A Life Without Meaning

ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 (𝕀)

A tense silence had fallen across the town. The group still trapped inside of the common house continued to occasionally peer out at the ever developing situation on the street, at a loss for what to do.

Cara leaned back against the wall, her blaster held tightly across her chest.

"Is there another way out?" she asked out loud to her companions.

"No. That's it." Greef said, gesturing back outside.

Din looked out the window again before turning back towards the group.

"What about the sewers?" he suggested.

"Sewers?" Greef asked, as if hearing about the concept for the first time.

"The Mandalorians have a covert down in the sewers." Din explained quickly, "If we can get there, they can help us."

Ellia nodded her head, a bit wildly.

"Yeah, sewers are good!" she said both joking, and not, at the same time.

Din held up his wrist guard,

"Checking for access points." he stated, pressing a button before turning to look around the room.

Ellia and Cara turned their attention back outside.

"What the hell are they waiting for?" Cara asked impatiently.

Right as she said that, Ellia noticed movement off to the left of the garrison.

"Wait-" she sounded in alarm. She squinted as she watched a group of stormtroopers shuffle towards the front of the group, carrying several different parts of some sort of weapon, beginning to assemble something that looked like a cannon in front of the window.

She heard Cara curse under her breath, before pressing her back up against the wall again, an exasperated look on her face.

"They're setting up an E-web." she reported.

"It's over" Greef chimed in darkly.

"I found the sewer vent." Din said suddenly.

"Let's get the hell outta here." Cara said unceremoniously.

The group of them lurched forward, running towards the far back of the common house, following Din's lead. Using the bar for cover, Ellia still aimed her blaster outside alongside Greef, keeping an eye on the Imps while Din and Cara made quick work of the benches that were covering the sewer grate. Next, they tried to rip the metal seal off of the vent, pulling at it with their combined strength, but it wouldn't budge.

Looking outside the window, Ellia's eyes widened as she ducked herself down behind the bar.

"It's assembled." she said worriedly, in reference to the big gun that was now aimed their way.

"How long until that thing's cleared?" Greef demanded.

"Blow it" Cara said simply.

"I'm out of charges." Din answered back in frustration.

Huffing, Cara walked back over to where she had deposited her blaster rifle. Shouldering it quickly, she then approached the grate herself.

"Get out of the way" she warned.

In an instant, she let out a volley of blasterfire towards the cover, trying to weaken the tough metal. When she stopped firing, she attempted to kick the vent cover in, but again it didn't move.

From outside, a voice called out to them, pulling all of their attention back towards the Imperial officer from before.

"Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation. I would prefer to avoid any further violence, and encourage a moment of consideration." he started, not sounding inviting in the slightest. "Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporized mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model." he said darkly.