Repairing Beyond Ambition - Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order fanfic *EDITING*

Chapter 48

The comms buzzed as a connection brought them to life. The heads of the Mantis crew lifted at the sound simultaneously and Cere was the first to answer, putting the head set on swiftly as she sat down in front of the controls. Altheeda and Greez watched curiously in their seats at the cockpit.

"Are you alright, Cal?" Cere spoke solemnly.

As she listened to his words, Altheeda noticed Cere's expression grow weary by the second. She then turned in her seat to face them, her eyes landing on Greez first.

"Captain, prepare for take-off! Altheeda, check the engines!"

Cere then took the headset off and swiftly stood up. The urgency to her voice compelled the redheaded girl to stand also.

"What's going on?"

"The Empire is here. They're raiding the planet for kyber crystals."

"Why?"

"We can speculate later, kid. Go to the engines." Greez instructed.

She gave a stiff nod and jogged towards the engines. When she stopped, she paused to clear her mind, side-lining all her questions and getting to work. She instantly noted the drastic change in temperature due to the freezing climate of Ilum. Her main concern was the possible engine failure due to the impact of the ongoing storm, but after the most thorough analysis she could manage in a short amount of time, she concluded that everything was still in working order. She immediately strode back to the lounge and spotted Cere in contact with the Jedi once again.

"You're lighting up Imperial channels. They're sending everything they've got at you."

Altheeda walked slowly towards her as Cere paused to listen to Cal's reply.

"We're laying low, but the storm's clearing. We won't have any cover soon."

"Do you know how long he'll be?" She whispered to Cere.

"He's on his way – that's all I can tell you."

"I don't know if the Mantis can last much longer in the cold." She warned.

Cere tutted under her breath, frowning as she rummaged through ideas in her mind. Greez widened his eyes at this news until Cere then gave her a determined look.

"Help me slice their encryptions, that will buy us some time."

Altheeda wordlessly sat by her side and the pilot watched as their fingers punched in different button combinations. They worked and communicated harmoniously and managed to get a break through after a brief duration.

"We're through." Cere announced.

"Great." Altheeda gave her a proud smile that was returned.

"Update Cal on the situation while I start interfering with their transmissions."

She reached for the headset and adjusted it before making contact.

"Cal, are you there?"

"Theeda, what's going on?" Cal's voice fizzed through the signal.

"Cere and I sliced through their encryption. She's now scrambling the transmissions but I don't think it will be long until they're restored. It should give you the time you need to get back."

"Thank you." He breathed. "Stormtroopers are everywhere."

"I'm not sure if the Mantis can handle the ice for a long period of time. Try get back as quick as you can but be safe." She spoke candidly.

"I'm working on it." Cal half-joked before the line cut off.

Altheeda then turned to Cere who had become more frantic with her inputs into the board. Greez grew concerned and leaned to get a closer look.