Ask Plot Outpost Blue - No One Left Behind

[Corran Velt]

Pirate Station
Manaan Region

The transport was stuffy. Eight beings packed practically shoulder to shoulder. Corran didn’t mind the windowless shell of the craft. It was like any other working freighter he had ever been on in his youth. Even back then, not knowing if some junkyard fighter was going to shoot up your hull was ever present. At least they were heading towards something instead of hoping there wasn’t an ambush at the next hyperspace point.

Still, this was different. It wasn’t some warrant being served. It wasn’t spice dealers being arrested on the streets. This felt closer to war. Corran cradled the helmet in his hands. It looked old. Something plucked from an armory on Coruscant, dusted off, and thrown into the fray.

“120 seconds out,” A pilot called back into the cabin, his voice calm as if reporting on the weather.

Corran glanced up at the cockpit, mostly because it was the first words he had heard the entire shuttle ride. He put his helmet on securely, just as the manual had directed. The mask and goggles were to protect from being exposed to vacuum if the seal on entry wasn’t cut perfectly but beyond that, they wouldn’t save you from being jettisoned into space. He checked his light-up tag that hung from his neck. Echo 1. As rookie as he was, Corran had been fighting pirates on the ground in two operations already. That made him ‘senior’ for this mission, at least among the Echo squad.

“Look at that; first shuttle already touched down,” the co-pilot exclaimed to the other. He sounded more green than the one who first spoke. “60 seconds,” the first pilot stated, ignoring his co-pilot.

I guess I should say something. The young Ranger didn’t stand up, he just leaned forward from his strapped-in seat and pressed on the communicator, “Echo squad. You know our objective. We are here to rescue our own and secure identification of our fallen. I don’t intend to join either of those categories. So stay sharp and no heroics. I want us all to be eating cake in the mess hall by dinner time.”

The transport shuttered as it latched onto the hull of the space station and began cutting. Corran stared at Ranger Onn, the most veteran officer he ever worked with. Darmus being here gave the younger Ranger an odd feeling of comfort about this whole thing. That and Onn's technical skills would be priceless.

@Ecclessey

 

[Darmus Onn]

Theme​

Darmus' heart was beating so hard it felt like it wasn't even inside his chest anymore and he couldn't escape the nagging feeling that the rookie was looking at him for some veteran word of wisdom. Kriff, Darmus hadn't done this before, y'all. "rright-" his voice didn't sound so confident, so he fake coughed in attempt to blame it one a soar throat instead of utter anxiety, "-cake sounds good right about now." One of the rangers looked at Darmus like "What the Kriff are you on about," but another seemed to take it as an encouragement, which was all Darmus could really hope for. Karking hell, how he hated this.

His task was sold to him as strictly tech-support. Slice into the pirate base's system to discover the location of the captured ranger, direct the strike team towards it and then back out. No one said that he needed to be on the kriffing station to do it. No one said he was going to be part of the strike team itself. A loud clank was the starting bell for the eight of them to crawl through the small hole and enter the station proper and Darmus did so reluctantly, which is to say he did so with a sigh and a "Let's get this kriffing over with."

The DC-17 blaster pistol was in his hand and for the first time in forever it wasn't set on stun. These pirates had killed fellow rangers and thus the sentiment on this mission had been clear. No prisoners. No stun setting. Make them pay.

Darmus was the fourth to leave the transport and he was surprised that it was all quiet. It seemed like they breached someone's quarters and thus found themselves even more cramped than in the transport itself, but at least there hadn't been an ambush waiting for them and that meant something at least. What, Darmus didn't know, but he also wasn't really thinking that clearly. "So, guess-" he began, but was cut short by a hand-sign from a fellow ranger who positioned himself to the left of the door and motioned him to stand behind him. Proper procedure was to cut the chatter while on the station and it was kind of embarrassing that a ranger with over twenty years on the job had to be reminded of that. Everyone knew that they were heading for a control room and most of of Echo Squad, that is to say probably everyone but Darmus, had studied the maps about this type of station extensively. They knew where they were going...


