Naboo Orbital Station, 6 ATC, 6
Week 6, Day 2
The orbital station above Naboo was definitely one of the more peaceful missions Jedi Knight Aren Bec and her padawan had been assigned to recently. Unlike escorting, scouting, or gathering intel, relief missions such as this one tended to be less dangerous and full of different learning opportunities, versus the combat they otherwise constantly faced. Aren was currently helping the unloading crew as another small convoy of ships approached the station. The large bay doors opened, showing the endless black sea of stars outside. A barrier protected those inside from the unforgiving atmosphere outside, and also allowed them to view the ships as they slowly started to pull up to the large docking bay to be unloaded.
Orbital station N48-00 was a critical asset to the colonization and relief effort for the people on Naboo’s surface. It was the last stop and checkpoint for the rations, medical supplies, and various other goods before they were brought down to the people of Naboo. Aren Bec and her Padawan, Val’Ko Sate, had been assigned to the station to keep watch over the relief effort and help where necessary; whether it be simply checking over supplies at the station, escorting and distributing it on the surface, or keeping peace down with the people of Naboo, they were to help wherever it was needed.
Many of the workers on the station were Republic, but there were also Naboo natives, and a few other independents who seeked to settle on Naboo when it was time. A majority of those on the station enjoyed the company of the Jedi, and expressed their gratitude at the help the Order sent. Others simply did not see eye to eye with the Order, and treated Aren and her Padawan as if they were an annoyance or a bother.
It didn’t matter to the Jedi Knight. She and Val’Ko had a mission, ordered by the Council to help, so that is what they would do. It was not her job to make friends with those who didn’t see eye to eye with her.
Raising her wrist comlink to her mouth, Aren opened up communications with her Padawan. She knew he was perusing about the station but wanted his help down in the unloading bay.
“Val, I need you in bay three, we have another shipment in and it needs to get moved quickly.” she stated, lowering her wrist as she waited for a response, her eyes watching one of the ships that slowly started to position itself to dock inside the bay.
Setting down one of the last boxes into its correct place Val lifted his wrist to reply, “Of course Master, I just finished up here, I’m on my way.” He paced over to the head of the cargo sorting operation notifying him that he was beckoned. The Gungan nodded and returned his focus to the job at hand, Val took his leave and headed towards Bay Three. He couldn’t go far before he ran into a couple people trying to move something that looked a little heavy for just two. A perfect chance to practice using the force, Val thought. He offered his help and they gladly accepted and showed him where they wanted it, only just around the corner. He focused his mind and channelled the force around the box lifting it. Still quite shaky he walked it down the hall and around the corner into the room they wanted. Dropping the box rather roughly they thanked him for his help. He gave a little bow and continued on his way to Bay Three.
Once nearing the Bay, Something off in one of the rooms caught his attention, one of the people in charge seemed to be rough handling a couple of the Gungans. Of course Val stopped and started to investigate, starting first by listening from just outside of the doorway, after hearing the man hit one of the Gungans out of anger he stepped in confronting the man. “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people; to focus your energies on answers - not excuses. Do not blame these people who are trying to work, Sometimes management is what gets in the way of smooth effective work.” Val said as he stared at the man, directly into the man's eyes. He seemed to understand so Val moved towards the door, again on his way to Bay Three. This time something felt off… The feeling getting worse as he continued in the direction of the Bay, He was close now.
The small freighter turned itself as it docked inside the bay, gliding slowly forward and then down as the landing gear was deployed and the vents of the ship started to hiss and spew with excess air and pressure.
As Aren walked up to the ship, she heard the unloading ramp release and start to hiss before it began to lower.
“How many more ships after this, Ilik?” Aren asked, looking back to the Gungan freight manager as the man looked over the datapad he had in hand. “Eh, looks like two more for this stretch. Then we’ve got a few hours before the next convoy.” He called out.
