Trooper

Scrapper Companions

Bracca: 14 BBY
Imperial Shuttle
Ryn Alera

    Ryn gritted her teeth as the ship jolted. The light surrounding them grew brighter. Thinking quickly, she stopped shielding her eyes and gripped the controls. Ryn fought against them, trying to level out the ship.

    "The stabilizers and shields!" She shouted.

    The trooper, Jess, flipped them on. Ryn cried out in shock. She was knocked out of her seat as the ship suddenly stabilized. Jess hit the ground beside her. Alarms blared throughout the ship. Ryn grabbed her seat and pulled herself into it, hissing at the pain in her hand.

    She quickly pulled up the ship's diagnostics. "The engines are overheating and shields are gone. We lost the wings too."

    "How long can you keep us flying?" Jess crawled into his chair.

    "Long enough to avoid crashing."

    "Head for the nearest breaking yard."

    She nodded and changed course as they cleared the atmosphere. Rain poured down from the dark clouds. Ships and vehicles of all kinds littered the ground below. Massive creatures with flailing tentacles waited beneath the ships for any unlucky scrappers who might trip.

    Jess pointed out a flat spot aboard an old Venator wing. Ryn nodded and gently set the ship down. She glanced out the viewport nervously. Jess didn't seem inclined to leave. He grabbed a spike and inserted it into the ship's terminal.

    "What are you doing? We should get out of here," she hissed.

    "The Empire stores all kind of intel in their ships. In addition to what I know," he pulled the spike out as the information finished uploading, "this might come in handy." He slipped the small cylinder into his belt.

    Metal groaned outside of the ship. Ryn braced a hand on her seat, feeling the ship quake around them. Pain stabbed through her injured hand and she bit back a hiss. "What was that?"

    "Ship cutter." Jess grabbed a satchel and slung it over her shoulders. He rummaged through the ship, throwing things into the bag. "Let's go!" Ryn pulled her lekku over the satchel straps and raced out of the ship behind him.

    The cutters were moving through the wing of the Venator. Metal shrieked, preparing to break apart. "Hurry!" Jess urged. He put on a final burst of speed and leaped onto another part of the ship.

    Ryn stumbled as the wing quaked again. The cutters broke free. She took a flying leap, ignoring the collapsing metal beneath her. Jess leaned over the side of the ship and grabbed her wrist. In a few seconds, he pulled her up onto the ledge beside him.

    Ryn glanced down, panting. The broken wing crashed onto the ground below. Already, cutting crews were preparing to shrink it further. She looked back up in surprise and chased after the trooper. "Hey, wait up!"

    Jess paused, his lips pursed. "Thanks for helping me," he said at last.

    "I should be thanking you. I'd be on my way to Kessel if you hadn't helped. I'm Ryn, by the way. Ryn Alera."

    "I'm Jess." He pulled his helmet off at last and stuck his hand out towards her. Ryn glanced down at it, but made no move to take it. At last, he awkwardly drew his hand back and ran it through his wavy hair. "You'll probably want to find a way off Bracca soon, unless you plan on being a scrapper instead of, well, you know."

    "What are you going to do?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

    "I'll stay here. Go into hiding."