@TerranSteel

 

[Corran Velt]

The entry point wasn’t ideal, but the infiltration team hadn’t been discovered immediately, so things were going better than the first wave already. Nineteen. That was the number of pirates on this section of the station. That was more than Corran had encountered during land-based operations all together. The briefing also said Alpha and Omega groups were going to encounter a similar number. Had all the pirates sheltered onto this station for a reason? Corran just hoped they could make it to the Security control room where Darmus could do his work. Sealing blast doors, knocking out cameras and defenses. All that would help make victory that much more likely.

A280C on his shoulder, the young Ranger followed the hand signal to proceed from one of the Echo squad members. The Rangers fanned out into the hallway, with two covering each direction. So far, no threats. The mental map of the station in Corran’s head oriented itself in his thoughts to their location. He had memorized the overlay, as per orders, but in the moment it was a tad harder to recall the fine details. Pointing to fingers to the corridor leading to the right, Corran advanced ahead of the squad as pointman.

After some time, the group came to a T-junction in the station layout with one hallway heading to the left and their current path proceeding forward. Corran raised a fist over his shoulder, signaling the squad to stop. Left goes to a medical sub-station, I think. Security control room is further forward. The rookie double-checked his thoughts and jogged across the hallway. Halfway across the gap, his backpack was riddled with two blaster bolts. He dove to the ground on the other side of the wall as smoke fumed from the two exit holes in his gear. Slamming his back to the wall, both to douse the burning fibers and cover himself, Corran glanced around the corner of the T-junction and another blaster shot pinged off the wall.

The space brigands already knew the station was under attack, they just didn’t know from where and how many. One pirate was in the hallway, likely ferrying supplies to the one known hot-zone where Alpha and Omega had landed. Corran silently gestured Contact, one enemy. Hallway.

If they could take out this obstacle quickly, they could move onto getting to the security station.

@Ecclessey

 

[Darmus Onn]

Before Darmus fully realized what was happening Corran dove to the ground and gestured something to the rest of Echo Squad. Tightening his grip on his pistol, Darmus was about to head across to Corran when the designated breacher of Echo Squad pushed him back, shouldered his rifle and aimed it to the left as he moved forward very slowly. At least, it seemed slowly to Darmus, who had his heart in his throat and felt like he was going to be sick. Regardless, the breacher fired a single shot and the sound of a body dropping was clear to the entire squad. "Hostile down," the breacher stated and moved into the hallway with another squadmate to confirm his kill.

Darmus felt like dead weight. Sure, he was a good detective and a self-proclaimed amazing slicer, but what these guys were doing had nothing to do with ranger work. This... this was straight up military stuff. However well the veteran ranger performed on that protection detail with Corran, that was when he wasn't expecting trouble. Now, though, now he couldn't stop thinking about blaster bolts hitting his face when he least suspected it. Somewhat.. or rather miles out.. of his comfort zone, Darmus moved to Corran and extended his hand to get him up. Meanwhile the breacher tore open some kind of side panel and another member of Echo Squad stuffed the body inside. The panel barely closed again and wouldn't hold up under close inspection, but with the station under attack from multiple fronts the pirates probably wouldn't have the time to do that anyway.

"I got a bad idea," Darmus suddenly blurted out, "That control room is probably the best secured place on this station." he shrugged at Corran and pointed into the hallway that went to their left, "but what if ask the doctor or a wounded pirate-" he trailed off a bit as if he was already second-guessing himself, "-in their med-bay where they keep their prisoners?"


@TerranSteel

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran gladly took the extended hand of his partner and used the leverage to hoist himself up. His legs felt temporarily weak but the rookie steadied himself. His mind began anxiously running through what might of happened if he had been just a hair of a second faster. The young Ranger didn’t want to dwell on those unhelpful scenarios. Once Darmus had finished his own thought, Corran replied with a breathless chuckle, “You’re right. That is a bad idea.”

Bad as it was, the concept wasn’t without merit. Ranger Onn was likely right that the security control room was one of the most fortified or guarded locations on the station – especially after the first wave. Corran hated to deviate the from the plan, but a frontal assault on a defended position was bad strategy 101.

