Star Wars: Survivor's Quest

CHAPTER 20

The aft sections of D-6 weren't as well maintained as the corridor between the nursery and the Jedi Quarantine had been. But the aft turbolift tubes weren't very far, the area was passable enough, and the 501st was what the training manuals would have called "inspired." They made it to the turbolift lobby without further incident, and in probably record time.

Fel had keyed the call button, and they were waiting for the car to arrive, when they got their first hint of imminent trouble.

"It doesn't sound right, Commander," Grappler insisted, the side of his helmet pressed against the turbolift door. "It sounds... it just sounds wrong."

"Wrong how?" Fel demanded impatiently. He was all for caution, but at the same time he didn't want to start jumping at moss creakings, either. Not with Formbi and the others in danger up there. "Does it sound old, rusty, cranky—what?"

"It's too heavy," Watchman decided suddenly, his helmet pressed to the door alongside Grappler's. "There's too much weight there for an empty car."

Fel shot a glance at Drask. "Could it be a problem with the repulsorlift generators?"

"No," Watchman said. "There's some of that, too, but not enough. The car is definitely loaded."

"And we must assume it is loaded with enemies," Drask said. "I suggest, Commander, that we take cover."

Fel grimaced. To run and hide felt cowardly somehow, especially since he still wasn't convinced there was anything but an empty turbolift car on the way. Still, it wouldn't do Jinzler and Formbi any good if he and the 501st got themselves slaughtered like amateurs. And since it was Drask who had suggested it and not he himself, he wouldn't have to put up with any of the general's criticism later. "Defensive positions," he ordered. Glancing around, he located a likely doorway a few meters back down the corridor and headed to it.

The room appeared to be a small duty galley for the engine crews, with dust and broken serving crockery everywhere. Settling himself into a position half straddling the doorway where he could see without exposing more of himself than necessary, he braced his blaster hand against the door controls and waited. The turbolift's hum changed subtly as the car settled into position...

And with a brilliant flash of white, the door exploded outward.

Reflexively, Fel ducked back as shrapnel and pieces of burning plastic clattered down the corridor. Apparently, Watchman and Grappler had been right. The sound of the explosion faded away, and he swung his eye and blaster back around the jamb.

Two armored figures charged out through the ragged opening, firing red blaster bolts in a scatter pattern as they came.

Fel inhaled sharply. After Jinzler's warning he had naturally expected the intruders to be some of Bearsh's disguised Vagaari cronies. But he'd expected the short robe-and-dead-animal-clothed beings they'd gotten used to seeing aboard the Chaf Envoy, not a fully equipped war party. Another pair of Vagaari charged out on the heels of the first two, four snarling and definitely not dead wolvkils emerging with them.

So far, the Imperials hadn't returned fire. It was, Fel decided, about time to change that. Wincing back slightly as one of the random shots sizzled off the bulkhead near him, he filled his lungs. "Halt!" he bellowed.

He hadn't expected any response except possibly better-directed enemy fire, and he wasn't disappointed. All four enemy helmets swung toward the sound of his voice, all four weapons still spitting fire as they tracked him. Coolly, centering his muzzle on the nearest Vagaari's chest, Fel squeezed the firing stud.

The alien staggered back as the blaster bolt blew a cloud of dust and partially vaporized armor from his chestplate. A fraction of a second later Fel had to dodge back around the door controls again as a hail of fire scorched the air where he'd been standing. He ducked down lower and swung his arm around the corner to fire a couple of blind shots in their direction. Out in the corridor, the sounds of the Vagaari weapons had been joined by the BlasTechs' distinctive nasal stutter, and a different sound he assumed was Drask's charric. Still firing, he eased an eye cautiously around the doorway to refine his aim—

Just in time to see one of the wolvkils leaping directly for him.

He dodged backward into the galley. The wolvkil's charge overshot the doorway, and Fel got a clean shot into the animal's flank as it passed.

But the wolvkil merely hit the deck and skidded to a stop, its claws scrabbling for purchase. Without any sign that it had just taken what should have been a killing shot, it turned back toward him. With a roar, it opened its jaws and leapt.

Fel backed up, firing another pair of ineffective shots into the wolvkil's head and shoulders, then dodged to his right, trying to avoid the animal's charge. But the wolvkil wasn't going to be taken in by the same maneuver twice. It hit the ground and instantly made a right-angle turn. Before Fel could do more than fire one last time, it was on him.

