The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 100 - Against all Odds

After hearing what his sons and Draco had to tell him, Dash Rendar called together those members of the Resistance cell who had ships equipped with cloaking devices. He was surprised at how many they actually had.

It didn't take long for those who wanted to take part in the rescue mission to gather in the base's hangar. They waited patiently for Dash's appearance to receive final instructions before take-off.
The former Rogue Squadron pilot entered the hangar followed by his sons and climbed onto a crate to be seen by everyone.
As he stood on the crate, his offspring noticed that he was full of energy again. This wasn't the man who had almost been broken by the loss of his beloved wife. The relentless mercenary was back. Dash Rendar cleared his throat to get the attention of those gathered.
"We have new intel. The commander has been taken to the Kashyyyk system and is still on board the First Order dreadnought." This announcement caused a murmur, but it quickly died down and Dash was able to continue. "We'll go in cloaked so they won't know we're there. I understand they also hijacked Nomi's ship during the abduction. Hopefully we can get the Aquarius back too. But rescuing the commander is our main objective. Keep this in mind throughout the mission. May the Force be with us."
He jumped down from the crate and walked over to the Outrider, followed by the triplets and Draco, who had insisted on joining the rescue mission to make up for his mistake.
Jaden and Tasherit were on their way to the Trader's Luck while the other pilots went to their own ships. In all, there were 10 ships and their pilots ready to spring into action.
Tarik watched as they took off. The former smuggler and ambassador was now responsible for the security of the base.

While the rescue team set off, Nomi planned her escape route.
She knew the layout of a First Order dreadnought, as the Resistance had captured the blueprints at some point. It would be best to crawl through the vents until she reached a ysalamiri-free area. There was a good chance that the entire capital ship wouldn't be equipped with these animals. Perhaps they were only to be found in the cell block and the interrogation room. If she had access to the Force, that would make things a lot easier.
The commander took a deep breath as she sensed that the ysalamiri must have fallen asleep. She summoned the Force and stretched out her hand, pulling the grate loose and letting it slide gently to the ground. Grinning, she Force-leaped, put the grate back in place and began to crawl to freedom. First she had to get a blaster and then retrieve her lightsaber, but that would be easy.
She crawled on and had that numb feeling again, telling her that the creatures must have woken up again.
Cursing inwardly, she made her way to the first intersection. The Jedi Master turned to her left and almost cheered when she felt the Force after crawling a few meters further. She had been right in her assumption that the whole ship wasn't full of the lizard-like critters.

Nomi continued on her way until she came to the next intersection, where she turned right, as she was pretty sure this would be the way to the armory. It was a long crawl through the narrow vent and even for her as a Jedi it was tiring.
Eventually she reached her destination. She peeked through the bars and saw no one in the armory. Breathing a sigh of relief, Nomi reached out with the Force to obscure the view of the surveillance cameras. Then she released the grate, as she had done earlier in her cell, and lowered it carefully and without a noise to the floor.
She dropped and landed in a crouch before she rose and began searching the armory for her lightsaber. The Jedi Master smiled when seeing it lying on a workbench, still intact. She walked over, grabbed it and hooked it onto her belt.
Then she looked around for a blaster and a vibroknife to be ready for any situation. It was easy to find what she needed in the armory, including the necessary ammunition.
There was a grin on Nomi's face.
Her chances of escaping had increased immensely. Having had enough of crawling through the vents, the Jedi went to the door and pressed a button on the panel there. The door opened with a hiss. After making sure the coast was clear, she stepped out of the armory and held the stolen blaster at the ready.
Then she began to walk to the hangar, where she was sure to find her beloved ship.

In another part of the galaxy, it didn't take long for the small rescue fleet to make the jump into hyperspace.
Dash Rendar was aware that the odds of holding their own against a First Order dreadnought with all its firepower were slim. They could only rely on the element of surprise and the hope that Nomi would find a way to escape her cell. That was a lot of ifs and buts.
Dash Jr. looked over at his father, sensing his unease. The former mercenary had been so convincing at base before, but now he was having second thoughts, it seemed.
"Everything will be fine, father," he said, reaching out with the Force to give his father more confidence.
"I hope so. I couldn't live without your mother," the old warrior replied almost inaudibly, but his son heard it anyway.
The two other Rendar offspring also sensed their father's mood as they checked the Outrider's weapon system once more, not wanting to take any risks. They felt the slight ripple in the Force and knew that their older brother was already looking after their father.
Corran looked up from his work and glanced at Draco, who was sitting at the Dejarik table. The man had turned from being an enemy to an ally. But could they be sure that it wouldn't be the other way around when they reached their destination? The young Jedi frowned. Could they really trust the man? Either way, he would keep a watchful eye on the pirate.