“I don’t think the locals will be cooperative,” the younger Ranger said in a low voice and his eyes glancing down both passage ways, “but that med-station will likely have some record of discarding the deceased or patching up the prisoner. Might even be a station terminal in there. Good thinking, sir.” Corran tapped the side of his head before shouldering his rifle and moving down the corridor. He tapped the breacher who had finished hiding the body to take point and the other members of Echo fell into line. Once in formation by the door, the breacher hit the door controls and both men barged in and swept the med-station with their gun barrels. Empty.

“I think we waxed the medic back there,” Corran suggested to the Ranger who had shot the pirate, who just shrugged in reply. If this medical post was empty, it meant that the other assault force hadn’t made their way deep into the station yet, wounded weren’t making it to this med-station or Alpha and Omega weren’t leaving wounded.

Pointing rapidly with two fingers, Corran directed the members of Echo to watch the two doors that allowed an entrance from front and back. Once that was done, he began rifling through the med-post. On one of the resting beds sat a datapad with the screen still lit up. Scooping it up, Corran began pressing through the device before the screen could lock. On the datapad were inventory logs for bacta and bandages used, drugs (legal or otherwise) distributed, and an allergy or two. Evidence was gathering that they had shot the medic. “Ah ha. Here we go.” Corran opened a file that held in sign-in/sign-out records for patients. By the notes, it looked more like it was kept to make sure fellow pirates weren’t pillaging their own medical supplies than accuracy in medical care. He went to the time-stamp near the first failed assault.

There they were. The names of the fallen Rangers. Some of the names were crudely spelled and their causes of death described in cruel details. The biggest notes next to their names was what loot had been gleaned from each corpse. The total count for the first wave was all there except one. Corran pocketed the pirate datapad and began rummaging through drawers to find any further evidence of the deceased. “I’ve got records of the fallen Rangers. Seems there might be one survivor. No location data.”

The rookie pulled open the bottom drawer on one the counters and it revealed a small stash of Ranger badges. Likely souvenirs or trophies kept by the pirates. One even had blood on it. The name Sector Ranger Orn was still legible. Corran hesitated for a moment, then began pocketing those too in his pack.

@Ecclessey

 

[Darmus Onn]

As Corran rummaged through the drawers, Darmus stood idly by thinking about their next course of action. One survivor meant the world, but if they lost even one member of Echo Squad, would it still be worth it? It was bad of him to ponder the question, but he had simply expected them with more of their comrades than...

One of the two doors into the med-bay slid open and large weequay looked straight in the barrel of Echo Squad's two-man guard team. "Waaaaiit!" the weequay cried and raised his arms slightly, which prompted Darmus to make the worst mistake of his career; raising a hand to not engage, the veteran ranger raised his left hand to catch the pirate's attention, "Are you keeping a ranger captive?" but to his confusion the weequay merely shrugged and then displayed a mean grin as on either side of him barrels appeared and a second later the two-man guard team was blasted and dropped with a loud Umpf either dead or dying.

His heart sank as Darmus watched the two men of Echo Squad fall in shock. The other four members of Echo Squad and Corran weren't in line of fire due to an angle in the med-bay, but Darmus locked eyes with the grinning weequay. "Aye we got one prisoner-" the pirate laughed, "-but you too old to sell!" The pirate went for his own blaster and all Darmus could think of doing was diving to his left and seeking cover behind the bacta bath.


@TerranSteel

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran instinctively swiveled on his heels, eyes looking down-range, as soon as the ‘conversation’ finished between the pirates and Darmus. The angle of the medical post prevented direct line of sight, so he advanced quickly into view of the situation but he was too slow. The blasters that extended under the bulbous ones raised arms were surprise few saw coming. Red flashes lit up Corran’s face as two Rangers were gunned down in seconds. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl. The young Ranger was already pulling the trigger before the bodies of Echo squad hit the eggshell white floor. One bolt struck the large weequay, who yelped in surprise and tumbled over, slid down a medicine cabinet. One of the pirates behind the big pirate took a bolt to the throat, falling to his knees and then into the afterlife.