More by luck than by skill he managed to deflect the clawed forelegs from his face as he dropped his blaster and thrust his arms forward in a desperate attempt to grab the wolvkil's neck before its teeth could reach him. The animal twisted its head to the side in midair, its jaws clamping hard around Fel's right forearm.

Fel gasped as a stab of pain shocked through him. The animal's momentum shoved him backward, knocking him off his balance and toppling them both toward the deck. His flailing left hand caught a handful of neck fur; tugging hard as he twisted the rest of his body, he managed to turn the animal far enough that they hit the deck side by side instead of with the wolvkil landing on top of him.

Another thud of pain shot through Fel's side from the impact, a jolt punctuated by several sharper, more localized jabs from the bits of broken servingware beneath them. Again, the wolvkil didn't even seem to notice.

Fel tightened his grip on the animal's fur, trying desperately to come up with a plan. His knees and feet were too hemmed in by the wolvkil's body for him to try kicking it, even if he'd had some idea where its vulnerable areas were. His right arm was trapped and useless, and his left hand was effectively immobilized by the need to keep holding on to the wolvkil's neck.

But the animal's eyes were within reach. Maybe.

Fel stared at the dark eyes, trying to push back the agony long enough to think. Letting go of the wolvkil's neck would be dangerous, possibly even fatal. But it seemed to be the only chance he had. If he didn't do something fast, he could lose his right arm entirely, and with only one functioning arm the end would come very quickly. Bracing himself, mentally crossing his fingers, he let go with his left hand and grabbed for the wolvkil's eyes.

That had apparently been precisely the move the animal had been waiting for. With a triumphant growl, it instantly let loose of Fel's right arm; with its head and neck free, it arched its back, its bloody jaws aiming straight at Fel's throat. Fel had just enough time to jerk back, knowing that he'd gambled and lost—

As a white armored hand abruptly appeared in front of the darting jaws.

The wolvkil snarled as it clamped down on rigid plastoid-alloy composite instead of a soft human neck. The snarl quickly turned into a startled yip as it was hauled straight off the deck by its jaws and the scruff of its neck. "Ready?" the stormtrooper called, holding the wiggling animal at arm's length.

"Ready," another voice called back. With a grunt, the first stormtrooper heaved the animal over his head toward the far corner of the room. There was a sputter of multiple blasterfire, and then silence.

"Nice job," Fel said, breathing hard as he started to get shakily to his feet. The stormtrooper still standing over him—Shadow, he was able to identify him now—grabbed his uninjured arm and helped him the rest of the way up. "Perfect timing and everything. Thanks."

"Don't mention it, sir," Shadow said. "How bad is it?"

"I'll live," Fel assured him, studying his arm. It looked terrible, he had to admit, but it didn't feel too bad. Though that could be the effect of the adrenaline still filling his bloodstream. It would probably hurt a lot more in a minute or two. "What happened out there?"

"We got them all," Cloud said, stepping to his side with a bandage and synthflesh tube from his medpac. "Seems their armor wasn't designed with BlasTechs in mind."

"What about General Drask?" Fel asked, trying to look past the two stormtroopers to the door.

"I am unhurt," Drask said, moving into view around Cloud. "I am sorry your rescue was delayed."

"As long as it got here eventually," Fel said, wincing as Shadow tore back his sleeve. "I shot it a couple of times, but it didn't seem to do any good. Look, Cloud, just stop the bleeding and kill the pain, all right? As long as I can use it, everything else can wait until later. So where are the vital spots on these things, anyway?"

"I'm not sure there are any vital spots," Watchman said as Cloud put away the synthflesh tube and concentrated on the bandage. "They look like normal animals, but their internal structure seems to be highly decentralized, with their nervous systems and vital organs distributed throughout their bodies. You have to basically turn the whole animal into chopped meat to stop it."

"I'll remember that," Fel said, eyeing the handful of fresh scorch marks on Watchman's armor. "Anyone hurt?"

"A few nicks," Watchman said, displaying a section of his left forearm where a tiny hole had been punched completely through. "They can wait until we get back to the ship."

Fel looked at Drask. "Assuming there's still a ship to go back to."

"There will be," Drask assured him darkly. "There are still Chiss warriors aboard the vessel. It, and they, will be waiting when we return."

