Clan of Three

Part Nineteen

The group quickly followed the descending tunnel as the smell of sulfur grew stronger. "Are you alright?", Mando asked suddenly, while Cara and Greef were up ahead. Rael kept looking straight and said, "I should be asking if you're alright. I'm not the one who got their head bashed around."

Mando huffed and said, "You... you just seem different. Off. And I see the looks Cara keeps giving you." Hearing this made Rael cut her eyes over at him. "What looks?" She asked with narrowed eyes. "Concerned... Did you take a hit.?" He asked.

Rael rolled her eyes and wiped at the dried blood on her face in vain. "Nothing bad. I just- I used a lot of my strength. A lot of the Force. I got drawn in... I'll be fine after sleeping it off and meditating." She stuttered out. Mando scanned her face and noticed how she had trailed off, but Greef called out to them before he could push her to elaborate.

"This is it! The lava river." He said as they stopped next to him and Cara. A large river of lava flowed past them and an old boat sat at the dock. "The ferry droid is fried." Mando said as he looked down at the boat. "Yea but if we push the boat out, we can get it to float downstream." Karga suggested and moved to push.

Mando followed suit and they two men pushed, but the boat didn't even move an inch. Karga shouted in frustration and Mando kicked the boar. Cara and Rael shared an amused look as she hoisted up her machine-blaster and the child giggled.

Mando had found an old oar and was trying to pry the boat out of the igneous rock as Karga encouraged him. "Um, you guys mind moving out of the way?", Cara asked casually. The two men looked back at her and saw her raised blaster before quickly getting out of the way.

Cara fired her blaster and broke apart the hardened lava that held the boat to the dock. "Nice." Rael said with a grin as she carefully climbed into the boat with the child. "What your feet. It's molten lava." IG-11 warned them, making Rael let out a small laugh. "No kidding." Cara replied.

As the boat began to drift down the river, a few beeps sounded at the back of the boat, making everyone whip around with a blaster drawn. The ferry droid had activated and broken free of the lava that had cooled around it. The tall droid beeped softly and held its guiding pole in its hands.

"I don't suppose anybody here speaks droid?" Mando asked. Rael smiled and said, "He's asking where we want to go." Mando looked at her in what she assumed was surprise. She just shrugged back at him and said, "I know a lot of droids." "Down river. To the lava flats." Greef told the droid, who beeped and began to use the pole to help increase their speed.

After about ten minutes, daylight could be seen at the end of the tunnel. "There it is! The end! We've made it!" Karga exclaimed. Mando stepped forward and pressed a button on his vambrace while staring at the tunnel's exit. "No. No, we're not. Stormtroopers. they're flanking the mouth of the tunnel. It looks like an entire platoon. They must have known we were coming." Mando told them.

"Stop the boat." Cara called to the ferry droid, but it didn't. "Hey, droid. I  said stop the boat." She said more firmly.The droid ignored her order and continued to push the boat forward. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Stop!" Cara shouted before pulling her firing her blaster and taking the droids head off. Rael flinched at the sudden action and shielded the child from the sparks that flew into the air.

"We're still moving." Greed said worriedly. "Looks like we fight." Rael sighed. "There are too many." Mando said with a shake of his head. "Then what do you suggest? 'Cause I can't surrender." Cara snapped at him. "They will not be satisfied with anything less than the child. This is unacceptable. I will eliminate the enemy and you will escape." IG-11 announced.

"You don't have that kind of firepower, pal. You wouldn't even get to daylight." Mando told him. "That is not my objective." IG replied. Mando looked at the droid and tilted his head. Rael looked at the droid, sadly, knowing what he meant.