Release

[Aila Roas]

Theme​

It had been a long time since she was captured. She wasn't entirely sure how long any more at all. Though she'd kept count of the days, the Empire wasn't exactly kind about letting you keep track of everything, and where she'd ended up now, well, there was little to know which way you were going at all. The Dungeon ships made everything look, feel, sound the same. Cramped up with far too many others just like her, Aila's hope of ever seeing the outside of the Empire again was diminished every day.

This was not her first transportation. After her interrogation she wasn't kept on Mimban long, shipped off to some other colony and set to work. Nor was that the last, her present situation just another in a long line of shipments of bodies that kept the Sith Empire running when no one else was looking.

With the loss of Imperial Hutta, they needed labour on Sleheyron, shoring up their defences after the staggering losses inflicted. Aila didn't know that though, none on the ship knew anything that had transpired in the galaxy since their internment. The energy she'd had to flee had been washed away with time. Still, opportunities presented themselves when they were leas expected, and Aila certabily hadn't expected anything for a long, long time.

They'd pulled into orbit around Deysum, whether they were coming in to land or refuel or what she couldn't say. But it meant, for the time, the ship was on low alert, out among the stars beyond the Empires borders.

Out here, well, anything could happen.

@Vosrik

 

[Devrim Wolfe]

One of Devrim's greatest regrets during his service in the Galactic Alliance was leaving Aila behind back on Mimban so long ago. Their plan was simple — break in, create a distraction, then meet at the rendezvous afterward. Aila never returned. Before Devrim and Toland had been able to act, she had already been interrogated and taken far away to some other prison camp. It was only recently that word had reached the Rebel Commander's ears — they had found Aila, who was currently on a Dungeon ship en route to Sleheyron. It was making a pit stop at Deysum for who knew what, but it certainly wouldn't be leaving with Aila. Not this time.

Blinking out of hyperspace in the Enceladus, Devrim peered through his viewport at the ugly ship that carried the prisoners. He'd been inside one of them before — on Kashyyyk, owned by Trandoshan slavers who had captured dozens of Wookiees to sell across the Galaxy. "Let's bring you back, Aila," Devrim spoke mostly to himself from the cockpit. This time, he was in command of a squadron of men from the Phaeda cell. He wouldn't be going in alone.

He punched the throttle, roaring in at attack speed toward the side of the massive prison ship. "Light her up," he spoke through the comms to his squad member manning the sidecar. Devrim simultaneously squeezed the trigger of his Borstal Heavy Cannon, which shook the Enceladus with the power of each shot. Blasting into the shields of the undefended capital ship, the occupants would surely feel the vibrations and booms of the rebel assault.

@Nightfall​

 

[Aila Roas]

Boom.

Cooped up in her force cage, the ship suddenly rocked with a force, sending her frame into the side wall, the guard outside stumbling before her. Alarms began to blare, thundering in her head as she felt the small bruise well up from slipping into the wall as the power flickered and footsteps and shouts went off down the corridor,

"What in the hell-" the guard outside began to exclaim before another crash smacked into and rumbled across the ship. Whatever it was outside, Aila couldn't help but smile. The punishments the Imperials gave were meant to break her spirit, break whatever rebellion rested in the hearts of all those they captured. For now it seemed, Aila had not broken yet. If anything, they had only hardened her, made a reality for her what she had always known about the Empire, why she had run in the first place. Something that made her now only want to fight.

So when that fight came to the Imperials? Well, she couldn't help but celebrate.

Watching the guard before be thrown back, the power flickered once more, the door to her force cage sparking on and off. A trio of deep breaths, she focused, timing herself to leap through. The countdown in her head reached one, and she threw herself through with a cry, narrowly avoiding the beam as it threw itself back up once more as she smacked into her cells guard, keeping him down.

Whoever was out there, she meant to get in touch, and get off this damn thing.

@Vosrik

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the delay! Was just checking with plot team if we needed to use dice (and nope, this is just self/dm :D)

 

[Devrim Wolfe]

Two more payloads were released by the Borstal Heavy Cannon, and the shields of the Dungeon ship were beginning to weaken considerably. A shout of victory echoed from the voices of Devrim's companions. "Nice work, men! Keep up the shooting and we'll be through in no time." But the prisoner craft would not be broken so easily. Despite not having an escort, it was still a tough nut to crack — with defenses and firepower of its own. Turrets were manned, and heavy turbolaser fire began launching at the Enceladus. Devrim gritted his teeth, reefing on the controls to narrowly avoid an incoming blast. "I'm going topside to reduce the turrets firing at us. Blast those cannons!"