"I hope you're right," Fel said. "Okay, that's good enough," he added as Cloud finished the first layer of bandage and started in on a second. "Is that turbolift car still operational, or did that little entrance of theirs wreck it?"

"It looked all right," Watchman said. "Grappler's doing a more complete check on it now."

"Oh, and the Jedi tried to reach us during the battle," Shadow added.

Fel hadn't even heard the call signal from his comlink. "What did they want?"

"They were warning us there were more Vagaari than we might expect," Watchman said.

"I think we got the message," Fel said, starting for the door. "Did anyone answer them?"

"I don't believe so," Watchman said. "I think we were all too busy at the time."

"Understandable," Fel said, retrieving his blaster from the deck where he'd dropped it. "We'll check in with them on the way up."

Grappler was waiting by the shattered turbolift door, his helmet swiveling back and forth as he kept watch along the various corridors for any other surprises the Vagaari might decide to throw at them. "The turbolift is operational," he confirmed.

"Good," Fel said, leading the way inside. "Let's go."

"What then is the plan?" Drask asked as the car began its slightly tentative rise toward D-5.

Fel braced himself. This went against everything he'd been taught, and was going to be embarrassing besides. But he'd already concluded it was the only way. "The plan, General Drask," he said quietly, "is that I'm requesting you to take command of the Five-Oh-First for the duration of this battle."

It was, he reflected, possibly the most surprised he'd ever seen Drask get. "You are asking... command?"

"As you yourself pointed out, you're a ground officer," Fel reminded him evenly. "I'm a flight officer. This is your area of expertise, not mine."

"Yet they are your command," Drask said. "Do you so easily surrender them to another?"

"Not easily at all," Fel admitted. "But it would be the height of arrogance and pride to risk their lives, not to mention the lives of our companions, by insisting on amateur leadership when a professional is standing by. Don't you agree?"

For a moment Drask just gazed at him, his glowing red eyes narrowed. Then, to Fel's surprise, the general actually smiled. The first genuine smile, to the best of Fel's recollection, that any of the Chiss had given any of the Imperials since their arrival aboard the Chaf Envoy. "Well and artfully spoken, Commander Fel," Drask said. "I hereby accept command of this unit."

He lifted a finger. "But," he added, "whereas I know ground combat, you are far more versed in the design and layout of the particular battleground we find ourselves in. It will therefore be a joint command."

Fel inclined his head. In practice, he knew, joint commands were usually a disaster, spawning conflicting orders, dueling egos, and general chaos. But in this case, he also knew that none of those problems was going to arise. He would be content to feed Drask tactical data and let the general direct the action.

Drask obviously knew that, too. Which meant that the offer of joint command had been made solely as a face-saving gesture for Fel himself, to protect his position and his status among his men.

There were some aspects of the Chiss warrior philosophy that still drove Fel crazy. But clearly, there were other aspects he could learn to live with. "Very well, General," he said. "I accept."

"Good." Drask's eyes glittered as he lifted his charric. "Then let us show the Vagaari what it means to wage war on the Chiss Ascendancy and the Empire of the Hand."

Fel smiled, looking at his stormtroopers. "Yes," he said softly. "Let's."

They attacked Mara together, all three wolvkils charging across the council meeting room like furry proton torpedoes. They leapt to the attack, their primary target clearly the hands holding the strange blue-bladed weapon.

Dodging coolly to the side, she cut them down with three quick slashes.

Across the room, Jinzler and the others in the makeshift refuge were already pushing aside the chairs that had made up the roof. "Hurry, please," Feesa pleaded, pushing away one of the chairs and then bending back down to take Formbi's arm. "Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano is badly hurt."

Mara closed down her lightsaber and hurried over, throwing a quick look at the three Chiss warriors and two young men sprawled on the floor as she passed them. Pressor was already kneeling beside one of the men, but it was clear to her that all five of them were beyond help.

They had pushed over the table and Feesa was helping a shaky and blood-soaked Formbi out when Mara arrived. "Everyone else all right?" she said, glancing around for other signs of injury as she refastened her lightsaber to her belt.

"No one else is hurt," Feesa confirmed, apparently ignoring the line of blood across her own shoulder. "Please, help him."

"Just relax," Mara soothed her, taking a moment to study the three old men who had left the refuge and gathered together against the back wall, as if trying to stay as far away from her as they could. Probably some of the original survivors of the Outbound Flight's destruction, she decided.