In the next moment, Aren’s attention was suddenly shifted. Her senses pulled at the back of her mind and her hands moved to her sabers a split second later. As the ramp lowered though, she was beat. A dozen pirates stormed out of the freighter, blasters raised at the few individuals in the bay, with quite a few aimed at Aren. Many of the pirates were Weequay, Rodians, or Zabraks, with a few others mixed in. A quick glance to the control tower in the bay provided a look at pirates manning the doors and alarms, which explained why nothing had been tripped the moment the pirates came out.
Many of the thugs were yelling at the troops and workers in the bay, pushing them down and tying their arms and legs in order to prevent resistance. One larger Weequay male emerged from the ship after all of the others, donning a cloak with intricate designs, blasters lining his belt, and a cap on his head. Three other Weequays surrounded Aren who had her hands up to show she meant no resistance.
“What do we have here? Jedi Knight Aren Bec- oh what a pleasure to meet you, really. I am
honored.” the Weequay said, to which Aren simply glared at him for a few long moments. “And you are?” she finally said, eyeing the man as he walked in a circle around her.
“Oh, forgive me my manners! I’m Kras Svenaca, did I mention how honored I am to-”
“Yes, you did.” Aren muttered, interrupting the man as one of his other pirates moved and bound her hands behind her back with a pair of stun cuffs. The Jedi Knight tuned out Kras’ rambling in front of her as her eyes went around the small bay. A dozen pirates at least, maybe more. Plus… where did the ones in the control tower come from? Was this a station wide invasion?
The woman's senses moved out then, to her padawan. She had hoped he hadn’t run into any trouble, especially since none of the stations alarms had gone off to warn anyone of the danger. She pushed out her feelings; danger, uncertainty, caution. She needed Val to stay back and stay out of sight until she could get a full picture of what was happening. The last thing these pirates needed was leverage.
Val was hit with a sudden wave of caution, followed by a clear warning to stay away from the Bay his Master was in. He started back tracking, if there were something wrong he needed to figure out what it was. He didn’t want to use the comms because if Master Aren were in danger, her enemies didn’t need to know that Val existed just yet. The next best way to assess the situation would be to make his way to the Security deck and check cameras, or possibly just go to the Bay Control Tower. However, If there were something wrong in the Bay, the Tower should have set off lock down alarms by now. In that case, Val had to assume that they had somehow infiltrated the Station and have control over at least Bay Three and its Control Tower. It might be worth checking out the other Bays however if they were already in control of those too they would easily see Val coming. The last option would be to either break his Master out with force or get control over Bay Three’s Control Tower. It seemed clear that taking the Tower was first and foremost simply because the infiltration team wouldn’t be very big and if their reinforcements were enough to subdue Master Aren, he definitely wouldn’t stand much of a chance trying to break her out. So with that conclusion, Val had to figure out how he would approach the Control Tower. It wouldn’t be so easy as walking up to the main door so he would need to find another way in. He was already close.
The vents. It came quick to Val as a vent cover caught his eye in the corner of a room he just passed. Darting into said room he made his way over to the corner, pulling some cargo over so that he could reach the vent cover. Lifting it away he poked his head inside and looked both ways. He wouldn’t have a very hard time fitting, the vents were large enough for him to crawl on his stomach comfortably. So he started his treck with only a general direction to guide him. Val was making good progress, and eventually he could hear voices, a few actually. One room he had passed had a bunch of the workers all huddled together with two pirate’s blasters pointed at them. He wanted to help but he knew he couldn’t just yet, he needed to make it to the Control Tower. After a few more turns and one very big jump that he wouldn’t have made without the use of the force, He had made it to the vent just above the Control Tower. There were 4 in the room, Two leaning against the wall near the door with blasters, one sitting on the control panel with his back to the Bay Overwatch Window, and the last one hunched over the panel watching the Bay intently. The pirate sitting on the panel jumped, startled by his radio chirping to life, he grabbed at it and brought it up near his face.
“Team Three? Come in this is Team One, We have our Bay locked down and we are going to start loading the cargo onto our ships. Hurry up over there you guys are the last ones to get started, We don’t want any heat on this one.”
