Chapter XV
Airen jumped from the air duct to the floor quickly and looked for any guards. "Alright, come on," he whispered. Jlan and Alexia descended swiftly. [There are two guards around the corner. I'll take them out] he said. Cracken leaned on the wall to listen. "Hey! What are you doing here?" a guard asked. [My apologizes for the pain I am about to inflict] Jlan growled. "Quick grab him! Aack!" the soldiers yelled. Soon Jlan returned and plopped the two guards on the ground. "Get into their uniforms," Airen said, tossing some to Alexia. He swiftly pulled the clothes over his own outfit and checked out the Imperial blaster he now had. [Here's your new identification card. I'd memorize it quickly] Jlan said, handing him the ID cards. "Okay let's get those clasps on," Airen said, putting the fake cuffs on the Wookiee. "Won't they be suspicious because I'm a woman?" Alexia pointed out. "Good point," Cracken said, frowning. [You're returning someone's lost ID; the two of you accidentally got them mixed up] Jlan said with a hint of irritation. "Oh, great alibi," Alexia, said. Cracken's comlink buzzed.
"This is Officer Red, can I help you?" he said into it. "Yes, you can explain your delay in returning to the bunker for shift change," the reply came. So far so good, Airen thought. "Negative sir; I've got a prisoner with a malfunctioning submission collar. I'm taking him down to the broadcast station," he said back as the three started walking as to not look odd. "Do you require assistance?" the man asked. "No assistance required, we've got our men on him. He can't go anywhere," Airen answered. "Alright; I'm sending a confirmation code over to you so they won't blast you on sight. Just try to get back here by eighteen hundred hours," the other said as the link ended. Cracken smiled as the numbers came on the display. "Okay, let's move," he told his group.
"So, you're here to pick up a new collar?" an Imperial asked as they entered the building. Airen nodded to Alexia and she closed the door. "You don't have to- hey! What are you doing?" the man said as Airen pointed the gun at him. Jlan broke free and knocked them all out so fast Cracken thought he would have missed it if he had blinked. [Set those bombs. Airen, contact Gavis] Jlan ordered. Taking out his real comlink, he linked to Gavis'. "What's the situation?" Gavis inquired. "Our bombs are being set," he answered. "Good, it shouldn't take long for the Wookiees to realize their restraints aren't working. Then you'll need to broadcast that Jlan has escaped so that the Imperials won't know what's going on. Airen, you and Alexia get out of there in the frenzy. Don't get caught," Gavis ordered. "No, really? Yes sir," Cracken said. [I'll tell the slaves the fastest way out, you get going] Jlan said as the displays showed Wookiees quickly overwhelming the Imperials. Alexia ran out and waved him to hurry. When they reached the stairs, Cracken looked back. "Come on!" she yelled. "Hey, you two, stop!" a guard said, spotting them. Airen blasted the lock and called to Alexia, "They know we're here." "Come on, this duct leads to the outside," she said, crawling inside.
Cracken's comlink chimed as he began to crawl. "Yeah?" he said. [I'm on the roof; the bombs will detonate in one minute] Jlan said. "Plenty of time to work with," Cracken said, turning it off. Alexia blasted the grating and the sun shined brightly outside. "It's all on foot from here," she said, jumping to the alley below. He had dropped to her side when shots came from behind. "Get going," he said. "And leave you here?" she said. "Alright fine, just run fast," Airen said, racing towards her. "Stop those imposters!" a stormtrooper yelled. "Okay this way," Cracken said as he spotted Gavis. "They're right behind us!" Alexia yelled. Gavis turned in surprise and said, "Get out of the way." Immediately, they both fell to the ground. After a series of blaster shots, Cracken turned to see all the soldiers lying dead. "Amazing precision," he remarked. "I told you not to get caught," Gavis said, scowling at him. Jlan jumped to his side. [All the Wookiees have escaped] he reported. "Good," Ideji said. Helping Alexia up, Cracken turned to see the Imperial garrison explode. "Well if the Empire didn't know we were here before, they do now," Alexia remarked.