"Luke? Mara?"

She lifted Formbi's arm with one hand for a closer look as she pulled out her comlink with the other. "Right here, Fel. You all right?"

"We had a brief tussle with some of the Vagaari and their furry little pets," Fel said. "Watch out for those wolvkils—they're extremely hard to kill."

"Not if you have a lightsaber," Mara told him.

"I'll make a note to start issuing them to the troops," Fel said dryly. "Anyway, we're clear, and heading to D-Five in one of the aft turbolifts. Any new instructions?"

"For the moment, just take out any Vagaari you run into," Mara told him. "We still don't know how many there are, though, so make sure you don't get trapped in an attrition zone. And if you run into any colonists, try to move them somewhere safe."

"Copy. We're on our way."

"We'll be pushing our way back toward you soon," Mara said. "Luke?"

"Right here," his voice came back. "I've put all the wolvkils to sleep, and I'm on my way. What's your situation?"

"Under control," Mara told him. "You might as well not even stop here. Keep going and see if you can drive the Vagaari back toward the Five-Oh-First. I'll finish here and catch up with you."

"Right."

Mara returned her comlink to its pouch and gently let Formbi's arm down. "It's bad, all right," she agreed. "I think you're going to need more than our medpacs can handle. Pressor?"

Pressor looked up from his examination of the other young Peacekeeper, his eyes smoldering. "What?"

"Aristocra Formbi needs medical attention," she told him, wondering at his sudden change in attitude. "Where are your facilities?"

"You mean our medical facilities?" Pressor growled. "For the wounded?"

Mara frowned; and then, belatedly, she got it. Pressor, kneeling beside one of his dead Peacekeepers... "I'm sorry about your friend," she said gently. "But there's nothing we can do for him now."

"So we should instead give our supplies to help an alien?" one of the older men by the wall demanded bitterly. "The very alien who was responsible for bringing these murderers aboard our ship?"

Mara turned to face him. "Look," she said, fighting to keep her voice and temper under control. "I understand your anger. But there's a time for analysis and blame setting, and this isn't it. You've lost two men—"

"Six," Pressor corrected harshly.

"You've lost six men," Mara snapped, resisting the temptation to remind him that none of them would have died at all if Pressor hadn't locked her and Luke away in that turbolift car. "That's the way warfare goes. They were armed, and they at least had a fighting chance."

She nodded back at the door. "That's more than you can say for the rest of the people out there. Unless we move, and move fast, they're all going to die. Is that what you want?"

"So go help them, Jedi," the old man bit out. "Who's stopping you?"

Mara shook her head. "We're not going to do this piecemeal, running around at cross-purposes and getting in each other's way," she said. "We do this together, or we don't do it at all. Our part is to fight. Pressor's part is to tell us where the enemy is, and to assist us."

She leveled a finger at the three of them. "Your part is to stay behind the battle line, treat the wounded, and protect our civilians until we get back. If that's unacceptable, we can leave right now."

"So nothing has changed," one of the other old men murmured.

"Apparently not," the spokesman agreed, his voice edged in bitterness. "Very well, Jedi. We'll heal your wounded. As you command." He drew himself up. "But when this is over, you will leave us. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Mara said, turning her back on him in disgust. "All right, Feesa, you and the Aristocra can go with them. You, too, Ambassador."

"A moment, if I may?" Jinzler asked, stepping up to her. "I'd like to ask you a favor," he added, lowering his voice.

Mara stared at him in disbelief. A favor? "Jinzler, we don't have time for this."

"It's a very small favor," he assured her. "I want you to take Evlyn with you."

Mara frowned past his shoulder at the woman and the girl huddling together uncertainly behind Feesa and Formbi. "You must be joking."

"Not at all," Jinzler insisted. "She has rudimentary Force abilities. And you've already seen how Director Uliar and the other Survivors feel about Jedi. I think she'll be safer with you than with them."

"She'll be safer in a war zone?" Mara countered pointedly.

Jinzler's eyes were steady on her. "Please?"

Mara shook her head in exasperation. But even in her annoyance, she could sense that Jinzler was deadly serious.