By now the other two members of Echo rounded the same angle and began fired controlled bursts into the two remaining pirates. One Durese pirate only made it through the doorway before his corpse met the sterile floor. The final one took a blaster shot in the back as he turned to flee, extinguishing his life as well.

A cough and groan came from the medicine cabinet. Without fanfare, Corran marched around an examination table and raised the barrel of the A280C. “No, wait!” The large weequay bellowed before a flash of red scorched his chest cavity. “Targets neutralized,” the rookie spoke coldly. Four more down. Fourteen left.

As the surviving members of Echo squad began dragging the bodies out of the hallway, Corran knelt down to the fallen Sector Rangers and checked their pulse. Lifeless. He closed their empty eyes and yanked off their badges, adding them to the stash in his pocket. The young man felt a rush of conflicting emotions that shoved against his internal barricade of discipline and professionalism. Shock over taking his first life. Remorse over the tragic loss of comrades. Wrath. Wrath at the pirates and… at Darmus.

“Damn it, Onn!” Corran grunted practically through gritted teeth to keep his voice down, “This isn’t a karking parking ticket.” The rookie couldn’t see Darmus, as the other Ranger had wisely taken cover, but Corran made sure his partner could hear him. “When you see a pirate, don’t karking ask them for a written statement.”

All of this was unfair. Probably directed in the wrong place. It was likely mostly just venting from a confused and overwhelmed young man turned cop, forced into soldier. A deep exhale signaled that the tirade was over. The pirates outnumbered Echo squad by a large margin still and they were no closer to finding the prisoner, besides knowing there was one. Any more mistakes like this and the operation was going to end up like the first wave. All body bags.

@Ecclessey

 

[Darmus Onn]

Darmus' heart sank and all he could do was sit in the very spot he had dived away at. Corran was right. What had he been thinking? That it works in bad holoflicks doesn't mean it works in reality... that's why it's a bad holoflick. If it was up to him he would go home, lean down in his couch and order bad su'shi in a futile attempt to forget about all this. Unfortunately they were still stuck in that kriffing pirate station and chances were he was never getting home to Coruscant.. if he even deserved to..

He didn't try and justify his actions to Corran and what remained of Echo Squad. Their looks of sincere disgust made it clear it wouldn't make a difference anyway. Getting back to his feet he walked over the the corpses of the pirates and searched them for clues, finding a small keycard with the words "Cell Block" scribbled alongside its edge. "Got a keycard," he said, holding it up for the others to see before he pocketed it and continued through the door into the hallway the pirates had come from.

It was rather risky to lead, but Darmus felt that if they were to walk into an ambush now he was the only acceptable casualty after what he'd done. The hallways was surprisingly empty and it didn't take him long to find the small prison block and the locked door with the security panel besides it. "Please be a fit," Darmus muttered as he retrieved the keycard from his pockets and swiped it across the panel's reader. A second later the door opened and he was staring into the seemingly abandoned cell block.

Moving in together with Echo Squad and Corran, Darmus quickly searched the cells. "Hello? Anyone in here?"

@TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Bast Emblai]

Bast opened her dry mouth to cry out a response. To let them know she was alive, if barely. She lay a crumpled heap against the cold cell wall, her chest rising and falling unevenly. They had killed Orn and taken her, beat her, tortured her. She had no count of days she had been captive, witness to a massacre. She had never been on the receiving end of the brutality she tried so hard to stop. The bright, unrelenting light above her hummed loudly. She felt as if she might vomit, if she had anything in her stomach. She thought she might be beginning to hear familiar music in it, playing over and over and over. She doubted she could survive much longer, yet strangely, the interrogator had not come into the cell for his session.

