The passages consisted mostly of long unused ore tubes and chutes, and a few times they had to emerge from their hidden passageway to enter another, but eventually they were led into a long tunnel carved entirely from the rock. The passage looked to be much older, ancient in comparison, than the structure that sat upon the desert sands above, and for a few minutes Raezyr wondered who might have built the passage, and for what purpose. He quickly decided he didn't care, though, as long as it was of use to him right now.
At the front of the line, Owen came to the end of the tunnel, climbed up on a plasteel crate, pushed a door in the roof of the tunnel upward, and pulled himself up. When Raezyr finally followed, he found himself inside one of the adobe hovels just 50 meters outside the walls of Jama's compound. The inside wasn't as bad as his mind had imagined these dwellings to be, as it was semi-clean and at least clutter free. Behind him, Owen lowered the door back into it's position above the passageway and carefully rearranged the blankets and sleeping pallet which hid the entrance.
"As long as we don't take anything too valuable, the Raiders don't get suspicious," Owen Loneozner commented. "They mostly think their own are responsible for the minor losses, and mostly leave us alone, unless they need some menial tasks performed."
"I came to Tatooine some time ago, as a miner, but the company abandoned me and...," Owen began when Raezyr interrupted him.
"Yeah, that's great," the blue armored Sith said absently. "Listen, we appreciate what you did and all, but we have to go while they're still looking inside the compound for us. The minute they turn their search outside the walls, our escape is done."
Raezyr pulled up the hood on his cloak and turned toward the exit of the small domicile.
"Wait, you said I'd have your gratitude... can't you take me with you?" the man pleaded.
Trychon and the others looked at Raezyr, waiting for him to answer, but the Sith was staring intently outside, studying their route to the shed which housed their speeder and swoops. Just when it appeared that he wasn't going to say anything, he finally spoke up. "Falka, give him the sequencer for the speeder."
"What do you mean?" Falka asked.
Raezyr turned his gaze to the Khommite. "That speeder is too slow and not very maneuverable. The minute we take off, we'll have Jama'Rukus Rus'El and the Raiders hot on our heels. That speeder will never outrun them, but if Trych and I take you two with us on our swoops, we stand a chance."
Falka tossed the initializer over to the older human, who caught it deftly. "Your just going to give me a speeder?" he asked, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "Finally, I'll be able to get out of here. Ever since I was abandoned here, I've longed to..."
Raezyr interrupted him again. "Whatever. But you better get out of here fast. They should send everything they have after us, when they leave, that's your chance, because they minute they come back, that speeder is theirs."
Raezyr didn't wait for a response before turning to the others. "Hoods up. Let's go. No running or it will draw attention. Right now their eyes are turned inward, but it won't be much longer before they realize we got out somehow, and then they'll turn these squatter houses inside out and upside down, unless they spot us taking off first. A quick escape on the swoops is our only chance, and the only chance the dregs out here have of not being annihilated." He spoke to them over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
So far so good, he thought to himself as they approached the shed housing their bikes. "Falka, with me. Haley, you're with Trych." He stretched out with the Force as they neared the shed, and sensed a presence inside of it. He saw that Trychon sensed it as well, as his brother drew his lightsaber hilt from inside his robes, just as Raezyr was doing.
Together they stepped around the corner, flicked on their blades, and cut down the Weequay guard who apparently had been trying to ambush the four escapees.
As the slashed open body of the alien slumped to the ground, Raezyr noticed the comm link fall from its off-hand, and the transmit light was glowing green. He stomped the device into the ground, crushing it beneath his heel. "We're about to have company!"
Within moments, the four had mounted the two swoop bikes, and we're speeding across the desert sands, Tatooine's twin suns blazing down upon them in the late afternoon.
Suddenly a giant blast errupted off to the right of the fleeing swoops, sending molten sand and dust many meters into the air.
"What the hell was that?" Trychon shouted into the comm unit on his swoop.
Another giant blast erupted off to their right before anyone could answer. Neither blast had been near enough to do any damage.
"It's Jama!" Falka yelled into his comm. "He's got a giant turbo laser cannon mounted on top of his hideout!"
Another blast erupted harmlessly dozens of meters behind them.