And now that she was focusing her attention on the woman and girl, she could feel the gnawing fear within them, as well. A fear that seemed more personal than just the fact that there were armed Vagaari running loose aboard their ship. "Fine," she said with a sigh. "But she stays way behind me where it'll be at least halfway safe."

"Thank you," Jinzler said, beckoning to the girl. "Evlyn? Come on."

Mara shook her head again as the girl hurried toward her. How to make a difficult situation even harder, in one easy lesson. She just hoped it would be worth it.

"Mara?"

She turned to see Pressor coming toward her. "Yes?" she asked in a tone designed to warn him away from any further arguments.

But to her mild surprise, he hadn't come to argue. "Here—you might need these," he muttered, thrusting a pair of comlinks toward her. "Like you said, we have to work together here. These will connect you directly to me and to the other Peacekeepers."

"And there's a channel that cuts through jamming, too," Jinzler added. "Just in case Bearsh finds those controls and turns it on again."

"It's here," Pressor said, pointing out the setting.

"Thanks," Mara said, stuffing the comlinks into her belt.

"Be careful." Pressor glanced at his niece, then over at the old men glaring at them from across the room. "And," he added, lowering his voice, "may the Force be with you."

There were three armored Vagaari standing guard in the turbolift lobby when Fel, Drask, and the 501st arrived. They weren't standing guard for long.

"Power levels seem fine," Watchman said, glancing around. "Their line creepers must not have gotten this far aft yet."

"This will be the last place they will spread them," Drask said. "The Jedi said that the forward turbolifts have already been compromised. The Vagaari must make certain these remain operational if they hope to escape again to the surface."

"Makes sense," Fel agreed, visualizing the ship's layout in his mind. "To be specific, they need the turbolift that connects to the starboard side. That's the only one left that'll get them to D-Four."

"Which means they will have committed a large number of troops to its defense," Drask said thoughtfully. "What do you think, Commander? Would that be a good place for an ambush?"

"Maybe," Fel said doubtfully. "Of course, it's also the most likely place for them to be expecting an attack."

"I did not say an attack," Drask said, his eyes glittering maliciously. "I said an ambush. The aft turbolift cluster consists of six cars, does it not, operated singly or in groups?"

"Should be the same setup as the forward ones, yes," Fel said, nodding.

"And the starboard tube connects with D-Four, D-Five, and the storage core?"

Fel smiled tightly as he finally understood. "Yes, sir, it does," he said. "How do you want to proceed?"

Drask looked at the stormtroopers. "We will assign two to each mission, I think," he said. "Normally I would prefer three or more for the ambush unit, but the Five-Oh-First has shown itself capable of handling unusual odds."

"And if we don't have at least two of them here with us, the Vagaari may notice and get suspicious," Fel agreed. "Watchman and Shadow, how would you like to take a walk?"

"Ready and willing, sir," Watchman said. "Once we've reached the turbolift pylon, what exactly do you want us to do?"

"You will take up position at the point where the tube from the storage core connects with the tube running between D-Four and D-Five," Drask told him. "We will attempt to drive the Vagaari back into the cars. As they lift toward D-Four, we will alert you, and you will destroy them in transit. Can that be done?"

"I think so," Watchman said. "It should be easy enough to lock down one of the cars just below the intersection point and climb the rest of the way into position."

"And as long as you have that one car tucked away out of the line of fire, you can shoot up any of the others that you need to," Fel added. "But make sure that one car stays tucked away, or we won't be able to get back to the surface ourselves."

"And watch out for the same kind of trap Pressor had set in the forward cars," Grappler warned. "They are likely to have wired this group, as well."

"No problem," Watchman assured him. "Now that we know how it works, we should be able to get up onto the roof of the car and either bypass or reroute the wiring."

"Good," Fel said. "Everyone clear on their job?"

There were four nods. "Then carry out your orders," Drask said. "Maintain comm silence unless absolutely necessary—the enemy may be able to locate your transmissions and thereby anticipate your movements. May warriors' fortune smile on your efforts."

Stiffening briefly to attention, Watchman and Shadow returned to the turbolift car. "Now," Fel said as the car's creakings faded into the distance. "What are your plans for the rest of us?"

"First, we borrow these." Stooping, Drask relieved one of the dead Vagaari of his blaster carbine and helmet. "The armor, unfortunately, is too small for us. Still, the weapons may be enough. Choose a weapon for yourself, Commander, and let us plot out our best approach to the enemy."