The cell door slid open. It had only been secured with a simple lock because the pirates had badly damages Bast’s exo-spine in their beating, leaving everything below her neck paralyzed. There was no way she could escape on her own, and she had doubted she would be rescued after all this time... or perhaps it had simply been a few moments... she did not know. She opened her eyes to the stabbing pain of the light to see who had entered. Two men... one familiar... her head hurt. Corran. Rangers had come. Bast knew her situation should have been humiliating, but she felt a wash of joy. She mustered her energy to form a grateful smile. “Thank the ss...un”.
@TerranSteel @Ecclessey

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran swept the room with his rifle as he entered the cell right behind Darmus. He wasn’t sure what he would find, but few things could have prepared him for what was there. The young Ranger hadn’t seen her since Jakku. Corran lowered his blaster and carefully walked over to the battered woman, as if he measured each step to avoid an undue harm. “Ranger Em… Emblai,” Corran’s voice was shaky, but battling to keep his discipline, “We’re here… here to…”

The rookie fell to his knees next to the prisoner, his eyes watery, “Damn it, Bast. We’re going to get you out of here.” Corran fumbled around his pack until he managed to find a canteen. “Here, drink. It’s water.” Based on how Bast’s body lay limp, it was obvious that she was paralyzed. No amount of first aid would help now. She needed a dedicated medical station or hospital. Corran made sure to bring the canteen to Bast’s lips and not to tilt it too far back to drown her.

The entire plan was crumbling before their very eyes. Even getting this far into the station had cost more lives and getting out might be even more treacherous. Bast couldn’t even be walked out of here. That’s when it hit him. There was a hover-chair just outside the cell area. Is that how they had been transporting Ranger Emblai around after they broke her artificial spine? Were those four pirates they waxed her torturers?

Corran turned his head to one of the members of Echo, “Grab that transport chair from the hall.” His eyes then turned to Darmus. Despite the casualties, Ranger Onn had led them all here, keycard in hand. The young man couldn’t read the emotions of his more experienced counterpart. He prayed the earlier tirade hadn’t severed their working relationship. “Darmus…” Corran started, his eyes still teary, ”We need to get her to the shuttle or an escape pod, at least. She’s paralyzed. Will you help me lift her into the chair?”

@Ecclessey
@Kestrel

 

[Darmus Onn]

Darmus nodded in reply to Corran and helped him lift the paralyzed ranger up into the hover-chair. She had seemed light, but the artificial parts had definitely made her heavier and lifting her into the chair in a way that didn't risk further injury was -surprisingly- quite the task. Darmus would usually make a joke about about what they'd been feeding her, but under the current circumstances he wasn't in the mood for joking around... and he knew the others certainly weren't.

With ranger Emblai in the chair, Darmus turned back to the door they'd entered through, "Alright, nothing to it now-" he began, but he sounded anything but confident, "-just go back the way we came."

With Bast in the middle, Echo squad made their way back through the med bay and had almost made it back to their shuttle without issue when they heard voices around a corner. "Control said we got a hull anomaly here," a rough voice said and someone else, equally rough but female, replied "That's Shira the Claw's quarters!" Kriff, Darmus remembered they had breached into someone's personal quarters and if they found the transport latched to it and the hole cut into the hull this part of the station would be on high alert. Motioning for one of Echo Squad to give him a lift against the wall, Darmus put a foot in between the hands and lifted himself up so he head would almost touch the ceiling. He reckoned that this would be the one corner in which a peeking head would have the least chance of getting noticed and he was right. In a mere second of peeking he spotted five pirates, all armed with pistols strapped into hip or shoulder holsters and congregated before the door into Shira the Claw's quarters. "You think she's in?" the rough pirate voice seemed to shudder a little, "If you barge in there and she is, then I don't have to tell you what she'll do to you and your.."

@TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Bast Emblai]

Bast was still trying to process the events that had just unfolded, her sharp mind dulled by sedatives. The water Corran had given her helped her ground herself, if only slightly. She briefly recalled their first meeting, both drinking water but pretending it was spirits. This proves further he does not drink on duty, One less case report to fill out. Bast thought deliriously. Rather quickly, the ranger’s feverish amusement shifted to concern. She had heard his voice break, his hands had been shaking. The ranger was young and fresh, this had likely been the first time he had seen such mass brutality. Picking up another ranger’s dog tags and badge as always a difficult task, even with Bast’s unflinching attitude. Corran had heart, which was uncommon among the steely professionals she worked with, and the even rarer trait was that he showed it as well. Darmus, on the other hand, seemed to seek efficiency and put up brave front, despite being nervous. The slight upswing at the end of his reassurance, though barely noticeable, betrayed unease.

