ARC 5 - Oblivions Edge Part I: Awakening

Chapter 3

The following day, the group met in the dining area, ready to discuss plans for a break out. 

Elm looked tired, but somewhat excited at the same time. "I've stayed up for most of the night figuring this out. We need a couple pieces to make it work so listen carefully." 

Kasm and Kaet leaned in to listen. 

"I need to get into...."

"KRAK-OOM!"

An explosion rocked the facility, sending the prisoners running for whatever they considered cover. 

Kaet lost her balance and fell against Kasm who in turn fell back with her on top of him. 

She looked into his vibrant blue eyes as he half-winced, half-grinned. 

"This would be fun, if I knew what the hell was happening. And if your knee hadn't driven to, well, home". 

She smirked and shoved off his chest to her feet. 

Red emergency lights began flashing, accompanied by deafening buzzers. Blaster fire echoed from some of the outer hallways. 

"Time to improvise. Follow us!" Elm shouted as Vell picked him up and began running toward the blast doors on the opposite side of the prison area. 

Kasm grabbed Kaets arm and began to pull her when a smaller explosion launched the door from their entry inward, off its hinges, and through the dining area.

From the smoking doorway, entered a large man, flanked by gun toting soldiers. 

"At long last." The mans' metallic voice boomed through the prison. 

Kasm noted the dark gray mask that covered his face. 

"Frig me!" Kaet exclaimed. 

"What?" Kasm asked, trying to tug Kaet toward the blast doors where Vell was charging. 

"That's my dad." She finally gave in and turned with him, running after Vell. 

Elm patted his crystalline friend on the head. 

"OK big guy, do your thing." 

Vell tucked Elm into his arms and then charged the doors. 

They busted off their hinges under the impact and the group rushed through them. 

Kasm turned back, and saw some of the prison guards returning blaster fire with the intruders.

"Dad?" he asked as they followed Elm and Vell down a series of hallways. 

"Long story. Let's make it out first, then I'll tell explain." 

Kasm ran alongside Vell. 

"Where are we going?" 

Elm easily climbed from his arms to Vells shoulders as the big guy slowed to a fast walk. "The hangar bay. If it's still intact. I Dunno who those people are, but they may have given us an opportunity to leave unnoticed. I figure most of the guards will be helping fend them off so we shouldn't meet any resistance while escaping."

Vell crashed through another set of blast doors and the group stood in the hangar bay, empty save for one ship. 

"Crap, not this." Kasm said 

"Hey, prisoners can't be choosy." Elm chimed as he and Vell raced to the ship. It was the box they had first arrived in.

After checking for guards, they climbed aboard and sealed the doors. "Full tank, full oxygen levels with reserves..." 

"Reserves?" Kasm asked, "Mine came standard with a recycler." 

"This is low quality prison gear. Really think they'd be fancied up?"

Elm got to working the controls and the ship started powering up.

"At least it works. So where to? A prison escort would draw attention at any of the nearby planets, but we need to get away, and quick." 

As they began to fly away, they looked out the rear-view camera screens and saw the silvery form of an entire Destroyer, about half the size of the prison itself, jutting from prisons smoking hole. Another hovered nearby. 

Several explosions sent temporary plumes of flame into the air from the prison which were quickly put out by the cold vacuum of space. 

"Can't imagine that this will end favorably." Kasm grimly acknowledged.

"We gotta go to Zranex." Kaet told them, "We need to find my brother, maybe he knows what's going on.". 

"Sorry hon, but this ol' box won't make it that far." 

"Doesn't need to." 

Kasm came up to the control panels and punched in a location, then tapped out a sound pattern on the touchpad. It was nothing elaborate, just a five-note tune, which he put in twice. 

"What was that?" Elm asked. 

"A signal, for my ship. That tune, played twice over, is only used to signal my ship. Set the autopilot for those coordinates," He pointed out the location he entered, "my ship will meet us there."

He took a seat in the back, and Kaet sat across from him. 

He smiled for a moment then let out a sigh. 

"It's still gonna be a while, so looks like we have time to get acquainted while we travel."