching Wes at work. Slave I was close behind them and let out another burst of fire. Wes jerked the throttle aside in the nick of time. They burst out of the atmosphere.

'Via, find a spot I can lose him' ordered Wes, sending the ship into a barrel roll. Kara was nearly thrown from her seat, and quickly buckled up her seatbelt.

'There's an asteroid belt nearby' responded Via hanging onto a latch in the ceiling as Wes pushed the Vigilance through another difficult manoeuvre. Kara could already tell that he was a good pilot. 'Mind not killing me while you fly.'

'I'll try my best' responded Wes, looking back at Via with a grin. However, the momentary lapse of concentration was all that Fett needed. A red blaster bolt smashed against the wing. A quick glance out of the window told Kara that it was bad. Flames were trailing out of the wing, but the ship was still charging forward, getting further and further away from Salaarg.

'The fuselage is broken. The fuel will spill out if we don't patch it up now' exclaimed Wes as he pushed on the throttle, stretching the ships capabilities to the max.

'Send KT out' said Via immediately. Kara looked at the little droid and had to reluctantly agree. Kara ran out the back to the entry hatch and placed KT inside.

'Use your magnetic claws and get out there.'

'I've synced your droid to the ship's comms. We should be able to give instructions once you're out there' added Wes as KT disappeared behind the airlock. IG sat down next to Wes, helping him pilot the Vigilance. Kara watched out the window as KT made her way around the ship, barely hanging onto the dusty walls. KT let out a little trill as she was nearly ripped from the side of the Vigilance. They were now well out of Salaarg's atmosphere, but it didn't mean the Kobane wouldn't be tailing them.

Wes barrel rolled the ship to avoid Slave I's fire and Kara was thrown off her feet, knocked against the opposite wall before slamming back into the ground. KT slid backwards on the Vigilance's wing, stopping right at the edge.

'Come on' muttered Via as she grabbed onto the ceiling. Kara followed in her steps, watching as blaster fire streaked past the wingtips. Fett wasn't the only one after them now. They had a whole legion of Kobane space craft tailing in pursuit. KT disappeared in a cloud of smog, appearing next to the fuselage.

'Use your blow torch and weld that fuselage canister up' explained Wes as he piloted them directly into the asteroid belt surrounding Salaarg.

'She doesn't have a blow torch' explained Kara, grabbing onto the ceiling just as the ship lurched to the side. KT looked up inquisitively.

'Fuels going down' called Wes. 'We'll burn out soon.'

'Do something KT' shrieked Via. Kara looked out the window, staring at the small droid. KT stared back at her and let out a trill before planting her foot directly on the fuselage leak.

'No' whispered Kara. KT looked up and Kara could have sworn she saw the droid smile. KT detached her leg and was immediately whipped off the wing and into the ship's slip stream. Her foot had been left on the fuselage leak, protecting it. 'KT!' cried out Kara, not daring to believe it. Tears trickled down her eyes.

'She saved us' stated Via, seeing the hurt that Kara felt. IG had bowed his head in silent mourning.

'I'm sorry if that droid held any sentimental value to you, but mind helping me out' barked Wes as he pushed the Vigilance through another strenuous turn, narrowly dodging an asteroid as it exploded right in front of them. A smaller rock clipped the opposite wing, knocking the Vigilance askew just in time to save them from being blasted away by Fett.

'That was close' said Via.

The Kobane had followed them into the asteroid belt. A loud crash and ball of flames exploded out the side of an asteroid and Kara knew that one of the Kobane pilots had failed to navigate through the belt, and had paid the price. The other Kobane were dropping off, unable to keep pace. The only other ship that was able to keep course with Wes' piloting skills and maintain distance behind them was of course, Slave I.

At that moment, a voice filtered through the comm. 'You did well to escape, Commander Kara.' It was Boba Fett. He had hacked their comms from behind. Kara shuddered, he was unnervingly well informed.

'How is he doing that?' muttered Wes.

'Ah, Captain Wes I assume' called Boba's cool voice over the comm. 'I suggest you give up now.'

'Never' snarled Via.

Boba laughed. 'You can run, but you'll only –' There was a sizzling sound as something interrupted the comms. Kara looked into the cockpit and saw IG had taken control over the comm system, cutting Fett out.

'Did you really want to listen to that moron' called IG in a surprisingly sophisticated voice. Kara didn't even know he had a voice box. He was evidently a droid of few words. A nearby blast rocked the Vigilance, reeling Kara back into reality.

Wes popped them out of the asteroid belt just as a Kobane cruiser burst into the belt ahead of them, blasting its way through the floating collection of rocks. Wes spun them around and round, just as Fett fired dual torpedoes at them. Wes narrowly dodged both of them, gnashing his teeth as he strained on the throttle. Kobane craft swarmed around them and Wes expertly flew them through the heavy traffic of ships.

'Via, calculate our hyperspace coordinates and I'll punch them in' ordered Wes. Via didn't hesitate, moving to the control panel as she begun trying to locate their destination. The ship jerked aside and Kara made a grab for the ceiling panels. 'Come on Via' grumbled Wes. IG leaned over next to her, to help.

'Got it!' exclaimed Via, punching the codes into the panel. Wes nodded, grabbing the lever, ready to punch them into hyperspace.

'Here we go' grumbled Wes, beginning to press the lever forwards. At that moment, a Venator-class Star Destroyer exploded into existence directly in front of them.

'Damn' swore Via. An explosion rocked the ship and flames exploded in front of them as a Kobane craft crashed into a stray asteroid. Wes jerked the ship aside just as Slave I overtook them. Scores of TIE fighters emerged from the Star Destroyer, spraying green blasts in their direction. A Kobane craft collided with a TIE and flames and debris rocketed away from the collision.

'Let's try again' muttered Wes, grabbing onto the lever. A blast rocked the ship as Fett landed a blast into their left shield. Kara was thrown to the ground. Two more Star Destroyer's popped out of hyperspace, arriving in a flash. Kobane and Imperial spacecraft collided with each other as they both tried to swarm around the Vigilance. Streaks of red and green flooded all around them, shredding their shields. Asteroids exploded as blaster fire streaked through them. Fett was closing in, directly behind them. The Kobane cruiser was sending asteroids spinning in all directions as it ploughed towards them.

'Third time lucky' snapped Via, stepping forward and slamming the lever forward, catapulting them into hyperspace.