“NO HEAT?” Replied the pirate as he jumped off the panel, “We already told you, there's a goddamn Jedi in our bay! How about you just shut the hell up and focus on your own job, we will get ours done. Not to mention Kras is already on the floor over here keeping an eye on the Jedi.”
There was no response as the pirate tossed the radio up onto the panel, shaking his head and joining his partner as they stood looking intently down into the bay. This was Val’s opportunity, He had to prioritize, what would be his first plan of action. He would need to take care of the two guards at the door first so he could knock out two blasters right off the bat. Then he would need to make sure the other two couldn’t get their hands on the radio to get the word out that he was foiling their plan. Seemed like a sound plan to start with. With one slam of fist and forearm he busted the vent cover down and into the room. Startling all of the pirates as he flipped and landed on his feet, launching himself directly at the two guarding the door as he drew his lightsabers. With a graceful spin in air he landed between the two as they dropped to the ground. Val met eyes with the pirate who was originally on the radio as he turned and lunged for the small device. Figuring that would be their first plan of action, Val darted towards him as the pirates arm extended towards the radio. However Val was more focused on the second pirate who had already drew his blaster, aiming in Vals direction. Pulling the trigger without a second thought, Val deflected the blaster bolt at the one reaching for the radio, nailing him square in the back. The pirate dropped like a ragdoll. Only one left, the pirates eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as Val closed the distance in one swift movement cutting him in half. With the room now under his control he looked down into the bay. Lots of pirates. He found his Master off to his right near one of the Bay walls.
He looked around, looking for something he could use to his advantage. He was in the control room after all. There was a large Cargo crane claw in the bay, and he had controls to all the blast doors as well. The best way to approach this would be to pull as many pirates as he could out of the bay and lock them out with the blast doors before he jumped down to free his Master and fight the rest that were left. That was the best he could think of. Without hesitation he started reviewing the control panel, finding the claw controls. He brought the claw around to grab one of the cargo tugs, picking it up a little rough, he maneuvered the claw over the pirates ship engine and dropped it. The guy in charge was already barking over the radio, yelling at his team to quit fucking around before he realized it wasnt his team anymore. Pirates started swarming out of the Bay, clearly in pursuit of Val who continued to claw at the ship just a little longer, playing out his time. Once most of them had left he slammed the blast door shut behind them, leaving only a maximum of 10 pirates in the bay. Master Aren had managed to get out of sight behind a large stack of cargo. Val then used a saber to cut a hole in the viewing glass big enough for him to hop down into the Bay. His landing looked rough but it was much softer than what would have happened had he not used the force to cushion his fall. Dodging behind cargo, he made his way to Master Aren.
“Master, I don't think these people are here to help with the relief effort.” He said smartly as he released her from her cuffs.
Aren had felt her padawan’s actions through his feelings. Her acute hearing picked up the scuffle he had created in the control room, which gave her enough warning that chaos was about to ensue. Seeing the crane moved in an attempt to disable the pirates ship, Aren found the nearest cover and watched as her Padawan jumped from his viewpoint and joined her. She couldn’t help the smirk on her face at his wise-guy question.
As her hands were released from the stun cuffs, they quickly found her sabers and took them in their grip. “No Val, I don’t believe so.” she responded, winking to the young Jedi before focused blaster fire started to rain down on their cover. She ducked a little lower behind the boxes as she heard the pirate boss shout something to his men.
“I want their heads!” Kras yelled as he continued to fire towards their hiding place with his blaster pistol.
“Val,” she said, turning back to the young Jedi beside her, “remember that time on Sriluur? When we pushed that bounty hunter’s ship so he couldn’t take off? We can do that again, together.” she explained, watching Val as she spoke to him, gauging his response and to see if he recalled the impromptu training experience.
“Of course Master. As a matter of fact, I've practiced once already today so I'm already warmed up.” He replied as he snuck a peak at the ship, sizing it up, It was much bigger than the box he moved earlier. Regardless, With his Masters help he knew they could pull it off again.