Trychon started laughing.
"What's so damn funny, Trych?" Raezyr asked.
"Jama'Rukus Rus'El may have one helluva cannon, but he couldn't hit a ship hangar if he were locked inside it!"
At the front of the line, Owen came to the end of the tunnel, climbed up on a plasteel crate, pushed a door in the roof of the tunnel upward, and pulled himself up. When Raezyr finally followed, he found himself inside one of the adobe hovels just 50 meters outside the walls of Jama's compound. The inside wasn't as bad as his mind had imagined these dwellings to be, as it was semi-clean and at least clutter free. Behind him, Owen lowered the door back into it's position above the passageway and carefully rearranged the blankets and sleeping pallet which hid the entrance.
"As long as we don't take anything too valuable, the Raiders don't get suspicious," Owen Loneozner commented. "They mostly think their own are responsible for the minor losses, and mostly leave us alone, unless they need some menial tasks performed."
"I came to Tatooine some time ago, as a miner, but the company abandoned me and...," Owen began when Raezyr interrupted him.
"Yeah, that's great," the blue armored Sith said absently. "Listen, we appreciate what you did and all, but we have to go while they're still looking inside the compound for us. The minute they turn their search outside the walls, our escape is done."
Raezyr pulled up the hood on his cloak and turned toward the exit of the small domicile.
"Wait, you said I'd have your gratitude... can't you take me with you?" the man pleaded.
Trychon and the others looked at Raezyr, waiting for him to answer, but the Sith was staring intently outside, studying their route to the shed which housed their speeder and swoops. Just when it appeared that he wasn't going to say anything, he finally spoke up. "Falka, give him the sequencer for the speeder."
"What do you mean?" Falka asked.
Raezyr turned his gaze to the Khommite. "That speeder is too slow and not very maneuverable. The minute we take off, we'll have Jama'Rukus Rus'El and the Raiders hot on our heels. That speeder will never outrun them, but if Trych and I take you two with us on our swoops, we stand a chance."
Falka tossed the initializer over to the older human, who caught it deftly. "Your just going to give me a speeder?" he asked, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "Finally, I'll be able to get out of here. Ever since I was abandoned here, I've longed to..."
Raezyr interrupted him again. "Whatever. But you better get out of here fast. They should send everything they have after us, when they leave, that's your chance, because they minute they come back, that speeder is theirs."
Raezyr didn't wait for a response before turning to the others. "Hoods up. Let's go. No running or it will draw attention. Right now their eyes are turned inward, but it won't be much longer before they realize we got out somehow, and then they'll turn these squatter houses inside out and upside down, unless they spot us taking off first. A quick escape on the swoops is our only chance, and the only chance the dregs out here have of not being annihilated." He spoke to them over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
So far so good, he thought to himself as they approached the shed housing their bikes. "Falka, with me. Haley, you're with Trych." He stretched out with the Force as they neared the shed, and sensed a presence inside of it. He saw that Trychon sensed it as well, as his brother drew his lightsaber hilt from inside his robes, just as Raezyr was doing.
Together they stepped around the corner, flicked on their blades, and cut down the Weequay guard who apparently had been trying to ambush the four escapees.
As the slashed open body of the alien slumped to the ground, Raezyr noticed the comm link fall from its off-hand, and the transmit light was glowing green. He stomped the device into the ground, crushing it beneath his heel. "We're about to have company!"
Within moments, the four had mounted the two swoop bikes, and we're speeding across the desert sands, Tatooine's twin suns blazing down upon them in the late afternoon.
Suddenly a giant blast errupted off to the right of the fleeing swoops, sending molten sand and dust many meters into the air.
"What the hell was that?" Trychon shouted into the comm unit on his swoop.
Another giant blast erupted off to their right before anyone could answer. Neither blast had been near enough to do any damage.
"It's Jama!" Falka yelled into his comm. "He's got a giant turbo laser cannon mounted on top of his hideout!"
Another blast erupted harmlessly dozens of meters behind them.
Trychon started laughing.
"What's so damn funny, Trych?" Raezyr asked.
"Jama'Rukus Rus'El may have one helluva cannon, but he couldn't hit a ship hangar if he were locked inside it!"
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