I cannot believe I am alive. I am going to survive this. The relieved thoughts spun in Bast’s head. They were getting so close. "Control said we got a hull anomaly here," The voice grated with a thick Ryl accent. "That's Shira the Claw's quarters," another pirate cautioned. If any of the overheard holding cell rumors were true, Shira was a fearsome beast, tall and menacing. A custodian on the base had told the guard outside Bast’s cell that she kept a colorful array of poisons effective on most sentient species in her desk drawer. Still others said she hid knives in her styled hair. Bast had no doubt there were more than enough lethal weapons in her possession to kill the entire base. Not that she would, she was a high ranking pirate, presumably there to keep order.

“Perhaps it would be wise to avoid taking that route? Or you have a plan?”, Bast offered dryly. She would make as much use of herself as she could.
@TerranSteel @Ecclessey

 

[Corran Velt]

By now, it had been learned that peeping around a corner was always a risk and Darmus had quite cleverly found a way to do it to reduce notice. The voices alone confirmed pirates, but the veteran Ranger was able to get a tally of five. The harrowing experience of fighting in the station corridors had also provided lessons on firing blasters. It would take an incredible amount of luck or skill to incapacitate five enemies and the shooter would be at least partially exposed the whole time. It would take something else.
Corran shook his head at Bast’s questions, “No way around. Our ride is through that group of pirates. A plan? I’ll use a little trick Lt. Kal Dross showed me on Cona.”

The young man crept up to the corner and motioned for the others to stand back. Unfastening a pouch on his belt, Corran produced a concussion grenade. He only had brought two along, so he prayed this one performed better than the same attempt by Lt. Dross.
Kneeling down, Corran rolled the grenade along the side and it glided across the station floor. It silently approached the group of pirates until the detonator stem braced against the floor, stopping it just shy of lethal range. “Huh?” The male pirate voice asked, “LOOK OUT!”

An explosion erupted. The corridor filled with smoke which soon was perforated with panic blaster fire. The pirates likely had no idea what had happened besides an eruption and red streaks of light began slamming against the walls, ceiling, and floor. Luckily, the Rangers were not exposed to the fire and the pirates were likely more in a panic than aggressive. How soon that would wear off and their desire to kill emerged was anyone’s guess.

@Ecclessey
@Kestrel

 

[Darmus Onn]

Look out!

The blast from the grenade deafened Darmus for a second before the smoke filled the upper half of the hallway and the muffled sounds of confused chatter was audible around the corner.. kriff, a miss. Darmus, who had ducked slightly after Corran threw the grenade, rose up and gripped his pistol with tight with both hands. He wasn't thinking clearly and just wanted all of this to be over.. so he figured him rounded the corner and trying to shoot all pirates was the quickest way to do so..

Echo squad leader suddenly pushed him backwards and gave him an angry look that clearly read 'you won't get any more of my men killed'. He then motioned for the other three members of Echo Squad and signaled for what Darmus knew to be a full on assault. Just before the older ranger managed to translate the hand signals the four of them had dashed round the corner and a storm of blaster fire erupted inside the cloud of smoke. Darmus stayed with Bast, as was ordered, and nervously looked at her, the hallways from whence they'd come and then back towards the junction.

Twelve seconds from the moment they dashed into the action the voice of the squad leader echoed back to them, "All Clear, bring in the Vee-Eye-Pee."

Had Darmus not kriffed up the encounter in the med-bay this squad would probably have been able to take out the entire station without losing a single man. They were impressive, to say the least.

@TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

The smoke didn’t quite clear, not like it does planetside; it slowly filtered down the metal hallway floors until it got sucked into the ventilation. Once it was visible enough, the bodies of five pirates lay strewn about the floor. One was laid against the wall with clear vibroblade gashes across his neck. Echo squad must have been some of the best Rangers in CQC or the luckiest. Five pirates down. Nine remaining.