“Good, ready?” She asked, peeking slightly out from behind the boxes so that she could see the ship. She held one hand out, eyes closed now as she felt the ship through the Force. Slowly, Aren began to lift it as she waited for Val’Ko to join her in the attempt.
“Yes Master.” Val’s face twisted into a scowl, eyes closed, as he reached out with both hands. Feet spread in a wide stance as he focused his mind on the ship.
Feeling the strength that her Padawan gave her, Aren could feel the ship beginning to move through their combined use of the Force. She made sure both of them had a good grip on it before her eyes moved to the pirates, some continuing to shoot at them while others moved to advance. “In three… two… one, go!” she said, counting down and giving Val time to prepare himself before they both pushed out hard. The ship flew across the small bay, crashing into the crates the pirates used for cover, effectively dispatching all but two that had separated from the group.
Val’Ko strained, but he felt the ship move with more and more speed until he heard the large crash of it smashing into the cargo boxes. When Val opened his eyes medical supplies and clothes were littering the bay, and two pirates stood there not sure if they should fight or run. Val’Ko recognized this as his specialty, his speed and prowess would take at least one of them by surprise. However, once he tried to move he felt slow. He remembered this feeling. The same one he got last time they threw something this large. It wasn't nearly as bad this time, He had already made it to the next cover when he realized he wouldn't be able to dispatch two of them. Then it occurred to him that Master Aren might want one to help with any sort of negotiation in the other bays, even in light of the fact that most pirates don't care about one another enough for them to be useful in negotiation. He looked to his Master to see what She wanted. “Should we keep one Master?”
Hearing her Padawan’s question, Aren glanced to Val’Ko before looking over their cover to the two remaining pirates. Taking on as a hostage was one thing they could do, but he would also slow them down, baggage, one extra thing to watch out for while they tried to get through the space station and figure out the full situation.
Aren reached one hand out, feeling out with the Force and feeling the two pirate’s bodies with it. She lifted them up, giving the men no time to think before she pushed, hard. The pirates went flying back into the furthest bay wall, hitting it hard and effectively knocking them out. They slumped to the ground and Aren rose from her cover. With the danger in the bay dispatched, for now, Aren walked over to Val, looking her Padawan over for any injuries before a hand rested on his shoulder. “We don’t have time. If we take one of them with us, that’s one extra asset we’ll have to keep track of. It’s better that we go alone and figure out the whole scope of the situation first.” she explained, giving a reassuring smile to Val’Ko before she took her hand from his shoulder and walked towards the closest bay door.
Alarms still hadn’t been sounded, which was both good, and bad. They would have to sneak around and see if they could listen in on anything that would give them intel as to how many pirates were on board, and what their intention was in taking over the space station. If it was simply robbery, the whole lot of them would have been long gone by now with their goods.
“Yes Master, I understand.” Val made a point to recognize the situation they were in and why a hostage wouldn't be very effective. They needed to move fast and be quiet. Hostages are neither. It all made sense. “Master, I saw some other pirates on my way in. I think they might be all over the whole station. From the looks of this Bay, they are just stealing. Is that really all they could be up to? Im sure if that was the case the others would have been warned about our presence. Do you think it is worthwhile to check the control room to see where all the pirates are, Master?”
“I think that is an excellent idea Val.” Aren said, listening to his words of wisdom over the situation and seeing that growth within the young boy. Aren led her padawan towards one of the bay doors, keeping the hilt of her saber in her hand but not drawn. She did not want to attract any unneeded attention. “Stay low and keep your senses out, we don’t want to get caught in another firefight if we can help it.” She warned, looking to Val before she started down the hallway, making sure he was keeping close.
If it was true, and they were after more than just the cargo that was on the orbital station, what else could they truly want? This station’s main purpose was to serve the relief effort on Naboo, attacking it would halt deliveries to the surface. But if the pirates had wanted to do that, and make off with the goods, they would have been long gone. So what else did they want?