Cautiously, Luke eased an eye around the jog in the corridor just ahead of him. Somewhere nearby he could sense a pair of vaguely hostile alien minds...

There was a flicker of warning from the Force, and he ducked back just as a pair of red bolts blew pieces of the corner past his face.

"Okay," he murmured aloud to himself. So they were closer than he'd realized, and more than just vaguely hostile. That was handy to know.

"Anyone ever tell you that talking out loud when you're alone is a bad sign?" Mara murmured from behind him.

"When the Force is your ally, you're never truly alone," Luke said gravely, turning around and blinking in mild surprise as he caught sight of the girl trailing silently behind his wife. "We have company?"

"So it would seem." Mara gestured to the girl. "You remember Evlyn, don't you?"

"Quite well," Luke said. "Hello, Evlyn."

"Hello," the girl said, a bit timidly. "I'm sorry about... earlier."

"That's all right." Luke looked at Mara, lifting his eyebrows questioningly.

"It's a long story," she said, "and I only have half of it myself. The short version is that Jinzler thinks she'll be safer with us right now than with her own people."

"All right," Luke said, setting his curiosity aside in favor of more pressing business. "Did you get the message from Fel?"

"The one about us pushing the Vagaari back toward the turbolifts?" She nodded. "Pressor's also heard from one of his people back there. It appears that as long as the Colonists stay out of their way, the Vagaari aren't bothering to shoot them."

"Rather have them die slowly, I guess," Luke said.

Mara nodded. "And to that end, they're also apparently scattering line creepers by the bucketful." She hesitated. "We may not be able to save this place, Luke."

He'd already come to that conclusion. "We'll just have to do what we can," he said. "And the faster we finish off the Vagaari, the less of a problem we'll have. Are any of Pressor's people going to be in a position to help when we start our push?"

"Not really," Mara said. "Four of them are inside current Vagaari territory, but I doubt their antiquated blasters have enough power to punch through that armor. Oh, and it turns out that two of the missing Peacekeepers had only been stunned by the Five-Oh-First as they passed through D-Six and are up and functional again. That helped Pressor's mood a little."

"Happy allies are good to have," Luke said. "Let's keep him that way by telling his people to stay put. Outnumbered and undergunned is a bad combination."

"Already done," Mara confirmed. "Though one bright side is that they're probably not as undergunned as they might have been. The fact that the Vagaari are using charrics and old Republic blasters against us implies they didn't bring any real weapons of their own, but had to loot the Chaf Envoy and D-Four's armory for what they needed."

"Makes sense," Luke said. "They couldn't risk the Chiss picking up odd power readings when they went through scanning their shuttle for line creepers. And of course, that leaves them with the same overage Tibanna gas problem the Peacekeepers have."

"Right," Mara said. "Even so, the outnumbering remains." She hefted her lightsaber. "So I guess it's up to us."

"And the Five-Oh-First." Luke paused, frowning as a distant sound caught his attention. "You hear that?"

"Sounds like blasterfire," Mara said, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. "And lots of it."

"Maybe they've decided some of the Colonists need to die right now after all," Luke said grimly.

"Or else one of Pressor's people decided to be a hero," Mara agreed. "Either way, I think that's our cue."

"Right." Luke ignited his lightsaber. The two Vagaari were still there, he knew, but it was unlikely they would be expecting a straight-out charge. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Again," Drask ordered.

Fel nodded and fired again, sending a short burst from his borrowed carbine into the corridor wall a few meters in front of him, listening to the slightly wheezy and very distinctive sound of the ancient weapon. "Anything?"

"They sound agitated," the general said, holding his appropriated Vagaari helmet up to his ear. "Ah—there is an order."

Fel frowned. "How can you possibly know that?" he asked. "You don't even speak their language."

"There is a tone of command that is the same in all languages," Drask said. "Now we need only wait and see if it is the command we are hoping for."

"They're coming," Grappler murmured, cocking his head toward the corner he and Cloud were waiting beside.

"Stand ready." Drask gestured to Fel. "Fire again."

Fel did so, trying to watch both ends of the corridor at once. Between bursts he could hear rapid footsteps approaching...

Suddenly, with a clatter of armor, they were there: five armored Vagaari, charging to what they thought was their comrades' aid. They got off a single, startled volley before the two stormtroopers cut them down.

