November 21, 2009

545. Flight of the Decoy - Raezyr


From several blocks away, Anya and Tyr watched as security vehicles swarmed into the area of the electronics shop where Anya had left Tyr's old smuggler friend as a message for the Arkanians, the Republic, and any who might try to cross the Sith.

Tyr wondered if Kal Van-Dohr might survive what Anya had done to him, then decided it would probably be more merciful if he didn't. He had watched the whole time consuming process, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized he should feel sorry for Kal, or remorse for not putting the smuggler out of his misery, but Anya had a point. People needed to realize that this wasn't a game. You don't mess with the Sith and expect to get away with it.

"Let's keep moving," he said to Anya, and the two ran down the alley, crouching low. The News broadcast had the added effect of creating breaches in the security perimeter as units saw the broadcast and responded, vainly hoping to catch the Sith still there.

-------------

"Fools," Anya said as they slipped unnoticed up the ramp of the Wasted Rancor. "So confident in their perimeter that they only bothered with minimal security on our ship."

In reality, they had placed four well armed security officers at the entrance of the hangar, more than sufficient for two normal people. Apparently they were still underestimating who they were dealing with, and Tyr, for one, was glad for that.

They had closed on the guards quickly, and from two sides, and had cut them down with relative ease. That had been the easy part.

Tyr was sure the instant they lifted off, that Space Port Control would shut down the exit, trapping them inside. Sure, they could do a lot of damage with the armament this ship carried, but it'd be little more than a tantrum unless they could find a way to get through the blast shield.

And they couldn't just sit and wait forever either. Sooner or later, they'd realize the guards outside were missing and force their way onto the ship.

Fortunately, they didn't need to wait long. A rather large cargo ship was beginning to lift off, getting ready for departure. "That's it," he commented to Anya.

"What's it?"

"That cargo ship. That's our ticket out of this city and off this frozen rock," Tyr said, punching up all the pre-flight checks he could without doing a full power up. As soon as that happened, Space Control would monitor it, and the Defense Force would be all over them.

"What do you mean?" Anya said, clearly puzzled.

"You didn't think they'd just open the blast doors for us and let us go after all this, did you?" Tyr asked, half joking.

"Oh... I hadn't really thought of that," Anya answered, her face a blank as if this was the first time it really had occurred to her.

"We're going to have to work on thinking ahead, it seems," Tyr said, grinning.

Anya stuck her tongue out at him.

"Is that an invitation?" he asked, still grinning.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Anya retorted playfully.

The cargo ship had been rising higher and higher and Tyr reluctantly shifted his attention back to their escape. "We're going to have to time this just right. That cargo ship is going to have to explode just as it's passing through the blast doors, so get ready on those proton torpedoes. When I give you the signal, fire both tubes. We're only going to get one chance at this."

Anya nodded her consent. She put her hands on the firing triggers for the torpedoes and watched the cargo ship as it lazily drifted toward the blast doors, which lumbered open. As it got closer to the exit, she kept glancing nervously at Tyr, who just sat and watched the slow progress of the big ship.

Just as she was beginning to think it might be too late, Tyr began punching in codes and throwing switches, powering the ship up. Her weapons console lit up as power surged through the circuits. "As soon as you hear the lock tone, punch it," Tyr instructed.

Anya looked down at the controls just as the lock tone rang loud and steady. She instantly mashed the firing triggers down and watched as two blue streaks shot forward toward the big ship just now exiting the city.

At the same time, their own light freighter leapt into the air as the repulsor lifts kicked in. Tyr jammed the yoke forward, following right behind the torpedoes at full speed.

"I sure hope this works," Tyr said nervously, raising the shields and switching all power to the front deflector screens.

"You and me both," Anya agreed quietly.

Suddenly both torpedoes struck home against the unsuspecting ship. Huge explosions ripped through the massive cargo carrying spacecraft sending superheated debris and molten shrapnel in all directions.

Tyr jammed the accelerators forward, aiming the Rancor at the explosion. He had just enough time to pray that no large chunks of wreckage stood in the way and then they were through, into the Arkanian skies, streaking for the blackness of space.

"YEEEEWHOOOOO!!!" Tyr shouted in relief as they escaped the snowy planet's atmosphere.

Anya slipped from her seat and into Tyr's lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck she kissed him long and deeply. Suddenly a warning beep sounded, breaking their concentration. "Ah, what is that?" Anya pouted.

"That, my dear Sith Lady, is our notification that the Unity just exited hyperspace in our immediate vicinity," Tyr said as Anya slipped back to her own seat.

"How far out?"

"Close enough for them to recognize us, but too far for them to do anything about us," Tyr told her.

Anya began watching the scopes for herself. "Dammit, Tyr, they're launching two fighters... how come only two, I wonder."

"Feel for yourself," Tyr said, his eyes closing slightly as he stretched out to the fighter pilots with the Force.

"Ah!" exclaimed Anya with understanding as she followed Tyr's example. "They have Jedi aboard."

"No matter... we'll be in hyperspace in... thirty seconds," Tyr said checking the timer count down on the navicomputer.

Suddenly the comm speaker crackled to life. "Wasted Rancor, dis is Firaxa 1 of da Republic Bahttle Cruiser Unity. You are here by ordered to surrender in da name of da Galactic Republic," said the voice.

Anya instantly recognized it and keyed up the comm before Tyr could stop her, and evil grin on her face. "Firaxa 1, are you still mad that I shoved a dagger in your little friends chest?" Anya asked with mock sincerity.

"I am sad for da loss of life you have caused, as any normal being should be, and dat is why I came to bring you in, before you can do more harm," came the other pilot's voice.

"Ooooh. Yeah," Anya said mockingly. "Then you're a teency bit late for all those folks on Arkania. Look honey, you really should go back to whatever water world you came from before you get a knife through your ribs too." Anya giggled evilly.

"As I recall, it was you who fled da fight last time," the other pilot said.

"Alright, but just think about this: Last time, we left your little wannabe Jedi friend dead, you without a leg, and we've only gotten more powerful since then, so yeah, bring it on, fish bitch," Anya said curtly.

They never heard whether the Jedi responded to Anya's last taunt as the stars elongated around them when Tyr pulled back on the levers, releasing them from real space.

As the mottled blue of hyperspace swirled outside the cockpit windows, Anya slipped back into Tyr's lap and put her lips so close to his ear he could feel them brush against his lobe as she spoke, "Now that all that unpleasantness is finished, we can get back to celebrating."

Several minutes later, she lead a willing Tyr back to her quarters and closed the door behind them.

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