She ran as fast as she possibly could, faster than she had ever done in the past, this time her life depended on it.
Gemma quickly realised that the Captain could do it easy and was being held back by her.
"Run ahead and radio in," she screamed at him.
"No, we go together," he yelled back.
"I'm holding you up Rex, you can make it."
"Quit talking and move it Senator," was his rough reply.
###
She was coughing and wheezing and the stitch that had plagued her initially was biting at her sides.
But she kept up, just.
They could see the light at the end, when they heard the noise.
It was rippling from behind, but it was enough to spur them on in the last ditch effort to reach the exit.
Rex had grabbed Gemma and was practically pulling her out of the tunnel where he shoved her hard into the ground for a second time.
"Keep your head down," he yelled as the shock wave from the explosion and the debris of soil and durocrete came funneling out on top of them.
He lay protectively over her, clutching her head into his chest.
The noise was deafening.
Then the smoke.
She coughed and struggled to catch her breath and was covered in grey dust, but alive.
He quickly rolled off her in one fluid movement.
She looked to her left and the Captain was already using his wrist comm to send through an immediate evacuation code.
He closed his eyes and wiped his hands over his face a few times and looked at her.
"Well done Ma'am." He looked exhausted, but elated.
"What just happened?" Gemma shook her head as she talked but Rex was interrupted by a bleep on his comm.
"We've located you Sir and will be ready to air lift you in approximately fifteen minutes. Are you in an area level enough for evac?" Rex surveyed the area,
"That's a negative. We'll move one klick south east for easier access."
"Affirmative Sir, radio in your coordinates then. Shadow Two out." The voice sounded friendly and Rex smiled.
"Come on, nearly there," Rex helped Gemma up.
They dusted one another off and made the final push to a better RV point.
"Captain this is Shadow Two over?"
"Go ahead Shadow Two this is Rex."
"You have uninvited visitors twenty metres to your west, closing in on your location. We suggest a fly by with some fireworks to welcome them?"
"Copy that Shadow Two, I see them."
Rex turned and looked over a boulder to see a small patrol of Commando Droids in the distance.
He reached into the backpack and retrieved his pistols, checking the charge he looked over at Gem.
"It's not over yet. When I give the word you head over to the path in front and run as fast as you can to the clearing. The gun ship will be waiting for us there ok?"
Gemma looked over at him and nodded.
"Shadow Two how long to the show," Rex looked up and heard the familiar sound of the LAAT/i before he saw it.
