The Flame [3]

Chapter 16

Screaming, crying, yelling, blasterfire, glass shattering all within an instant. I reach for my lightsaber, but stop. If I use it they will know I was here. A breeze of salty air passes through the building. The people fight back using turned tables and chairs as shelter. Bodies lay helpless on the floor. Finn starts towards where Poe is going, staying low. I follow.

"We need to find Suralinda and Charth," Poe says over his shoulder.

"We need to find a couple of blasters" Finn told him.

"We need to do both," I say deciding for us all. "Suralinda's over there," I point over to where she is. "Don't see Charth."

They follow to where I was pointing to see Suralinda using a stolen blaster to fight back. Poe starts to her ducking behind a column.

"Where's Charth?" Poe asks as we approached her.

She looks at us and a blaster shot shatters the rocks just above her. "He went for the ship. What happened?"

"They must have found out about the auction," Poe says. "Don't suppose you have another one of those?"

"Go get your own. I did," I hear Suralinda say.

I use the Force to grab a blaster from a stormtrooper. The guard looks around confused as his blaster disappears. I stifle a laugh and then shoot. Poe looks at me at the sound of a blaster going off.

"When did you get one?" he asks me.

"I have something called the Force, remember."

"Can you help me?"

I sigh, and take another blaster from a stormtrooper. I watch him frantically look around, give the blaster to Poe, aim and shoot. The trooper goes down. Poe looks at me.

"What?" I ask him.

"You couldn't save him for me?"

"I'm done waiting for you. Find your own bait. Are we done here?"

"Yeah, we good?" Suralinda asks.

"We can't leave yet. We've got to get the list." he tells us.

"The list is lost," Suralinda says. "We need to get out of here alive."

"I think I know," I say.

The lights go out and everyone is in darkness, except for the lights lighting up the floor.

"What now?" Poe asks.

"Trust me. I'll be back," I tell them.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Finn asks me.

"To find Nifera."

"How are you going to do that?" Poe asks.

"Like I said before, the Force."

I get up and run to a column dodging blasterfire. Out of the corner of my eye I see Poe come up behind me.

"What are you doing?" I ask him.

"She went this way, come on."

I follow him up the stairs and to a balcony on the second floor. She's trying to get ahold of someone on a comlink.

"Nifera!" Poe shouts.

"Be a little less harsh," I whisper to him.

She spins around looking at us. "They killed my husband. They murdered Hasadar in front of me," she whispers. "In front of everyone."

"I-" I stop Poe.

"Let me handle this one," I whisper in his ear.

He nods and steps back. I walk forward and put my hand on her arm.

"I'm really sorry. That was wrong. They didn't have the right. My brother was taken by the First Order," I say going along with my role of Skylar Shda. "It's because they want the list."

"Because of me," she sounds like she's on the verge of tears.

"And they're coming for you," Poe says.

The balcony shakes as something downstairs falls. Poe collides with the wall. Nifera and I grab the handrail.

"I've got to get out of here," she says frantically pressing the buttons.

"They've blocked your signal," Poe says, guessing. No way he could know that.

"No," She shakes her head. "I dropped it when they shot..." she pauses. "I-I think it's broken."

"And the list?" Poe asks.

Nifera puts a hand on the serpent around her neck. "It's here," She presses on the side on the serpents jaw. The mouth opens revealing a little datachip.

"We can get you out of here. We've got a ship," he tells her.

"The Resistance?" she asks. "That who you're with, Lorell?"

Poe nods.

"We both are," I say turning to her.

She thinks about it for a moment. "And what will it cost me?"

Poe looks at the serpent and nods toward it.

She hesitates.

Footsteps sound coming up the stairs. I turn and look. I feel my face go pale.

"Now or never," Poe says. "Give that list to the Resistance or take your chances with the First Order. Do we have a deal?"

She nods. "Deal."

"Great," Poe says grabbing her hand taking her to the edge.

I look over the balcony railing. There's a pool. "Could we survive? I could. I don't know about you two."

"How deep is it?" Poe asks Nifera.

"I-I have no idea," she says.

Poe climbs over, and we then help Nifera over. After she was over, I grab my dress and hop over the fence.

"Great," I mutter.

"At least if we go down, we go down together," Poe whispers in my ear.

"Yeah, posing as a happily married couple. Trying to stop Ben," I whisper back.

"Well at least we got along for the past couple hours," he whispers, smirking.

I push his face, gently. "At least I know I can survive."

"Let's find out," he grabs my hand.

And with that we are possibly plunging to our cold watery death.