Bobbing and weaving through the stream of autoblaster fire, a few shots landed on Devrim's shields. Warning lights lit up the cockpit but were subsequently ignored by the Rebel Commander. He couldn't take many more hits from the autoblasters, never mind the turbolasers. If one of those hit home, then they'd be in trouble. Thankfully, Devrim had plugged in some modifications on his Enceladus not too long ago — the XXX Sublight Booster gave him that extra oomph he needed to artfully evade incoming heat.

Making a strafing run across the top of the Dungeon Ship, the quad-cannon found its mark and two bursts of sparks and flames blasted wreckage into space. Two of the autoblasters had been disabled — a credit to the marksmanship of Wolf Squadron. Wheeling around for a second pass, those piloting the Dungeon Ship's turrets had finally gotten a hold of the situation and fired as one upon the Enceladus. "Hold on!" Devrim called out to his companions as he took immediate evasive action. Ducking behind the ship's gigantic thrusters, he continued with a second strafing run along the ventral side of the gigantic prison craft. More of the Heavy Cannon's shots landed, causing further damage to the shields and hull.

Although he was unable to sense much other than the emotions of his own men, Devrim reached out to feel what he could on the Dungeon Ship. There was fear, desperation, and hope. Rebellions were built on hope — if the Rebel Commander could free everyone on the ship, then they'd be able to bring more soldiers to the cause. Devrim could only hope that those inside could use the opportunity of the confusion to escape or gain the upper hand over the prison guards.

@Nightfall​

 

[Aila Roas]

More detonations above as the ship rocked, sending her and her would-be jailer skittering across the floor as they fought, Aila struggling to swipe at him her hands bound as they were. But, from the noises around her, she was not the only one free of their cages.

Shouts, calls from further down the corridor as more figures fell into view, some caught in combat, others sprinting down the hall and away, others rushing toward her. But not guards, no. All in prison uniforms, they were captives just like her, granted a chance to escape this hell hole that they'd been left to rot in. It brought a smile to her face, something of her she'd so often felt before, a little part that had hidden away in her time among the Sith. It brought her back into the present, unlike the guard beneath her that seemed to be swept up and lost among the blows and blasts. All the better then.

Swinging her hands down in a fist, she clubbed them into the mans face, his head cracking against the ground as his eyes closed and his mind lulled into unconsciousness. Her breathing was fast, light, rushed, her heart beating out of her chest. A keycard on the mans side, her shackles beeping as they slid past, unlocking them and freeing her arms.

It was time now, time to escape.

Yanking the key off and sweeping up the mans dropped blaster, she saw the mass of swarming prisoners rushing her way, some fearful, others defiant. They needed a way off this damned ship before it blew,

"With me!" she called out, regaining her strength as she pumped her blaster into the air, the ship rocking once more as blasts hit the side. Instead she turned, and began leading the charge down the hall, sliding open doors, freeing more as they went. Escape pods, that's what they needed to find to blast outta here.

@Vosrik

 

[Devrim Wolfe]

With one final shot blasting forth from the heavy cannon, sensors on Devrim's ship notified him that the Dungeon Ship's shields were finally down. "We're through — get ready to board, men!" the Rebel Commander called out to the rest on his ship. Pushing the thrusters forward toward the closest hatch on the vessel, the Enceladus bobbed and weaved through the oncoming autoblaster fire to reach their destination. However, something peculiar began to happen — one by one, the turrets began to fall silent. Devrim wasn't sure how, but perhaps their assault and the chaos it caused allowed some prisoners to escape their cells. If that were the case, it would only be a matter of time before they overran the ship. Even a dozen highly-trained guards couldn't match the brute force of hundreds of angry outlaws.

The need for evasive maneuvers vanished as the Dungeon Ship's defenses ceased their fire. Reaching the hatch on the prison craft, Devrim brought the Enceladus to it and locked on with the docking tube. Setting the ship on standby, he asked one of Wolf Squadron to stay in the sidecar in case anything showed up. "We won't be long. Though we can't take everyone back with us, I'll be bringing one promising hacker on board." Taking the passage from one ship to the other, the black-clad Jedi dropped down into one of the maze-like corridors that intertwined the length of the Dungeon Ship. All around him were the sounds of blasters, shouts, and desperation of the prisoners trying to either seize control of the ship or escape it entirely.

Having been on one such craft before on Kashyyyk, Devrim knew well how impossible it would be to pick out Aila from the crowd. Capable of holding up to 250 incarcerated beings, she would be a needle in a haystack. Closing his eyes and allowing the Force to flow through him, the Jedi projected his mind outward to all on board. Aila, he called out telepathically. If you are here, I've come to rescue you. Opening his eyes, now all Devrim had to do was wait until she found him. The sound of rhythmic boots caught the Rebel Commander's attention, and he turned to face a squad of armed prison guards.

