notallofus | (no subject)

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For someone raised in the Jedi tradition, sometimes Kanan feels like he should be bothered less by the clinical nature of his current surroundings. But everything in this pharmeceutical lab is so medical, it's almost like he's waiting for droids to swarm out of the woodwork threatening to give him shots.

Which is painfully ridiculous, not least because what's likely to come swarming out of any currently-closed doors is a patrol of stormtroopers. If he and Hera start tripping alarms, that is.

Which they won't. This op is going smoothly so far, and with any luck and no judicious use of the Force at all, that trend ought to continue until they pass the supplies they're carrying -- well, pushing -- off to their contact here on Sesid.

Sometimes it's nice visiting a planet that has its own homegrown rebellious population.

"Lab 31. We're almost there."

Just two more doors. Then a run through a series of underutilized storage spacees and out by the docks. Piece of cake.

Sure.

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"Well, that's why we're not going to go in it."

Hera takes a deep breath, still leading the path forward, though also looking over her shoulder to ensure they're staying together.

"Spectre-3 can trigger the emergency stop, we'll just need it when we get on and off. We'll have to be fast, but it'll take us right to the loading dock."

She looks back to him now, with an expression that clearly says, Can you think of a better plan?

Kanan rubs a hand over his face -- quickly, to minimize the time he's not balancing the cart-and-kids combination with all his focus -- and shakes his head.

"Sounds like it'll work, but I don't have to like it. You sure 3's got enough precision to keep us from having to give any of our friends a boost?"

A Force boost, he means.

"After the second stop, he'll need to leave to rendezvous with us in time," she says. "We'll have to be off before the override's reversed."

No. She's not sure.

He takes a deep breath, holds it in, centers himself, lets it out.

"I'll do what I have to to make it work."

Unless and until she tells him otherwise. Hopefully it just never comes up.

But he can't leave these people here. He won't. He knows Hera's the same.

Hera raises one hand, stopping them short before they reach the end of the hall.

She continues on, stepping carefully to the corner, just barely edging around it before immediately pulling back. One hand reaches for her blaster, while she puts the other to her mouth, signaling the others to be silent.

There's the sound of doors opening, the patter of footsteps, and then doors closing once more. Hera pulls up her comlink.

"Sepctre-3, now."

Kanan starts assembling their party into some appearance of order -- not a line, but with the most mobile getting on the top early, with the least mobile -- and the kids -- at the back where he can judiciously give a little help.

"Go, go, go," he murmurs, touching shoulders when it's someone's turn to climb onto the top of the elevator.

He brings up the rear, of course. Just in case.

"Stay inside, away from the walls," Hera warns. This isn't too difficult - the lift is large, meant to haul large groups and the kinds of carts Hera and Kanan were moving. She helps them move quietly on top of the elevator, taking a few of them from Kanan, and encouraging all of them to sit if they need to - they don't want anyone falling once it's moving.

Once Kanan has stepped on board, she pulls out her comm. "Okay, close the doors and let us go."

The hall they were in disappears, leaving only the dim lights in the shaft above them, as the lift starts to move downward again.

Some of the Draeden wobble as the lift jerks to a start, and Kanan does his best to steady them. With his hands.

Honestly.

"Here, lean on -- yes, like that."

Most of them seem to be doing all right, but he sticks right by the few that are still very unsteady on their feet. If any of them sick up --

Well, he just hopes that they don't. And once he's over by Hera --

"Are we turning left or right once we're out of here?"

"Left."

The lift periodically shudders to a stop, and then resumes again. Her eyes blink between the Draeden, and the passing numbers in the shaft.

"Maybe fifteen meters to the docks, probably wouldn't be accepting a delivery this close to the shift change, but there will probably be guards, maybe three."

She nods to the passing number, "We're almost there."

"Maybe they'll all conveniently have their backs turned."

It's wishful thinking, and Kanan's already moving away from Hera to start chivvying the more mobile Draeden up and toward the front. That should give him time to get the rest of them set up for moving.

He hopes.

And there's the slowdown and the click of the emergency stop.

Great.

Everything's fine.

Hera takes the lead again, stepping out and ensuring the coast is clear before helping the others out of the shaft. It's dark, concrete halls, unlike the clinical environment they'd been in above, but for the moment it seems that they're alone.

A couple of the stronger Draeden come out first, and help her in pulling out the others, and in guiding their carts out onto the floor. Everyone understands they need to be quick, and before long the shaft is nearly empty.

Nearly, but not completely so. Kanan is still on the top of the lift, helping out the last of the Draeden that really need someone to lower them into Hera's waiting arms.

"Two more," Kanan says, voice very carefully calm and not reflecting any hint of effort.

Because things are taking just that little bit too long.

Hera takes the first child, turning as soon as she does to hand her off to one of the others collected near them.

