Out of Time [Star Wars Story]

4. Making Acquaintances

Whatever doubts Lorash might have had about Eso's skill, watching him erased them. "We have to burn low and slow to evade the imps," he explained as his fingers danced across the control, expression focused and yet undeniably relaxed. It was almost meditative and part of Lorash wondered if he was accessing the Force without even realizing it. She felt no power from him, but perhaps that was her own inexperience.

Lights flashed across the display as the ancient defenses awoke. Lost in the forest, camouflaged by the centuries, batteries of incredible power suddenly surged with energy far beyond what Lorash expected. For things that had been here so long, dying by inches, they seemed incredibly dangerous. The first blasts weren't even close to their ship, yet each one sent a shockwave that buffeted them about.

Eso didn't startle at a single one, carefully correcting for the interference with a few small motions of his right hand while he kept his left flicking from switch to switch to adjust levels. After a few seconds, he seemed satisfied. "They don't, uh, make drives like this one anymore. They won't catch us."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "The engines are unpredictable to most pilots, but, uh, I've been flying this one so long that I know every pulse. You can, uh, harness the little quirks."

Lorash settled more comfortably into the copilot's chair, well aware that Seia was still pacing behind them. "I hope so."

Eso flashed them a quick smile before being absorbed back into his task. "You should take a, uh, seat, Miss Seia. We'll hit a pretty big lurch as we punch to hyperspace."

The sith settled into the gunner's seat behind them. "This seems like a ship that requires a crew."

"Mostly just, uh, if you're going to fight in her. Me and R1-E3 do pretty good otherwise," he said, slowly adding power to the engines. They ghosted out beneath the barrage as the Imperial ship started to descend. It would only be a moment before the cruiser returned fire against the batteries, making it a very dangerous place to be. "If we're careful, they won't even flag us as a ship, uh, just an energy signature coming from the batteries. Let's go."

The power of the ship's engines hit in a roar, perfectly timed with the next blast from the planetary defenses. They streaked past the Imperial ship under the cover of plasma, hitting full acceleration just as they left atmosphere. There was no ping or any indication that the Empire's ship had even seen them.

"Well done," Seia praised over the roar of the engines.

"Uh, thanks," Eso said absentmindedly, hitting the hyperspace drive into action. The stars around them streaked and the ship lurched violently, like it was about to shatter apart. The sudden lurch in force slammed Lorash back into her seat hard. "We'll need to refuel and get some repairs done before Naboo. My last passengers, they, uh, did some damage to the controls. With my face."

"Where are we going?" Lorash asked nervously.

Their pilot smiled faintly, letting the automated maneuvering take over based on the course he'd plotted. "Well, it's an old model, even if it is a class one hyperdrive. Best mechanic for us I know is on Hutta."

Seia's lip curled in distaste. "Wonderful. I hope it has improved since my last visit, though that seems unlikely."

The young mirialan chuckled at that. "I don't think it knows the meaning of the word, Miss."

"I've never been," Lorash admitted. "Vori always kept us out of Hutt Space. He said it was too dangerous and unpredictable."

"He's not wrong," Eso admitted. "Yyrfhojarrr is good people, though. Real good mechanic, plus he's his own lift crew. Just, uh, don't try to stiff him or he'll rip your arms off."