The way, so to speak, was clear. The breacher of Echo squad opened the charred door to the private quarters, where the umbilical to the shuttle remained attached. “We better get going while the route is unimpeded,” Corran said aloud. It took some man-handling, but the hover chair was eventually squeezed through the living quarters and onto the shuttle. The pilots had to be given a signal to open the hatch and even then, they had pistols drawn as it opened. On a station like this, one can’t be too careful.

Bast Emblai was carefully lifted onto one of the seats built into the shuttle wall and Corran pulled the brace down over her. The young man knelt down and pulled out the Ranger badges of the deceased – both recent and those in the first wave – and placed them in Bast’s pockets. He would have given her one to hold, but she was paralyzed. “You can take care of these for me, alright? I know you’re tough enough for the job.” Corran’s tone sounded more like a nurse attempting a good bedside manner than ordering. The young man hesitated for a moment, composing himself, before he rose to his feet and faced the surviving members of Echo, Darmus included.

“I know I’m not in command and our objective is complete, but…” Corran’s voice grew more resolute as he spoke, “Alpha and Omega squads are still here, fighting, to capture the station. I’m going back out there to help them finish this once and for all. You don’t have to come with me. In fact, at least one of us should stay and make sure our objective makes it back to base. But I’ll take all the help I can get.”

The other Sector Rangers of Echo squad glanced about for a moment. A stillness filled the air.

"Hey," the gruff voice of Breacher spoke up, "Count me in." The survivors of Echo squad nodded in agreement. It seems they were taking the station or their names etched on a memorial back at HQ. Corran felt the tension waterfall off his shoulders and couldn't help but chuckle, "Thank you. So who draws the short straw and volunteers to guide Ranger Bast back home?"

@Ecclessey
@Kestrel

 

[Darmus Onn]

Darmus was glad it was all over, but then Corran made his speech and he felt obliged to head back into the station with him and what remained of Echo squad. Thus he nodded towards the junior ranger and was about to voice his approval when the leader of Echo squad pointed towards Bast, "Darmus stays with her-" he stated and the others of his squad quickly voiced their approval. "-don't need more liabilities going back in."

Instantly resigning to his fate, Darmus nodded weakly and went to sit with Bast. "I understand," he muttered, being the last who would ever forget the deaths he had on his conscious and pulled the brace down over himself. "Let's get you to a bacta tank," he tried to smile, but even he knew that with injuries that severe it was a gamble whether a bacta tank would be able to fix her. Best not to mention that now, though..

Once Corran and Echo Squad left the quarters of Shira the Claw to kill every pirate on the station, Darmus would give the sign to the pilots and fly them over to the mother ship so Bast could get her bacta treatment and Darmus could prepare for the stern debrief that would undoubtedly result in his demotion. If he could sink any lower, that is.

@TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran took one last glance back into the shuttle passenger area before the door sealed shut. He wasn't sure who was more wounded - Bast's body or Darmus' confidence. The young man felt partially responsible for Ranger Onn's feelings. He had lost his discipline and shouted unfair things at his older partner. They had been through some tough situations together, including one where Darmus took shots to the gut for him.

Echo squad shut the door to the crew quarters and began welding it shut with fusion-cutters. When that shuttle takes off, the vacuum of outer space would be too strong for the door. As blue sparks were finishing off the edges, Corran grumbled under his breath, "He isn't a liability."

"What?" Echo leader asked, confused and unsure if he even heard the young Ranger correctly. "He's not a liability," Corran said again, more forcefully and with serious eyes. Echo leader stared back, unsure what to make of the exchange. Another Ranger signaled that the door was secure and communicated to the pilots, who broke seal and pushed off into space. There was no retreating out that way now. "Omega and Alpha need reinforcements to finish taking the station. Velt, on point." Echo leader pointed forward with two fingers. Corran nodded and pressed the butt of his rifle into his shoulder, "Roger."

/END THREAD
@Ecclessey
@Kestrel