Star Wars: Crash on Kessel

Chapter 06: Friend and Foe

Rand was lightheaded. In addition to his rapidly diminishing air supply, he was also losing blood from his shoulder wound. After being weakened by his exposure to the asteroid dust, his available energy reserves to keep going were nearly spent. He desperately wanted to put a hand over the hole in his suit, but he didn't dare risk getting the dust on his gloves anywhere near the injury and a direct route into his bloodstream.

As he stumbled into the airlock, he glanced behind him to find Miyari on her feet and rushing toward him, a second improvised knife in her hand. Rand pressed the switch multiple times to close the hatch, but the doors responded with infuriating slowness. When the outer hatch slid shut, Rand could hear metal scraping against the hull where Miyari's weapon struck metal instead of flesh.

He couldn't afford to relax for he knew she'd be inside the moment the airlock finished cycling. The inner hatch opened, and he looked around for something to wedge the airlock open and prevent her from following him as the outer doors were safety regulated not to release until the inner doors were sealed. Rand's efforts to find something sturdy enough to block the hatch proved useless as there was nothing within reach capable of doing the job while still being light enough for him to move.

For particularly dangerous ventures into the unknown, the Starhopper did have a few cargo crates of military grade blasters. They were only used on rare occasions, and they possessed a stun setting. His only concern was their location in the forward hold. With his exhaustion and Miyari a short distance behind him, it was doubtful he could reach the guns before being knifed to death.

Realizing he had no choice but to try, regardless of his chances of success, Rand stepped away from the airlock and let the doors close, running as fast as he could manage toward the cargo area.

Miyari entered the ship a moment later. The dust in her system was releasing massive amounts of adrenaline into her blood, powering her through exhaustion and injury while allowing her to operate at peak physical levels until the stress of it would cause her heart to give out. Knowing where the weapons were kept, she suspected Rand's contingency plan and sprinted after him.

Halfway to the storage area, Miyari caught up with Rand. He heard her running steps before she came around the corner. Flattening himself against the wall, he hoped to be as invisible as possible prior to the fight and possibly gain the element of surprise.

Rand's punch hit hard, striking Miyari in the stomach, doubling her over and making her drop the metal shard she carried as a weapon. He followed the punch with several more, but whatever momentary advantage he'd possessed for the first attack, it was gone almost immediately. Even injured, her speed was incredible, allowing her to dodge the subsequent assault while recovering from his punch. After she caught her breath, Miyari went on the offensive.

Kicks, elbows, and open palmed strikes battered his defenses and eventually drove him backwards into the wall. He managed to land a few punches of his own, but in her current condition, he doubted she even felt the impacts. He knew he couldn't last forever against her skill, but he didn't have a weapon or any means of effectively turning the tide of battle in his favor.

Tilting her head slightly, she slammed her helmet against his with a resounding crack. Before he could clear the bright points of light from his vision, Miyari jumped into the air and kicked off the wall, using her full body weight in a kick aimed at his face. Her boot collided with enough force to cause a spider web of fractures in the transparent material of his helmet and toss Rand heavily to the ground.

He managed to get onto his hands and knees before a blow smashed into Rand's ribs, flipping him over onto his back as pain exploded through his side. He tried to roll away, shielding himself with his hands and arms, but the unending hits raining down on him were swift, striking him from multiple angles to the point it seemed as if he were being attacked by two or three people instead of one.

While trying to avoid blows to his skull, Rand noticed a maintenance panel open nearby. Using the last of his strength, he coiled his legs under himself and lunged toward the open panel. Turning his back on Miyari was a mistake, however, as she immediately attacked him from behind, wrapping her arms around the neck of his spacesuit in an attempt to choke him.

Rand reached up with one hand flipped the emergency latches to open the seals on his helmet. Compressed air charges fired around the base of the helmet as the seals disengaged. The helmet came loose, leaving Miyari holding the empty object while he took another three steps toward his intended goal.

With no protection over his face and throat, Miyari was able to put a more effective chokehold on him. Her suit was covered in the dust of the asteroid, and it brushed off on his skin. The painful headache returned with a vengeance, but the added stimulus provided to his system was enough for him to stagger forward the remaining distance even with Miyari trying to strangle him from behind.

Reaching into the maintenance panel, Rand snared a handful of electrical wires and tore loose the connector. Blue-white electricity arced from the end of the cabling, and Rand touched it to Miyari's arm before she could realize his plan. Power surged through her, but because of her contact with him, it also coursed through Rand as well. He held on as long as he was able, collapsing into unconsciousness and hoping the electrical jolt would be enough to disable Miyari because if it wasn't, he knew he would never wake up again.