Following his Masters lead they walked out of the bay heading towards the control room. Val put his sabers in their holsters and focused on the world around him, trying to sense any danger that might come their way. It wasn't something Val’Ko was particularly good at this yet but he welcomed the training. He remembered the room the two pirates were keeping hostages, they were approaching it quickly. He gave his Masters robes a slight tug. “Master,” He said in a hushed voice, “There should be two guards in the room two doors down on the right. They are holding some of the workers hostage. Should we free them?”
Feeling the tug on her robes and listening to what Val recalled she looked up to eye the room ahead. Her saber still in hand, she nodded down to the younger Jedi, “It’s definitely worth a try, Val.” She said before her feet slowly started to take her in that direction. Moving almost silently, whilst paying attention to both directions of the hallway, Aren snuck closer to the door, her ears open and listening to anything that would indicate there were still people inside. One hand rested against the door, Aren pushing out with the Force to sense any inside. The older Jedi took a deep breath, eyes closed for just a moment before she punched in a code on the control panel next to the door and opening it.
Val watched his mentor closely, following her footsteps exactly. He was confused when Master Aren didn't give him any information and just started punching in the code, it was too late to ask for any so he got ready to dive in and make a move before the enemy could. As soon as the door slid open he jumped into the room landing with a somersault and coming to rest in a crouched position both lightsabers poised but not yet activated. There were no guards. He stood up, horrified at what he saw. His grip so loose on his sabers that he almost dropped them. He saw all of the workers, dead. Each one shot at least once. They showed no mercy to these innocent people. Val turned away violently and walked solemnly into his Master. He buried himself in her robes for comfort. His face almost in tears. He needed to calm down. His mind racing, trying to justify why they would do such a thing. He felt terrible for not stopping and helping earlier. Finally once the shock had subsided he realized that this is why he wanted to be a jedi. To help those who cant help themselves against such an evil. He took a step back from his Master, studying the floor. “We must right the wrong done here Master. I passed these people and didn't help. I will make sure they did not die in vain.”
“You had something else to accomplish first, Val. You didn’t have much in the way of choices.” Aren said, trying to comfort the boy as the dark scene lay out in front of them. “All of these people knew of the dangers of helping with such an enormous task of helping Naboo against its enemies. This is not your fault.” the Jedi Knight said, kneeling down to see her Padawan at eye level, taking his forearm as she spoke. “We will do what we can. I promise.” she said, giving a small, reassuring smile to Val before she stood again. Stepping away from her Padawan, she looked up and down the hallway, taking notice that it was still clear.
“Come now, we don’t have much time. We should get to the control room so we can figure out how to stop them from harming more people. Follow me, Val.” she said, looking back to assure her Padawan in their mission. They had to do this, and quickly, otherwise the station, its workers, and even Naboo could be put in great danger.
Val’ko nodded, showing his Master he understood. He was reenergized, focused on helping as many people left as possible. His Master took off down the hallway and he kept right on her heels.
It took them no time at all to near the control room. They both slowed to a hushed crouch walk. Val’ko started sensing the people inside. He was sure Master Aren felt them too. As Master Aren peeked around the corner Val’ko peeked around her, there weren't many in the control room and the door was left wide open. They must be in a hurry to be so haphazardous. Val ducked back behind the wall and waited for his Masters command.
Aren took a deep breath as she watched Val duck back behind her after checking out the room. Something didn’t feel right, these men were too open, too vulnerable. Yet they sat in one of the most important rooms in the Orbital Station, a room that held numerous amounts of information and intel on the Republic and the relief mission on Naboo.
“When I move in, Val, follow right behind me.” she whispered, looking sternly to her Padawan before she took a readied stance. She took another deep breath before she stepped forward, her body turning into the doorway, her lightsabers pulled from her waist, holding one in each hand as they ignited.
“Now now, Jedi, not so quick.” said one of the pirates, standing in the center of of display of security screens with two others sitting on either side of him.
