Invaders of Darkness

Chapter 2 - A Failed Rescue

In moments like right now, Sabine really wishes she had bombs with her. Generally, blowing things up is the best option in hopeless situations, but she doesn't have a way to do that. All she has are the two stolen blasters that Ezra gave her.

She, Ezra, and Zeb finally run into the last hall which opens into the hanger where the Phantom is being kept, the stormtroopers close behind. They'd barely gotten more than a few halls away from the garbage chute before they'd been spotted, and they have been running nonstop since, trying to dodge the stormtroopers and avoid letting them catch up. All at once, the blast doors lining the halls start sliding closed in front of them. Zeb makes it over to the door first, forcing back the closing opening. "Come on!" he calls.

Sabine shoots down the next couple stormtroopers who round the corner before running over and jumping through. Ezra scrambling in after. Right before Zeb has a chance to release the door, another blaster shot rings out, striking his arm. He practically falls through the opening, the door slamming closed behind him.

"Zeb, you okay?" Ezra calls.

"I'm fine," he insists. They all have injuries that need to be treated, but it'll have to wait until they get back to the base. They bolt down the last stretch of the hall into the hanger, as the blast doors all start sliding open again. Sabine throws a glance back over her shoulder as she runs, eyes widening in alarm as she sees what it is they're facing. The two Inquisitors are standing at the front of a group of stormtroopers, lightsabers activated.

"Get the ship started up, Zeb," hisses Sabine, ducking behind a nearby crate and open firing on the Inquisitors. Ezra crouches next to her, shooting as well. It would be a lot easier if he had his lightsaber, that's for sure.

Zeb races to the ship, followed by Chopper, and it fires up moments later. Sabine continues to shoot back at the stormtroopers, ducking behind the crate every time a return shot comes too close. A burning pain suddenly tears through her shoulder, and she jerks back, nearly dropping her blaster as she ducks behind the crate again. She's been shot before – she knows how to deal with this and keep fighting – but that doesn't mean it doesn't seriously hurt right now. The life and death situation they're in makes it easier to try and ignore the pain, and she pokes her head around the side of the crate and opens fire again.

The Phantom starts to blast off, the ramp still lowered to allow them to get on. "Time to go," hisses Ezra. Sabine nods in confirmation. The two jump up and take off running, zigzagging from side to side to avoid the blaster shots as they cross the hanger. Finally, they reach the ship, leaping onto the bottom of the ramp.

The ship suddenly jolts, stopping mid-air as it tries to fly for the hanger door. Sabine skids to a stop on the ramp, looking back to see the Seventh Sister with her hands raised, clearly holding onto the ship with the Force. She whips out her blaster again, firing several times at her to break her concentration. The Fifth Brother suddenly charges forwards, jumping onto the edge of the ramp right near Ezra like before; it feels like déjà vu. He swings his lightsaber, nearly taking the boy's head off. Ezra ducks to the side, before grabbing the center part of his blade and throwing his weight against him. The same moment, the Inquisitor lets go of his lightsaber with one hand, grabbing ahold of Ezra instead.

Both of them fall backwards off the ramp, plummeting back down to the hanger bay below. "Ezra!" Sabine cries, running as far down the ramp as she can when it's already closing. Zeb and Chopper don't realize that Ezra isn't here.

"Just go!" he yells back.

"Not without you!" she shouts. But the ramp is already almost closed. She needs to get to the cockpit and tell Zeb what's going on.

"Zeb!" Sabine calls, running into the cockpit as the ship blasts out of the hanger, "We need to go back for Ezra!"

"On it," he growls, spinning the ship around immediately, circling back for the hanger. Maybe they could use the guns to blast down the stormtroopers and hopefully avoid hurting Ezra in the process.