And then she hears it -

At once, Hera grabs her blaster, reaches out behind her and fires into the console next to the lift. It will keep the doors open, but there's nothing she can do to stop the lift now.

She leans over the edge, her hand out, and clenches her teeth to stop from shouting out to him.

"Take her!"

Kanan heaves the littlest kid up toward Hera's reaching hand, guiding her into position with the Force afterward, just for the added surety. It might be stupid, but leaving it up to chance feels like it would be even worse.

"I'm right behind her!"

As soon as the doorway clears, Kanan's going to jump. Force-assists are good for a lot of things, and as long as the kid is away from the door, no one really has to know how impossible this leap is going to be.

It will be all right.

Hera doesn't question, doesn't hesitate. She wraps her arms around the girl, pulling her out of the air, and then rolls back, shoving both of them out of the way of the door as fast as she can.

And into the path of any who might try to approach the door. It's a risk she dearly hopes will pay off.

Edited 2017-04-17 18:17 (UTC)

He hears -- feels? -- Hera hit the floor, and a second later he's shoving down with the Force behind him, propelling himself upward and forward, toward the door.

It would be sensible, perhaps, to push just hard enough to let his hands grab the floor and pull himself upward from there, but Kanan's still not practiced enough at this for those subtle gradations. He manages to hit the floor with his feet, instead, standing perfect and upright just inside the hallway.

At least no one saw?

"Spectre-2, I'm up. Let's go."

Edited 2017-04-17 18:22 (UTC)

She hands the child up to one of the Draeden, and pulls herself to her feet. Hera doesn't speak, but gives him a quick smile before pulling up her com again, and moving ahead to direct the group.

"Spectre-3, you better be ready for us."

Kanan smiles back, quick and crooked, then grabs one of the medical supply carts -- still topped with two children -- and starts moving.

Before they actually get to the guards, he's got to figure out some kind of plan. Unless -- maybe the shift change timing will make things better rather than worse.

Just this once.

Eight meters, they turn a corner, and Hera can see light approaching. She can also hear blaster fire. She pulls out her blaster, signaling Kanan to do the same.

It's not the shift change that's come to save them, though. It's their ride. A boat is hovering above the bright blue water, exchanging fire with the guards. As she gets closer, she sees Chopper fire a blast of electricity at one trooper, taking him down.

"Move, now!" she calls to the others. "They'll have reinforcements coming behind us."

Edited 2017-04-17 18:48 (UTC)

"I've got 'em!"

Kanan draws his blaster now, leaving the carts to Hera, and turns to cover their escape.

Right now it's only another pair of guards, and Kanan barely has to dive behind a crate of supplies before he's able to take them down.

"Go, go!"

They still can't move particularly fast, but Chopper rolls in to take one of the crates, and the others quickly understand where they should be heading. Their contact and his crew seem surprised, for a moment, but then start helping the Draedan aboard, along with the crates. Hera moves alongside them, blaster raised, eyes on the hall they came through.

She can just see movement within it when the last of their party gets on board, and she calls out, "Spectre-1, 3 get on, let's go!"

"Coming, 2!"

Kanan fires off another barrage of blaster bolts, then turns tail and books it for the ship.

It's not that he's relying on his Force-sense to keep him from being shot, because speaking of dead giveaways, he's just --

These guards are not all that great at aiming. So he's mostly not worried, even as he swings himself up onto the boat and gets behind actual cover in order to return just a little more fire.

"I'm on, 3's on, let's get moving!"

The boat pulls away, launching at top speed away from the plant. Hera pulls a couple of their passengers down below the hull to take cover from the blaster fire, returning fire as the new squad takes position along the docks.

"Chop," she yells, "I hope you disabled the perimeter shield!"

His highly offended response assures her that he did, as the boat heads for open water.

"Now she thinks of it!" Kanan gripes, mostly out of reflex, as he lays down another string of blaster bolts to cover their escape.

"Anyone take any hits?"

In order to avoid a hit of his own, Kanan ducks down behind something manifestly not the med-crates. Thankfully.

The plant, and the blasterfire, grow distant as the boat speeds away, and once confident they're out of range, Hera gets to her feet again. There are scorch marks along the hull of the ship, but no signs of serious damage.

There don't appear to be any blaster injuries, either, but the Draedan they'd taken from the lab still look worse for wear. Those who had been able to walk before were clearly using what was left of their strength to get out, and have now collapsed. Some blink and shut their eyes against the bright Sesid sunlight, clearly unused to being outside, and others waver with the movement of the boat.

The girl on the crate closer to Hera asks for water. One of the boat's crew passes to her, dumping the contents of a canteen over the girl. Hera looks away, and turns to see the ship's captain approaching her.

"This wasn't the cargo we ordered."

"You'll notice that's here, too," Hera answers, gesturing to the crates.

Edited 2017-04-18 12:53 (UTC)