"Good," Drask said, surveying their handiwork with satisfaction. "That diminishes the enemy somewhat. Where do you recommend we go next?"

"There's a series of emergency battery rooms back that way," Fel said dubiously. "You aren't really intending to try this same trick twice, are you?"

"Not at all," Drask assured him. "It is time to take the battle to the enemy. The other stormtroopers should be in position by now; let us see if we can drive the Vagaari into reach of their weapons."

"Ah," Fel said. "In that case, we probably want the fluid systems service corridor instead of the battery rooms. There are two access panels in particular we might find useful: one opening into one of the cross-corridors on this side of the starboard turbolift lobby, the other door opening into the lobby itself."

"How likely are the Vagaari to have set up pickets at the entrance to this corridor?"

"Not very," Fel said. "It's narrow and probably not well marked."

"And it offers an avenue of retreat?"

"It has doors to both the main engine room and the secondary command complex," Fel told him. "We could hold off a small army from either place."

"Excellent," Drask said. "Take us there."

Cautiously, keeping an eye out for stray Vagaari, Fel led the way through a series of small utility rooms. They reached the entrance to the service corridor, only to find it jammed shut.

"What I don't understand is where they're all coming from," Fel said, stroking his bandaged right arm restlessly as he watched Grappler and Cloud work on the door. "That ship of theirs couldn't have followed us here, could it?"

"It could not, and did not," Drask told him. "But surely now that we know about their suspended animation technology the answer is obvious."

"But if they didn't—oh." Fel broke off, embarrassed. It was obvious. "Those three sealed rooms aboard their shuttle, the ones they claimed were open to vacuum."

"Yes," Drask confirmed. "Though undoubtedly a small portion of each was indeed open to space."

"Right—the part by the door sensor and access port," Fel said, nodding. "Otherwise, a secondary test by your people would have shown that the readings were fake."

"They would have had a secret way to reseal the rooms, of course," Drask said. "That was why they pretended Estosh had been attacked, to give him an excuse to stay behind."

"Only it wasn't just pretending—they really did shoot him," Fel reminded him. "These people are seriously out for revenge."

"Perhaps," Drask murmured. "Or perhaps they are motivated by something more practical."

There was a hollow popping sound from the door. "Got it," Cloud announced.

"Good," Drask said. "Proceed."

Cloud led the way, followed by Grappler, Drask, and Fel. The corridor was narrower than it had looked on the blueprints, Fel realized with a twinge of apprehension, with barely enough room for the stormtroopers to get through without scraping their shoulders on the piping and access manifolds lining the walls. Far too narrow for any of them to pass any of the others.

Which meant that if they had to retreat, it would be Fel and his injured gun arm who would be running point.

But at least the Vagaari did seem to have missed this particular back door. There were no sentries or other signs of enemy presence in the corridor. In fact, from all appearances, the place might not have been visited in years, and several times Fel had to fight back a reaction to the drifting dust being kicked up by their passage. It would be a shame to put this much effort into sneaking up on the enemy only to announce their presence with a coughing fit.

They made it to their target panel without incident. Drask motioned the stormtroopers to take up side-to-side positions in front of it, BlasTechs at the ready. Then, reaching around past them, he punched the release.

This door, fortunately, opened without any difficulty at all. The stormtroopers were ready, opening fire the instant the sliding panel was clear of their muzzles. "Can you see anything?" Fel shouted to Drask over the BlasTechs' stuttering screams.

"Vagaari," Drask shouted back succinctly. Return fire was starting to come now, and Fel winced as burst after burst slammed into his men, leaving blackened marks on the clean white armor. The targets were clearly plentiful—Fel could see both stormtroopers rhythmically swinging their weapons back and forth—but at the same time the return fire seemed to be increasing rather than decreasing. However many troops Bearsh had brought along, it was starting to look like a large percentage of them were right here.

And even the legendary 501st had a limit to what it could handle.

It took only a few more seconds for Drask to come to the same conclusion. Again reaching past the stormtroopers, he punched the control. The door slid shut, the metal ringing with the impact of belated Vagaari fire. "We have done what we can to encourage their retreat," he said, nudging Fel back toward the direction they'd come from. "It is time to make our own."

"Right." Fel turned around—

And froze. Moving stealthily through the passage toward them was a line of Vagaari warriors.

Apparently, the enemy hadn't missed this bet after all.