“We have you cornered.” Aren retorted, stepping forward more after Val joined her in the room. Sabers held defensively, she watched the man’s back as he moved side to side ever so slightly. “Release the rest of the prisoners and leave this station-”
“Oh we’ll leave,” the man interrupted suddenly, “but we’ll kill you, the rest of the prisoners, and take what we came for first.”
Val’Ko started feeling uneasy the second the man didn't turn to face them, He was expecting them. “Master.” Val uttered in a hushed and clearly worried but ready voice. Only just after he finished talking the door just behind them slammed closed. Val’Ko turned to see two more pirates appearing from either side of the door. They were wearing masks, not the usual pirate masks either… Gas masks. Val backed up pressing his back into his Masters. Sabers at the ready knowing that fighting would soon ensue. There were a total of seven pirates in the room, it there was more than enough space and multiple levels. Fighting their way out would be far too easy. So why were they so confident?
Then it hit him, literally. The air tasted funny. The first deep breath made his lungs scream in pain, his eyes started to water and his nose and mouth burned. It felt like his exposed skin was being stung by a million tiny needles. His breaths became shallow trying not to take in much of the gas, he felt his Master breathing do the same. Now he understood their confidence.
The pirate clearly in charge turned around addressing them both. “I am Honno Krisnaka, and your Harbinger of Death.” He spat his words with pure hatred. At that moment all the pirates started firing on the two jedi. It took everything Val had to stay focused on deflecting the incoming blaster fire. He couldn’t even think of a counter in this state. All of his senses were on fire and he could hardly see. He pushed into his Master hoping she would know what to do. The pirates on the lower deck were busily tapping at the computers clearly looking for something. One of them turned around and gave Honno the thumbs up. “It looks like we have gotten what we came for. I'll leave you two here to die.” Honno said as he calmly walked towards one of the exits. His hand shot above his head and made a circular motion, beckoning all his minions to follow him as he left. The remaining six slowly made their way around the jedi and towards the same exit their leader just left from. With the door open, the gas had started to thin. Val’Ko and Master Aren were now backs against the wall opposite the door all the pirates were fleeing from. Val’s focus faltered for just a second as he tried to move and something on the wall caught his robes. He turned off his sabers so he could wiggle out of his cloak and before he could turn them back on a blaster bolt was already headed for him. It was too late. He jumped, hoping he could make it out of the way. The blaster caught his leg. It was painful, it wasn't even a direct hit but with the now open wound on his leg being exposed to the gas it was a whole new world of pain. He landed flat on his stomach. He looked up to see Master Aren deflect a bolt headed straight for him. The door between them and the pirates closed.
Val got up and hobbled his way to the door they had entered from across the room from where the pirates just fled. He fumbled with the door controls. The door flew open and fresh air rushed in. Or the gas rushed out, Val’Ko didn’t care which one he just knew it was getting better. He slumped down to the floor and lay still. His eyes closed his chest rising and falling with deeper breaths than before. Recovery was slow. Master Aren knelt down next to Val turning him over to examine his wound. He knew they couldn’t spend much time here, and he knew he would need to use the adrenaline pumping through his system. He sat up, his eyes clearing, finding his Master and giving her a determined look. He tried hiding the pain in his eyes. She seemed to understand and helped him up. He was going to be slow but he wouldn't let this stop him. “Let’s catch them Master. I will have plenty of time to heal and rest after this.” His voice was shaky but confident. His mind was made up and his body would have to deal with it. He started towards the security camera screens scouring each one to find where the pirates had gone.
Through the flurry of blaster fire and the assault on their bodies with gas, Aren managed to keep her focus even through the immense pain she was feeling in her lungs. She kept Val close, deflecting the last bolt as the pirates hurried from the room. As she examined Val and the wound on his leg she kept her senses pushed out just in case anyone else was coming for them. With the gas clearing out of the room, Aren started to focus more on Val and his wound. Luckily it was nothing too deep, for they couldn’t afford an injury that would take out one of his limbs.