"There's the intruder — blast him!" one called out behind his mask. Several took cover while others dropped to a knee, opening fire with blasters of varying strength. Commanding his lightsaber to his hand, Devrim ignited it to face the hailstorm of bolts coming his way. Such a display made several pause in their assault, a mixture of shock and fear gripping their hearts as the figure before them openly revealed himself as a Jedi. "We have a Jedi intruder on Deck 1, need reinforcements!" one of them half-shouted into his comms.

@Nightfall​

 

[Aila Roas]

The hallways of the dungeon ship were alight with activity, alarms sounding and lights spinning as the Imperials went into disaster mode.

Served them force-damned right.

Aila could hear combat echoing down the corridors from other parts of the ship, her own little escape attempt clearly repeated across the ship, only one of many desperate peoples fighting to free themselves, a personal little rebellion in a galaxy she had no doubt longed for one. And while she'd had little contact with the outside world since, rumours enough of rebels and mandalorians had filtered down even to the prisoners. Whether they were true or not, she hadn't been able to say. That was, anyhow, until now.

As she led the charge down a corridor, her eyes darting around for guards or escape routes, she instead felt a tingle in her mind, like every part of her mind was suddenly taken hold of. A voice, a familiar voice,

"Devrim" she spoke aloud, stopping suddenly in her tracks. He'd returned. She could feel his presence reach out to her, a feeling she'd not experienced before, only read about. He'd been what she'd studied this whole time, a Jedi. And now here he was, in the fight, in the flesh. She'd wondered if she'd ever meet one, and now it seemed she'd known one for a very long time.

Whatever other thoughts she'd had to process, she was brought back to reality as a blaster bolt struck against the impervium wall by the side of her head. Down the hall guards had found them, taking up position to fire down the hall. But as her focus returned she felt the sweep of the other prisoners charge past her, improvise weapons in hand, seizing the opportunity they'd been given.

She needed to do the same,

"I don't know if you can hear me, but..." she shook her head and tried to find the feeling again, trying to feel its source "I'm coming"

Right. She'd head right.

Firing off a bolt into the guards beyond her, she followed the attack at the rear and split at the next hall, following the feeling toward salvation.

@Vosrik

 

[Devrim Wolfe]

Though he was unable to physically hear Aila's response, Devrim could certainly sense her feelings and intentions. He knew that she heard him and acted upon it. Returning his attention to the guards at hand, the Jedi twirled his lightsaber expertly to deflect bolt after bolt of blaster fire back toward the guards. Gathering the Force within himself, Devrim shot out his left hand at the men, releasing a powerful wave of energy toward them all. It collided almost immediately, blasting the weapons from the hands of the guards and sending them sprawling onto their backs.

Moving forward to take advantage of the situation, the Jedi was interrupted by a group of prisoners rushing in and pummeling the downed guards. Looking sideways at Devrim once the guards were dealt with, they observed him with suspicion, not knowing if he was a friend or foe. "Take control of the ship," the Rebel Commander called out to them. "Seize it for your own and fight back against the Empire who has wronged you." One of the men, after a period of silence, raised his fist and shouted aloud. The rest joined in on the enthusiasm, and they trampled off toward the bridge of the Dungeon Ship.

Reaching out with the Force once more, he sensed Aila even clearer now than before. She had nearly found him, and finally she would be rescued from the grip of the Imperials. Devrim knew she would find a new home among the Galactic Alliance, if she was willing.

@Nightfall​

 

[Aila Roas]

The whole ship was alive now, as she sprinted down the hallways it was as if nowhere was still under Imperial control.

And about damn time too.

She could feel too the... 'idea' of Devrim, his presence somehow through the ship, though she had no idea how. It was simply as if she knew where he was, a tingling on the back of her neck, an instinct in her mind. If this what she thought then... no, she shook her head. There was no space for flights of fancy now, not yet. She wasn't out of here and skirmishes were still going off in other halls.

Rounding a corner she watched as a group of prisoners cut across her vision, charging at some unseen opponent, or after some objective. Allies in the fight. And yet, something different caught her eye through the chaos. The hall opened out into a larger room beyond, a landing bay of some sort where she saw a most welcome sight: Devrim.

Standing tall at the head of a group of troops, it seemed they were at his command. How far the man had come since Mimban, how far the little Alliance had come she'd been told about,

"Devrim!" she called out, she couldn't deny her happiness at seeing him as she pushed through the ship to him, closing the distance as the prisoners around her seemed to begin subduing many of the guards,

"You, you came back?" Aila tried to hold back her emotion, but after so long away, with little thought of escape, here it was, a chance right before her to find the new life she had been searching for for so long.

@Vosrik

OOC: Sorry for the delay!