Helping him up, Aren listened to his words and felt the determination and adrenaline oozing off of him like blood in an open wound. She didn’t have time to argue, or to properly assess his wound. Watching him move to the security screens, Aren hurried over next to him and examined the panel. Seeing a few smaller lights flashing in a row, Aren’s eyes moved to the screens as well as they hoped to find the fleeing pirates.
“They downloaded plans, Val. That’s what they were here for. Who knows what information they stole.”
“Whatever it was we can’t let them leave with it right Master?” Val’Ko said through clenched teeth. “We better hurry so that we can catch them. I'll be right behind you Master.”
Master Aren and Val’Ko take off for the bay all the pirates had amassed in. The hallways were empty except for the occasional unlucky worker who got in the pirates way. Val tuned them out. He focused on getting to the bay as fast as possible wincing almost every time his right foot hit the ground, pain shooting through his quad where the blaster bolt landed only moments ago. Master Aren was quite a bit ahead of him, she made it to the bay door before him and managed it open. The sight beyond was troubling. A few of the smaller ships were already taking off, including the Pirate leader Honno’s personal fighter. Their largest transport ship still loading a few pirates was still grounded. It looked like one of the pirates in the cargo hold of the ship was holding onto a data pad. “Master, I can see the one with the plans.” He pointed as he got through the door and into the bay. “Master, throw me. I can’t run fast enough, I won't make it before they leave.” Val looked into his Master’s eyes, asking for her permission to make such a risky move.
Hearing Val’s request and seeing their chance to retrieve the stolen data dwindling, she only took a few moments to make her decision.
“Be careful, Val.”
Using the Force, she picked up her Padawan and threw him in the direction of the ship’s open cargo bay.
Val’Ko soared through the air towards the ship. Sabers ignited and ready he spun so that he would land on his left leg, protecting his already injured right. He rolled through the hold catching the knee of one of the pirates on his way through. He screamed in pain as the others turn to fire at Val’Ko. Val jumped for the pirate manning the door so that he wouldn’t get stuck in the ship. They had taken off.
Seeing the ship start to take off, intending to leave the bay as quick as possible, Aren reached out with the Force and took hold of it. Both hands and arms outstretched, her eyes closed as she put all of her focus into keeping the ship in the bay, and keeping her Padawan from becoming a prisoner to the pirates. If the ship got away, she wasn’t sure there would be another working vessel she could use to go after it. She needed to keep it here, to keep Val safe, and to keep the pirates from selling off the valuable intel to anyone willing to pay.
He was moving too slow. The ship was already in the air. He reached the door controls cutting down the pirate standing near them. He flipped the handle to Open, as the door stopped its motion up and started back down. There were two left in the bay with him, save for the one with only half a leg. One of them was trying to drag their buddy into the main cabin as the other sighted in on Val. They fired. He deflected the bolt right back at him, sending him to the floor. As the last one dropped his buddy to grab his blaster, Val leaped at him, reaching his chest with just the tip of his lightsaber blade. The pirate half conscious from blood loss flipped over as if he was protecting something. Val turned him over to find the data pad they had stolen the plans with. Val snatched it up and jumped out of the cargo hold of the ship as it lurched forward and out of the bay. Val’Ko hit the ground, data pad smashing against the deck. He was limp and in a ball. Mission accomplished just in time for his adrenaline to wear off. Val could hardly move. Everything hurt.
His vision was fading, he raised his head making sure the data pad was on the deck with him. Once he found it he reached out but before his fingers could reach it everything went black. He had reached his limit.
Aren was next to her Padawan in a heartbeat. She watched as his mind gave in to the exhaustion and pain his body was fighting. They had done it though, the data was back in their hands, and the pirates gone. Taking Val in her arms, Aren took a moment to look around at the havoc that had been caused. She knew it wasn’t just their bay and this one that had been hit, there would be more. More wounded, more casualties, more damage to clean up. Val’Ko came first, but as soon as she found somewhere safe for him to rest, she would have to start assessing the damage to the rest of the station. There were reinforcements to call for, injured to help, and bodies to clean up.
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